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bolts

A lot of talk about what bolts will handle, shear strengths, heights and weights, lengths of bolts.

Have any of you folks pulled on bolts till failure while installed in a 2.5” deep hole on a tree? Size? Length? Grade? Tree species? Curious of your results.

I suspect that most of you would be surprised by the weight the bolts will break at or bend beyond being able to stand on.

It is good practice to be sure the threads are not at the edge of the hole in practice. But what happens when you step on the bolt and elongate the hole in the tree, and the thread is now at the edge? Hint - that’s where and how most of them break.

I’m not saying they’re not safe. I use them, a lot. It might be wise to dispense with the ‘I use them and weigh this much and nothing went wrong’ talk.

Personally, I’d cut an inch of thread off a 7” bolt as best case scenario. You get a little grip at the back of the hole, but no stress riser at the front.

I am not qualified to make a recommendation on what to do here. I am qualified to point out that most of the folks here aren’t either. Just some food for thought folks!

Stay safe. And think!
 
kyler1945 said:
A lot of talk about what bolts will handle, shear strengths, heights and weights, lengths of bolts.

Have any of you folks pulled on bolts till failure while installed in a 2.5” deep hole on a tree? Size? Length? Grade? Tree species? Curious of your results.

I suspect that most of you would be surprised by the weight the bolts will break at or bend beyond being able to stand on.

It is good practice to be sure the threads are not at the edge of the hole in practice. But what happens when you step on the bolt and elongate the hole in the tree, and the thread is now at the edge? Hint - that’s where and how most of them break.

I’m not saying they’re not safe. I use them, a lot. It might be wise to dispense with the ‘I use them and weigh this much and nothing went wrong’ talk.

Personally, I’d cut an inch of thread off a 7” bolt as best case scenario. You get a little grip at the back of the hole, but no stress riser at the front.

I am not qualified to make a recommendation on what to do here. I am qualified to point out that most of the folks here aren’t either. Just some food for thought folks!

Stay safe. And think!
Click to expand...
I've never used them but have some on the way(6") and plan on 2.5" hole at a slight downward angle. I weigh 150 soaking wet and use a lifeline rope from the ground or close to it so I'm less worried about bending or breaking steel as I am the tree rotting or giving away around the bolt. I never use screw steps of any kind in pine trees either
 
kyler1945 said:
A lot of talk about what bolts will handle, shear strengths, heights and weights, lengths of bolts.

Have any of you folks pulled on bolts till failure while installed in a 2.5” deep hole on a tree? Size? Length? Grade? Tree species? Curious of your results.

I suspect that most of you would be surprised by the weight the bolts will break at or bend beyond being able to stand on.

It is good practice to be sure the threads are not at the edge of the hole in practice. But what happens when you step on the bolt and elongate the hole in the tree, and the thread is now at the edge? Hint - that’s where and how most of them break.

I’m not saying they’re not safe. I use them, a lot. It might be wise to dispense with the ‘I use them and weigh this much and nothing went wrong’ talk.

Personally, I’d cut an inch of thread off a 7” bolt as best case scenario. You get a little grip at the back of the hole, but no stress riser at the front.

I am not qualified to make a recommendation on what to do here. I am qualified to point out that most of the folks here aren’t either. Just some food for thought folks!

Stay safe. And think!
Click to expand...
This is why I recommend everyone to figure out what was safe for that certain individual and I wasn't claiming to be an expert just answering the question that was asked!!!! To each his own!! Be safe!
 
Help a novice here. So if I use 6" bolts on private ground presets I can just use my cordless drill. Drill 2 1/2" deep. What size bit for the 3/8-16 6" bolts. Use hex head socket to install? Slight downward angle. 4 and 8 o'clock best for climbing. Am I missing anything?
 
Hilltopper said:
Help a novice here. So if I use 6" bolts on private ground presets I can just use my cordless drill. Drill 2 1/2" deep. What size bit for the 3/8-16 6" bolts. Use hex head socket to install? Slight downward angle. 4 and 8 o'clock best for climbing. Am I missing anything?
Click to expand...
Get the treehopper bit. It's something like 10mm, but gives the appropriate depth and works well. Get the hand drill too, is my suggestion (but if always powersetting and leaving bolts in then i guess optional.

The bolts slide in. No socket needed.

DON'T just install at 4 and 8. Install so that the installed bolts are positioned such that you can maintain a comfortable stance on them and keep your center of gravity over them. This might be narrower. Some say nipplewidth, but it's more about putting the bolts under you while you climb like spiderman (toes out, instep flush to the tree)- not on tbe side of the tree while you try to mount it like a harley.
 
mattsteg said:
Get the treehopper bit. It's something like 10mm, but gives the appropriate depth and works well. Get the hand drill too, is my suggestion (but if always powersetting and leaving bolts in then i guess optional.

The bolts slide in. No socket needed.

DON'T just install at 4 and 8. Install so that the installed bolts are positioned such that you can maintain a comfortable stance on them and keep your center of gravity over them. This might be narrower. Some say nipplewidth, but it's more about putting the bolts under you while you climb like spiderman (toes out, instep flush to the tree)- not on tbe side of the tree while you try to mount it like a harley.
Click to expand...

my nipplewidth is very narrow. That’s also my new favorite word.
 
Hilltopper said:
Use hex head socket to install?....
Click to expand...
No, use mini vice grips. Once you clamp them on the bolt, you can turn them in or out with 1 finger and no worries about it slipping off and falling to the ground.
Also, as time goes by, you might find better deals on bolts with differing heads. You may end up mixing and matching head styles in your pack at any time. A hex wrench obviously won't work on an allen or vice versa.
And vice grips can pull out on the bolt while turning it, whereas a wrench can only turn the bolt.
This is one time that I know that I am 100% right. Carry the smallest model vice grips instead of a wrench. They are shorter than the bolt and take little space in the pack. And on a rare occasion, they can be used for other purposes. A wrench is only as useful as the head it matches.


Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
I have mine at a slight upward angle, not downward.
 
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