Check your sticks every time going up and down..went up mine yesterday and something didn't seem/feel right..the sticks slid a tiny bit and I figured cause they were wet..on the way down I was checking the ratchet straps the bottom half let loose..the "U" piece against the tree the bolt either snapped or pulled through..i just changed all the bolts last year (home depot stainless)..luckily I had one hand still holding on..had to jump from 12 ft..scared the crap out of me..pulled my shoulder,could've been worse
Are those the Comfort Zone climbing sticks? I have a set of those. Looks from the picture that the steel where the hole is gave way.. Dick's has them on sale for $50 for the 20Ft set.. I just picked up a set of the Hawk Ranger strap on steps for the same price..
I'll dbl check mine the next time I'm go in.. I know I have had trees with a little bend in them and when you sock down the straps it puts pressure on the steel as it bends to meet the tree.
I like the cheap Sportsman guide sticks, they are not like those which are a ladder basically. These hang separate from each other and although a bit heavy they are made well and are only 30 bucks for 3 sticks, which will get you to about 15ft. and add a couple screw ins and your up 20ft. Shawn
I'm big boned..lol...its the bread maaan,its the bread..thats my downfall.... Garbanzo,ya those are cz,had them around 6-7 yrs..im guessing the bottom one must've collapsed causing the next to drop .?...now I have to figure out how to get the other piece that's still up in the tree..
Great reminder! I'll post a picture this week of a step that broke where the step meets the center post. It apparently happened over the summer. Water gets trapped there and corrodes from the inside. A small drilled hole near the weld should solve the problem.
Notme.. if you like them pick up a new set. You can either attach next to the existing one or try to feed it in to the bottom of what is left up in the tree.
My only problem with them is lugging them in and out of the woods. Not so much the weight, but the length. I am either kicking the bottoms or the tops are hitting overhead branches.
FYI.. I have mine wrapped in that foam pipe insulation. Cuts down on the metal on metal noise when I am packing them in.. I just zip-tie it on.
Garbanzo, I tried mating the old with the new..the taper on the old one is deeper so the pin holes don't line up by an inch..im gonna carry an extension ladder in and try to work off that..then decide what to do.
Mfg's way of getting you to buy a completely new set.. Slightly change the design so old and new don't match up..
You might be able to drill a hole in the old one and slip in a bolt to stop the new one from going in too far. However, that might compromise the strength further
Was it me or did anybody else wish there were sub titles n...lol
I used to put the whole stick together then ratchet as I climbed,until the same thing in the video happened.now I do 1 at a time..when I take them down,I'm tall enough to stand on the one below and I wrap my leg around the step..
I put mine back up yesterday,the bolt snapped on the u piece..so much for home depot stainless..also all the straps were loose,not sloppy,but enough to make one notice..i talked to an old timer about.ha said with the high winds and tree sway the straps will stretch a bit..sounds plausible..check them every time up or down.
I drive right past fastenal,past eb marine to get to home depot..lol..i was probably there for something stupid and figured while I'm here..never again.lol
