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New Platform steps maybe ???

These are interesting and i am in the same boat that these may peel away from the tree. I think it is just a design concept which if they dont work could be changed by the manufacturer possibly. I am not to sure how these are made but if made on a 3D printer im a little skeptical that they would be durable to withstand the abuse.
 
I doubt they are 3d printed. You can see what looks like a mold/injection circle in the one picture.
 
What has me questioning if these are printed is this section circled in the pic as well as the lines on the tread.
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Jefferson10940 said:
What has me questioning if these are printed is this section circled in the pic as well as the lines on the tread.
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If I had to guess... they prototyped with 3D printing and then made the final mold from the printed part. If they didn’t take the time to clean up the printer marks, the would show up in the injection molded parts as well.


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I agree with ikeman the groves look the same on the inside corner as on the top of the step.


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@redsquirrel @Erniepower hey did either of you get a confirmation email about your order? I have yet to receive anything. Just curious, most likely a small business family with a full time job as well.
 
I wish these type of steps would add just a bit more length for your feet to sit on. I know more length creates more leverage. But with just another inch or so I think it could be the ultimate platform. I'd even be interested in seeing how they really work to climb the tree. I hate climbing anything that moves under my feet. But if they were pretty solid I'd have to consider it for certain hunts.
 
My box arrived today!! Gonna do a quick check on the tree.


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Real quick review ... real quick! Full disclosure I did not saddle up so take this with a grain of salt.
1) I put 3 on a tree and climbed using them as climbing system. Worked as advertised, little squishy up and down but stable and big enough for my size 14 boot. Little awkward getting them set up as to which way to put it on but once you do it a few times it is obvious. So if just for climbing, I think these would be quick, quiet and trusting.

2) I put 2 on the companies strap to see how it would respond as a platform. As expected the strap is not made for that, no way to get it tight enough.

3) Put 3 on a ratchet strap secured it to the tree and checked it out as a platform. I do not see why this will not work. I was not tethered in, so I was not able to put complete side pressure on them but over all my first impression is that I would use these as a platform. Maybe use an OCB or ratchet and it should be fine. They do not pull away from the tree if they are tight enough. Did not seem to roll sideways either.

More time will be needed to make a real decision but I am not returning them. $13.50 to ship it ($65+ tax good deal to me) and it came in a day or 2? That’s crazy fast.

I would rather buy just the steps and no strap if that was an option.
 
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IkemanTX said:
If I had to guess... they prototyped with 3D printing and then made the final mold from the printed part. If they didn’t take the time to clean up the printer marks, the would show up in the injection molded parts as well.


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Click to expand...
I'd have to see them up close. Usually injection molds are machined from a CAD model in aluminum or steel, not cast around a prototype part. But if they started with a flat end mill and didn't use a ton of finishing passes it could look that way. Some things about the part look atypical for injection molding to my eye though. The only 3d printed material that I'd potentially trust for something structural like this is either metal or reinforced nylon with continuous fiberglass strands. In either of those cases the steps would cost several times more than these.

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Mine came today. Starting my vacation off with a bang by getting sick tonight. Hoping to be in a tree tomorrow and maybe I will get a chance to test these at some point during the day.

They appear to be injection molded to me. They have those little circles on them that you often see on molded parts.
 
The lines and circles come from machining the mold. They likely use a ball nose endmill and take very small passes at a time. That way you can cut material in all axis without the cutter digging in. I do it a lot at the shop I work for on large radius and corner radius on a convex surface. We bench ours out with abrasive wheels to meet surface finish requirements.


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redsquirrel said:
The problem will be the steps pulling away from the tree. I was pretty excited about these until they didn’t work lol. Maybe these new ones will work though, or at least be an option for climbing the tree.
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Red you could try cutting another slot in the step further away from the tree. The slot is so close to the tree the strap can only exert a small amount of force towards the tree. If the slot was further away, say an 1" give or take, the strap should pull the step in towards the tree a better.
 
brydan said:
Red you could try cutting another slot in the step further away from the tree. The slot is so close to the tree the strap can only exert a small amount of force towards the tree. If the slot was further away, say an 1" give or take, the strap should pull the step in towards the tree a better.
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I can certainly try it and see. We were concerned with having the strap further out because that will keep more strap from being in contact with the tree and the thought was they’d want to slide down easier.
 
I went back and was trying to figure out what you made these out of. Looking at your pictures it appears that they are Hollow with some kind of foam filler is that correct? I was wondering if you were able to move the step more to the Midway point or bottom of the strap if that would help distribute the load a little better and keep the step from wanting to pull away from the tree. Just a thought.
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They were made from a rectangular tube so you wouldn't be able to cut them like that unfortunately and still have a good step surface. Could maybe weld a plate there though.
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