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Treehopper Bolt Questions

dlist777

dlist777

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 21, 2019
Messages
711
I have access to private land where I can drill trees. I was planning on buying a bulk order of treehopper bolts and doing a ton of presets (both to climb and as a ROS). I have a few questions:

1. Any issue with the basic bolts rusting. I'm going to leave them all season. I dont care if they rust a bit....just not so bad that it's a safety issue.

2. Can you just leave them in for multiple seasons? Any safety concerns with that?

3. I see they offer coated bolts....are they worth it?
 
If it’s for presets just buy regular grade 8 bolts.

Pull them at the end of deer season.
 
Why leave them in trees? Just carry in and drop in pre set holes on your way up the tree.
 
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i`m glad you asked. I`m planning on doing the same. Tree hopper has a bulk price of un treated bolts that I don’t know if the price can be beat by buying grade 8s from a hardware,Home Depot. Plus, if treehopper is close to the same price, I’ll buy from them first!
 
Two things about bolts. If you leave them, the tree quickly closes around them so after a full season I doubt you could get them out without a tool of some kind. Also leaving them just advertises where your hunting. Secondly, Do yourself a favor and carry a hand drill to ream out the predrilled holes. They can freeze with sap and we have even had people put a stick in the bottom holes and snap the stick off in the hole. Also while drilling say in sept. for an October opener we've had trees heal the hole enough so you couldn't get the bolt in the hole. Usually in one yr. the holes are healed over so you need to look real close if your gonna drill that tree again, however re drilling is much easier. Usually any problems are the lowest holes cuz the sap is running downhill in the fall. I have used the original treehopper system for over 25 yrs. and even worked for the inventor at one of the trade shows in the winter in my area. Typing this reminds me that he gave me a tree hopper original linesmans belt and autographed it for me and now im gonna go find it and post the pic. This belt was never used. Who wants to buy this collectors item? LOL
 
ALWAYS USE GRADE 8. IF YOU BREAK OFF A CHEAPSKAKE VERSION THE REST WILL GUT YOU ON THE WAY SLIDING DOWN THE TREE
 
Those look good to me !

Here’s the original autographed treehopper belt i’m guessing somewhere around 25 to 30 yrs old.
f32b891fd16ee8de29cd17649e2ae84c.jpg

e6aee35321fd525f517e889b40873edc.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Whatever rust on them would be cosmetic only for the first couple of years if left in permanently. At some point, they would need to be looked at more closely. To avoid the rust getting on your hands/clothes, wrap them in hockey tape - that quietens them as well. A coat of primer and paint wouldn't hurt.

I wouldn't want to take business away from Treehopper - they are first rate. Standard 3/8" grade 8 bolts works very well.
 
I bought a bulk order and mine were oil coated.
I would never use them that way. I don't want the smell of oil on my boots and I don't want it on the tree either.
We degeased them and painted them. I doubt hockey tape would stick very well to an oily bolt.
After you clean them, they will rust before your very eyes, but its just surface rust. For longevity, I think painting is best.
For removal from a tight hole, I carry a pair of mini vice grips. I don't carry the grips daily, but I do carry them post season in case I want to terminate or adjust stand sites.
And I put a little grind mark on the head of my bolts so I can identify them as mine. My buddy has the same bolts and we started getting them mixed up as to whose bolts were whose. We share presets on some properties and after a while, its easy to forget whose bolts we used on a particular tree. We figured that, over time, bolts may end up gravitating to one or the other of us...may as well be able to identify which are mine. A small grind mark before painting is a permanent marker.
And IMO, the coated Treehopper bolts are expensive. I use uncoated for presets and for in-season carrying, I use marine grade heat shrink tube.
 
I probably went overboard. I marked each bolt 2.5 inches from the tread end. On the thread side I used glow-in-the dark paint so I could tell in the dark if they were properly seated, on the head side I used sand texture paint and did the bolt heads glow-in-the dark over the sand, then clear coated them. I think if I was going to sell them I would charge at least $10 each, lol.
 
Last edited:
Allegheny Tom said:
I bought a bulk order and mine were oil coated.
I would never use them that way. I don't want the smell of oil on my boots and I don't want it on the tree either.
We degeased them and painted them. I doubt hockey tape would stick very well to an oily bolt.
After you clean them, they will rust before your very eyes, but its just surface rust. For longevity, I think painting is best.
For removal from a tight hole, I carry a pair of mini vice grips. I don't carry the grips daily, but I do carry them post season in case I want to terminate or adjust stand sites.
And I put a little grind mark on the head of my bolts so I can identify them as mine. My buddy has the same bolts and we started getting them mixed up as to whose bolts were whose. We share presets on some properties and after a while, its easy to forget whose bolts we used on a particular tree. We figured that, over time, bolts may end up gravitating to one or the other of us...may as well be able to identify which are mine. A small grind mark before painting is a permanent marker.
And IMO, the coated Treehopper bolts are expensive. I use uncoated for presets and for in-season carrying, I use marine grade heat shrink tube.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info! Would you mind sharing a link to (or the specs for) the heat shrink tubing you used? I’m considering this option and want to price it out.
 
TNbowhunter said:
Thanks for the info! Would you mind sharing a link to (or the specs for) the heat shrink tubing you used? I’m considering this option and want to price it out.
Click to expand...
This stuff has been really durable for me. I like the red, rather than the black which is almost invisible when climbing down in the dark. It holds a coat of spray paint pretty well so you can camo it if you want. I have painted it and left a strip unpainted so I can see the red when climbing down, but it still is camo when seen from other angles. The 1/2" tube will fit over the heads of 3/8" Allen bolts, which is nice. Don't get 3/8" tube. And you obviously don't want to tube the section that fits in the hole. Tube is way better than plastic dip. It's more durable, And you can do a bolt in almost no time with no drips, mess, or drying time.
This link is a cut and paste from Amazon.
XHF 1/2 Inch (13mm) 3:1 Waterproof Heat Shrink Tubing Marine Grade Wire Cable Adhesive Lined Tube Insulation Seal Against Moisture Corrosion and Air Leakage, 4 Ft Red
 
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