Treestand Maintenance and Safety

[struttingfool]

Well it is that time of year when the stands come down, cleaned up, checked over , and put away until next summer. I have been a lone wolf sitter for many years currently have 6 alphas. By far the nicest stands I have ever owned. They are a little prices but I am worth it . If I had to guess a couple of the stands are 8 or 9 years old and the newest ones are 3 or 4. I have been debating on buying new cables for them? If their is one thing I don't like about cable stands is that you really never know what the condition of the metal is in on the "inside" of that cable. I found out the hard way on a tailgate cable on the truck while loading a 4 wheeler.Luckily God was watching out for me that day!!!! Every summer I get all of my stands out, set them up in a tree (2 feet off the ground) and give then the once over. But those cables are always in the back of my mind (is today the day). I am not getting any younger or smaller so I am going to order some new replacement cables after the first of the year. Please do your yourself and your families a favor and check your stands!!!! If you have any doubts!!!!!! buy new, replace , repair and maintain your stuff. I have added a life line to EVERY stand I sit in . Once again, a little pricey but my family is worth it!!!!!!! Happy New Year and its never too early to prepare for next years deer season!

Strut

 

[Drycreek]

I’m not a tree stand hunter, but that’s good advice for them, ladder stands, and even tripods. There are numerous things that can go wrong with metal that sits in the elements, even if it’s just squeaks and groans at an inopportune time. Some of them can be very dangerous. Some of the bargain stands made with Chinese steel are mainly held together by paint IMO.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I've spent a lot of hours in climber stands without giving them a thought. Loggy Bayou (blast from the past) TimberTall (lawsuits drove them out of business) Treewalker (relys on crimped cables) Lone Wolf (a good rubber belt with a questionable cam system) Summit (seems more reliable than most) and assorted homemade ones. However, the older I get, the more they scare me. Trusting your life to someone else's Monday morning cable crimping job doesn't seem like such a smart idea anymore. One good reason to have a blind with a solid stairway.

 

[buckdeer1]

Don Higgins from Real World outdoors talks about how he removes the cables and adds chains

 

[Mennoniteman]

Don Higgins from Real World outdoors talks about how he removes the cables and adds chains

Thats an interesting concept but aren't twisted and stretched chain links are more fragile than cables... plus the weight factor and ease of use.

 

[Tap]

Don Higgins from Real World outdoors talks about how he removes the cables and adds chains

I replaced all my cables with chain several years ago. Cable is fine until they rust, which all of mine eventually did rust.
My buddy had a cable break on him this year on a quality Screaming Eagle stand. He was lucky only 1 broke and he got off the platform before the other side broke.

 

[THE LLC]

Tree stands scare me.

 

[buckdeer1]

I know they are going to do a video on utube on how he does it

 

[struttingfool]

How many of you are in favor of replacing the cables with chain? Obviously if the chains are done will also upgrade the bolts as well. The factory warranty will be void but these stands are 5 to 9 years old!! Thoughts?