I do angle them up slightly. I also was giving it a pretty good bounce. Way more shenanigans than I'd pull at height. Just being thorough on the testing process, since I'm not sure who I'd try to sue if I busted my a$$.
-
The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
-
We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules
Treebolts revisited
- Thread starter justsomedude
- Start date
I think all those deepfried nutters are getting to you...have you stepped on a scale lately?I do angle them up slightly. I also was giving it a pretty good bounce. Way more shenanigans than I'd pull at height. Just being thorough on the testing process, since I'm not sure who I'd try to sue if I busted my a$$.
Still a sleek 170. Like I said, it may be paranoia. They are freaky light. I didn't trust amsteel either, but I'm still alive.
Oh, I hear ya. I'm 182. I just figure I'm always tied in....and I've taken some big whippers rock climbing while trusted my life to a 1/4" piece of wedged aluminum crammed into a rock face....these are like climbing a ladder to me.
Just tried my hand drill. Man this thing is awsome. I will do the nutter buster mods to it tomorrow. Drilled a few trees and I was surprised how easy it was. About 60 turns, 30 seconds per bolt. IMO they are easier than screw ins. So here’s my next question. If I use this drill on a pine will I regret it. I’d hate to get sap on it. Any tips are appreciated.
AH HELL YES!! I'VE GOT A MOD NAMED AFTER ME!
And they said I'd never amount to anything...hah!
You will not like pine sap on your drill. You will not like pine sap on anything you have. Pine sap is literally designed to make you feel that way. It's the trees way of saying, "Screw you, buddy."
That being said, sometime you gotta show that tree who's boss. Mineral spirits will get it off if that pine tree is the only thing between you and the perfect hang.
I was in a pine tree tonight. All my new gear has pine sap on it now. Oh well. It'll collect some dirt and it'll all be good.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Heading out in the morning to move some cameras around and prep some trees. 100% chance of rain. Only time I have to get out. I packed my bolts in my pack in a small pouch but they still make noise. Seems like the only way to keep them quiet it to keep them separated. To the guys that use a pouch how are you keeping them silent. Are you just putting them inside and then pulling them out one by one as you go up? I like the elastic belt idea. Seems like you could roll that up and then clip it to your saddle while climbing. Aren’t those made for shotgun shells? Seems like bolts would just fall right out of that. Nutter buster do you have a link to the one you are using. Sorry to keep asking for links I just want to make sure I get it right the first time. This thread has been very helpful I want to thank everyone that has contributed to it. Seriously.....Thanks
None of us get it right the first time. But I appreciate what you're saying. Some bandolier are made for shotgun shells. Some are made for rifle rounds. Get one that's made for rifle rounds. They won't fall out.
For silence if you roll them up, you'll have more bolts contacting each other and making noise. Instead of a bandolier, you can use a sock or a piece of fleece and roll them up that way to keep them quiet while walking but make sure there is fabric between bolts. Or just wrap them together with a stout rubberband.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited:
Have you plastic dipped or put heat shrink on your bolts? Mine still make a little bit of noise but not when they're in the pouch on my saddle.
Sorry, missed your post. If you put an @ in front of a name it'll send that person a head's up that somebody's mentioned them. @Nutterbuster for example. Here's that link:
https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Rifle-Cartridge-Ammo-Belt/dp/B0000C53GI
You can absolutely roll it up. I keep an elastic band around it. Very quiet and functional. I'll post the results of my first hunt tomorrow morning. The elastic belt is money, and I think it will really shine in the field. I'm going to time myself setting up.
I am dipping them tonight. I’m sure that will help to quiet them down. Used the hand drill to prep a few trees today. It was raining and it was a little harder to pull the bit from the tree. I managed to slightly bend the body of the drill where the knob sits. My own fault for pulling out with the drill completely horizontal. I think I was putting too much force on the handle. Just picked up some conduit I’ll make one that will last. I can’t see it holding up to abuse as is.
Working with minimal tools here. Put this together tonight. Used a hack saw to make the main cut. I put the conduit in my vice and cut along the top of the vice. First time I cut too deep into the conduit. Next cut not deep enough. What I thought would take 30 minutes took 2 hours. The bolt that holds the bit is not straight. I must have had the drill angled slightly downward. You can see the bit is offset and angled. I will revisit it when I have more time. After using the stock hand drill on a few trees in the rain it shows wear. Body of the drill bent at the handle and there’s even a little rust. I have a feeling I will have to make several more until I get it the way I want it. I’ll try this one tomorrow and then get back into the garage to tinker some more.
Attachments
I wouldn't make that conduit much longer than the original design. The bigger the circle you make the more work it is and the more movement and the more you'll be busting knuckles against stuff. (Tight spots, trees with two trunks, spots close to limbs etc.) Leverage hasn't been an issue at all for me with the original design.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Took my first stab at making a DIY EZ Kut drill last night. This is very rough and not done yet but I wanted to share it. I still have more material to make a better design. I’ll use a drill press for the holes next time and I plan to make it foldable next time. I used extra parts laying around in my garage to do this. Handle still needs a 1/4 spacer over the bolt handle and I’ll probably switch it to a hex bolt instead of carriage bolt. I plan to paint the drill bit to 2 1/2 inch to know where to stop.
Attachments
I have had issues with harder wooded trees were a little more torque would have helped and the thinner material would have bent on the drill if I had forced it.
I would say it isn't more work just different (someone who likes physics can do the math), as in yes your arm will rotate around in a circumference 6in longer each turn (at 6in radius vs 7in) but the number of rotations is the same, and it'll be less effort over a greater distance as opposed to more effort over a shorter distance.
If your working in a tight spot the drill can open at an angle greater than 90 effectively decreasing your working area, but yeah don't go too much bigger than the original still or it will become unwieldy. But I feel like the original was made to be as small and light as possible, just barely long enough to have a section with uncut pipe for rigidity and also the same length as the bolts (which is nice) and long enough to turn but not necessary engineered to maximum performance. But here is my reasoning:
-thicker/larger pipe (Pros - stronger, longer lasting, less chance to ruin a hunt from breaking, dip-able for silencing. Cons - slight weight increase)
-slightly longer body (Pros - easier to drill Cons - slight weight increase, slightly larger rotations, slightly larger packing size)
So for me the weight isn't a huge issue, first because it is still super pack-able and light, a solid product I can depend on is much more important.
If anyone decides that ~7in is too long for optimum use you can simply cut the handle end some more and re-drill the handle hole without remaking the whole thing.
I have used a spare 3/8” ratchet with the quick release feature. Then used a socket designed to hold a bit. Drilled the end of ratchet for a wooden handle. Most everyone has spare ratchets laying around. It’s a fairly quick solution, though not as light as the original. There are even “composite “ ratchets with an offset for clearance for less than $20.00.
Last edited: