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Talk me out of bolts

Focused on 10+ said:
Thanks, I was going to use a 7/16 speed bor Irwin bit
Is that size ok?
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I've only used the Treehopper bit...and I can never remember the size, I think it's 10mm.
I've found that some trees just bore differently than the next tree. Even within the same tree, not all holes bore a clean hole that a 3/8" bolt fits like the last hole. I've always just stuck with the tried and true sizes. These sizes have been used long before Treehopper came into existence.
 
Thanks, I looked it up and it is a 10mm bit which is slightly larger than 3/8
I’ll try the 7/16 and hope they aren’t too loose
 
Sorry Tom
One more dumb question (I’m new to saddle hunting this year )
If you use 6 inch bolts are you only drilling 2 inches into the tree?
 
I prefer the cranford double folding steps over bolts personally, they are heavier but easier to install/uninstall imo. But I’m talking for hang and hunts not presets. Also I’m probably the only guy on here who holds this opinion.
 
Focused on 10+ said:
Sorry Tom
One more dumb question (I’m new to saddle hunting this year )
If you use 6 inch bolts are you only drilling 2 inches into the tree?
Click to expand...

The Treehopper hand drill and cordless bit drills a hole roughly 2 5/8".
My old Woodpecker hand drill drills about 2". Side note: This 5/8" difference is why people believe the Woodpecker drilled faster. It didn't drill faster, it's just that the Treehopper drilled 5/8" deeper which takes more time/revolutions.

Here's a comparison of a 6" bolt to a high quality EZClimb step.
The screw-in actually has slightly less insertion into the tree than the bolt and the external comparison is roughly the same.
One thing that I will stress is that you do not want the threads protruding from the hole. The thread section of a bolt has the weakest shear strength and if threads are exposed, then you aren't utilizing the full strength of the bolt.
A properly sized hole gives support 360 degrees to the bolt throughout the threaded section. I'm not a big guy...I was climbing at about 200 pounds (total body weight, clothes, gear, etc) and I've never had a 6"x3/8" grade 8 bolt bend or break.
And keep in mind that there are variables involved. Thickness of bark is one very important detail. Angle of the hole is another detail. the greater the angle, the further out on the bolt that your weight will be distributed which causes greater leverage on the bolt.

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John 35 said:
I prefer the cranford double folding steps over bolts personally, they are heavier but easier to install/uninstall imo. But I’m talking for hang and hunts not presets. Also I’m probably the only guy on here who holds this opinion.
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So was I until I had a rivet break. Never again. The fold is the weak spot. I only weigh 140, btw.
 
kbetts said:
So was I until I had a rivet break. Never again. The fold is the weak spot. I only weigh 140, btw.
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I had the pin break on a EZClimb Deluxe one time. Luckily it was the bottom step.
I also had an Ameristep screw-in snap in half at the threads. It was an extremely hard tree ( one of those thorny locust in Iowa). The ONLY way to screw in an Ameristep in those trees was to use one of those tree step tools. I guess it allowed too much torque on the step and it damaged the step. It broke when I attempted to unscrew it at the end of the season. There's no telling if it was near breaking when I climbed on it.
Compare apples to apples here and I mean a step that engages into the tree...All things considered, IMO, bolts are safer than any kind of screw-in.
 
Focused on 10+ said:
Sorry Tom
One more dumb question (I’m new to saddle hunting this year )
If you use 6 inch bolts are you only drilling 2 inches into the tree?
Click to expand...
And if you use a different bit, like Harbor Freight, set the depth somehow… eyeballing it is not as easy as it seems and these bits are hard to stop plunging while they’re spinning. Free handing the depth is not easy.
 
kbetts said:
So was I until I had a rivet break. Never again. The fold is the weak spot. I only weigh 140, btw.
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That’s disappointing to hear. I’ve had mine for years and I’ve not had an issue yet. I have bolts as well but I broke my drill bit on my hand drill. I also found it more frustrating to use.
 
neonomad said:
And if you use a different bit, like Harbor Freight, set the depth somehow… eyeballing it is not as easy as it seems and these bits are hard to stop plunging while they’re spinning. Free handing the depth is not easy.
Click to expand...
You can buy a little collar with a set screw to control depth.
I did that with one of the early Treehopper hand drill prototype bits. The earliest drill bits were not case hardened and the hard retainer pin (he uses a retainer screw now) would eventually tear-out the hole in the bit.
The rest of the bit was still good but there was no way to secure it in the body of the hand drill, and there was no stopper collar incorporated on the bit anyway. So I decided to just use it in a cordless drill but it needed a depth stopper. The collar works great. Get one in most hardware stores.
 
John I have been fortunate and never had a Cranford break and they were my go to for many years Now i do prefer bolts 95% of the time The only time in prefer the Cranfords is on very large trees I am a good size guy at over 6 foot and nearly 300 lbs and have managed to bend a bolt or two What i have found is that if not careful on large trees you can get on the end of the bolt a little more and also if you drill one with a little too much angle is when you could bend a bolt and the ones i have bent has been in the threads Gonna get a little longer bolt and cut most of the threads off to strengthen it up a bit
 
I haven’t used much other than bolts since 2017 or so. I have probably 6-8 full sets of grade 8’s (17 is a minimum full set for me, and will get me to 20 feet with 4 bolts for a ring and 1 bolt each for my bow and backpack), most with shrink wrap on the exterior and head. On trees that I know for sure I will sit a time or two, I will leave most of the bolts and the upper ring in place and just pull the bottom 3-4 bolts on my way out so it isn’t obvious the tree is prepped. That way, I only have to carry 3-4 bolts in with me as my climbing system.


I am also still rocking a set of pultruded carbon fiber bolts for Run N Gun as well, but do not recommend them for others. The sheer strength is not as high as grade 8. They are extremely light, but if I remember correctly, a couple guys had failures on the carbon bolts so don’t use those yourself…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Buckhorn70 said:
Bolts on one side of the tree at 3ft…6ft….9ft and every 3 foot for as high as you want to climb. Use a foot aider that hangs on the bolt on the other side of the tree to replace the spot of the other bolt. 10 bolts gets you to roughly 30 feet…..7 bolts to roughly 21 feet.

Like someone said….. half the bulk and weight. Half the holes that need to be drilled.
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is there a YouTube video of this method. Still trying to visualize this
 
Great information on this thread. Does anyone have a direct link(s) to a product page for bolts? I'm looking to buy 50 or so. Thanks in advance
 
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