Abstract:
A gaff is provided for use in climbing a wooden utility pole (to include trees), said gaff having one or more grooves preferably running along a line parallel to the line formed by the intersection of the planes of its top two sides and/or one or more teeth for cutting into the pole.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to gaffs for climbing utility poles and trees. 
     Heretofore, utility poles have been impregnated with various preservatives some of which render the wood hard and resistant to penetration by climbers gaffs. As a result the lineman, being unable to easily insert the gaff of his climbing iron into the pole, does not have ample support, thus, increasing climbing hazards. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It has now been discovered that an improved gaff is provided having one or more grooves preferably running along a line parallel to the line formed by the intersection of the planes of its top two sides and/or one or more toothed sections or teeth for removing wood from the outer surface of the pole. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a climbing iron for use with the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the gaff. 
     FIG. 3 is a detailed view of one-half of the top surface of the gaff. 
     FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of V type grooves parallel to line A--A&#39; taken along line 4--4&#39; in FIG. 3. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of semicircular type grooves parallel to line A--A&#39; in FIG. 3 taken along line 4--4&#39;. 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6--6&#39; in FIG. 3 of teeth formed by intersecting grooves with bottom surface of gaff. 
     FIG. 7 is a view of teeth taken along A--A&#39; in FIG. 2 forming a saw type edge for cutting pole. 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the gaff showing the shape of a cutting tooth at section 7--7&#39; in FIG. 7. 
     FIG. 9 is a detailed view of one-half of the top surface of the gaff with grooves parallel to the bottom of the gaff. 
     FIG. 10 is a view of one-half of the gaff with criss-crossed v grooves forming saw like surface and intersecting with Line A--A&#39; in FIG. 2. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to FIG. 1, the gaff 7 is affixed to a climbing iron 1 comprising an upstanding portion 3 which is adapted to engage the climber&#39;s boot or shoe, and a stirrup 5 to support the weight of the climber. The gaff is for penetrating the pole (used herein to include trees) whereupon the climber is supported. The gaff can be fixed or removable for replacement. 
     In FIG. 2, an isometric drawing of a replaceable gaff is shown wherein 9 is the ridge line of the top surface, 10 is the bottom surface, 11 is one-half of the top surface and 13 is the gaff support. 
     In FIG. 3, a detailed view is shown of one-half of the top surface of gaff 7 wherein the lines 15, preferably running parallel to line A--A&#39; are grooves preferably running substantially the length of gaff 7 and are illustrated in cross section in FIG. 4. Teeth 17 which are symmetrical about line A--A&#39; extend from a point near the tip of the gaff (e.g. 1/4&#34; from tip) to a point near the maximum insertion of the gaff into the wood or a point about 11/2&#34; from the tip with a conventional gaff of 13/4&#34;. These teeth 17 are shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. Different shaped teeth 19 and 20 are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, respectively. The teeth dig into the utility pole and are believed to relieve resistance to gaff penetration by abrasive action. The V shaped grooves 15 are believed to help maintain gaff drive direction and may provide up to 90-95% more support area than the conventional gaff will for the same gaff penetration. 
     In FIG. 5, a cross secional view of semi-circular type grooves 15 is shown. FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of teeth formed on the bottom edge of gaff. 
     In FIG. 8, a cross sectional view of a tooth is shown taken across line 7--7&#39; in FIG. 7 wherein 18 is the top of tooth and 22 shows the cutting surface of the tooth. The cross hatched area 24 is the remaining gaff cross section at section 7--7&#39;. To obtain optimum results, a plurality of grooves are formed on the gaff with the teeth 17 (FIG. 3) contiguous with and feeding into V shaped grooves 15. The grooves may take other shapes such as the semi-circular grooves 14 shown in FIG. 5 and may run in any direction. For best results the groove should be present in the area from the tip of the gaff to 1/2&#34; from the tip. 
     The depth of the grooves will depend upon the additional support and drive direction desired. Generally, the grooves are from 1/64&#34; to 3/16&#34; deep. The depth and angle of the teeth are dependent upon the degree of cutting surface required. Depending upon the preference and/or weight of the climber, the teeth may comprise as little as 1/4&#34; near the tip of the gaff to the full length. 
     While some improvement is obtained with either the teeth or the grooves used alone, it is preferred that they be employed together. Similarly, the number of grooves on the gaff need not be the maximum which can be machined but only so many need be employed to obtain the desired support and ease of penetration into the pole. The gaff is typically made of steel but any sufficiently rigid material can be employed. 
     In FIG. 9, an alternative embodiment is shown in which grooves 21 are parallel to bottom anterior surface 23. 
     In FIG. 10, an alternative embodiment is shown in which V grooved sections 15 run both parallel and perpendicular to line A--A&#39; in FIG. 3.