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Predator First Impression

I think it now gets shipped to Mexico before it’s allowed back into the USA and then on to Canada.


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No. Not yet. That was a little sarcasm over the NAFTA talks


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My platform has gotten quite creaky. Going to pull apart and hit it with the graphite powder and retighten.
 
So far so good for me. I just got mine the other day and just played with it for a few min. I did what Greg G2 does in his video, pulled strap very tight, hand push down on post, cammed down platform, no noise and no problemo for my 220lbs. I think I am going to like it much better than than 3 WE steps or bullman steps on ratchet strap. Good jobs guys. Hopefully the problems so far are easy to iron out or are flukes.
 
Welp, I never got around to lubing up the creaking hardware. I slapped platform on the tree to do some testing on my new treesuit. Just when I had the highest of highs thinking I have a new comfortable simple way to hook it up, I got brought back down to earth.

IMG_0550.JPG
IMG_0549.JPG


Note: No toe hooking was done during the camming of this platform. I simply strapped on tree, folded platform up, tightened strap, pushed down with both hands to get in place, opened about 45 degrees until the teeth started to bite good. I grabbed the tether and stepped onto the platform to finish camming into place and it felt like when you bite into a rice krispy treat. I would say that only about 3/4 of my 185 pounds was on the platform when it gave out.

My concerns have been borne out. Stepps and the Assassin this year for me.

Please be careful folks...
 
Dang. Sorry to see that.

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Wow that's interesting. I set mine up for the first time yesterday. I did not try camming it like you did. I found It cammed tight just pushing down on the post with one hand and then the platform with the other. Once It cammed over it was rock solid with no issues. I think it's pretty clear that you can create enough force leveraging the platform. I think it'll be perfectly fine if you go for a tight cam, but you don't use your body weight to do so.

I'll be keeping my eye on it for sure. Sorry that happened to you buddy and glad you shared it with the rest of us.
 
Scary stuff!! I'm still on the fence about whether to try to use mine or not. They really need to beef up the platform casting a bunch in my opinion....
There's a reason that XOP and Lone Wolf's platforms are so much more robust than their seats, The seats are never meant to hold a persons full weight, the more robust platform is. As much as I want to keep and use my Predator I think I may return it and try again later if they beef up the platform to make them safer.
 
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kyler1945 said:
Welp, I never got around to lubing up the creaking hardware. I slapped platform on the tree to do some testing on my new treesuit. Just when I had the highest of highs thinking I have a new comfortable simple way to hook it up, I got brought back down to earth.

View attachment 5901
View attachment 5902


Note: No toe hooking was done during the camming of this platform. I simply strapped on tree, folded platform up, tightened strap, pushed down with both hands to get in place, opened about 45 degrees until the teeth started to bite good. I grabbed the tether and stepped onto the platform to finish camming into place and it felt like when you bite into a rice krispy treat. I would say that only about 3/4 of my 185 pounds was on the platform when it gave out.

My concerns have been borne out. Stepps and the Assassin this year for me.

Please be careful folks...
Click to expand...
I could be wrong but it doesn’t sound like there was a whole lot of difference between toe hooking and camming it down as you did. To me the teeth seem real aggressive not allowing it to slide up well during the camming process with too much weight. Looks like both breaks occurred on the back of the platform during the camming process. To me it seems like if the platform is going to break it will be during the camming process. During testing the weight was applied to the front of the platform and didn’t break till around 600lbs per report from tethrd. I think once cammed over the platform will handle human weight without problem. I think if it feels like it’s real hard to cam over people should back off of it and try with less force. Different bark trees will likely require different amounts of force but it seems clear we shouldn’t be using full body weight to finish the camming process.
 
I found that by pushing down on the platform with just my hands, and camming over with just my hands, did not get the platform tight enough not to move when loading up one side or the other. It also creaked and popped quite a bit. I can also generate as much force with my arms as I put just now with my feet, easily. Some of the 300 pounders out there can probably generate more force than my body weight. I did it this way a handful of times while messing around in the yard. If I didn't, the platform would move or scrape against the tree when side loading it.

I had no intentions of putting the platform higher than a few feet off the ground until I got the full rundown on what tests were performed, and what the results of those tests were.

I get that you can push down with your hands, and pull down with your hands. I get that some folks that will get the platform tight enough to not move that way. It was not even close for me.

I said on several occasions its a piece of kit that would require some thought to use. I stand by that assessment. It won't be in my pack. It is not that it won't work for some folks. It's that the margin for error is quite thin to be used at 30' for me. And I wouldn't let any of my family or friends do it without a thorough explanation of what the risks are. I'd still probably kick and scream. Put simply, the rear portions of this platform cannot handle the weight of the average person accept in the fully cammed position, and only pushing straight down on top of the platform. In this position the weight is distributed evenly across the platform, bolt, post, etc. I feel confident in this position it won't break. My guess is any load higher than 100lbs at the edge of the platform while camming "could" cause this failure.

And for me I think about it like this:

I can stand or hang on one step or the other of my muddy stick with no problem. I can stand or hang on any part of a jim stepp with no problem. I can stand or hang on my assassin or assault - base or seat - with no problem. I can hang from any rope in my kit with no problem.

Yes, All of the above can be misused and I could be injured misusing them. But I can't break them doing things considered part of the "real world" application.

Good luck and be safe folks!

I also stand by my original assessment that some more beef in these high stress areas would eliminate my concerns, and likely those on the legal team of the manufacturer. I'm not here to poopoo on someone's parade. I'm here to give my honest opinion on a product. I think it came up short in the most important criteria for success - common sense safety.

There is no doubt in my mind that a very likely scenario may be: Someone will pull down on their platform standing on their last step. The platform won't quite go down all the way. They'll say to hell with it and figure it'll finish camming over as they step on it, and do just that. That piece will break (and if its a big fella, it will break more violently than what I experienced), and they could slip and fall. Lots of hard sharp objects to bump into before the lineman's or tether catches. Not everyone who buys from the website will visit this forum.
 
So if I cam it over like G2 does - will it break. Should I cancel my order that will come with my mantis??? What is everyone's opinion.
As far as safety I had an xop stand tab break last year... no problem because I was tethered up.

 
I say try it yourself and see. I've been around machining and metal work since I was 15 and I feel pretty confident in my platform. Thus far there are 2 breakages, and the second one I feel was by someone who was putting his through the test. It has probably seen far more pressure and usage than you will put it through. If I cant cam my over by hand, I adjust it till I can. Mine doesnt slip or come off the tree. I did lube the joint up and it now cannot pop or creak. Maybe I'm lucky, but I doubt it. I feel it wasnt designed for everyone, and you really have to see what is going to work for you.

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Ontariofarmer said:
So if I cam it over like G2 does - will it break. Should I cancel my order that will come with my mantis??? What is everyone's opinion.
As far as safety I had an xop stand tab break last year... no problem because I was tethered up.

Click to expand...
If it does break using his method you’ll probably know and it won’t be a safety issue because you won’t be on the platform. I’ve cammed it down like G2 every time and when it’s gotten real tight where I wasn’t comfortable pushing harder I back off a recam it. It’s real solid and I’ve had no problems so far. With that said anything can happen. Just inspect everything and tether off before getting on. To be truly safe keep platform level or just below top stick where your tether is always tight and can’t fall.
 
Ontariofarmer said:
So if I cam it over like G2 does - will it break. Should I cancel my order that will come with my mantis??? What is everyone's opinion.
As far as safety I had an xop stand tab break last year... no problem because I was tethered up.

Click to expand...

If Greg had continued pushing down as hard as he was, without lifting up and relieving the pressure, it wouldn't have cammed over. He would have had to push harder, and risk breaking it. It does not say in the instructions "if it doesn't cam over with 50lbs of pressure or less, pick up some and relieve pressure, until it cams over"

And if I did it the way that he did, allowing it to lift up, it doesn't get tight enough for ME. Like was said above, it's subjective. What isn't subjective is the risk of it being used in a way that is unsafe. READ - there are ways that it can be unsafe while following the directions.
 
Ontariofarmer said:
I guess all climbing is a risk. The 1.5 sticks I made are a risk. I am not worried about injury with a platform failure because I will be tethered up. I just don’t want to buy a platform and break it


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I hear you. The way I look at it I buy a lot of stuff that breaks. At least there’s a warranty on this one.
 
Damm that sucks man. To me, it looks like your strap wasnt tight enough to start with....or it could be the angle of the picture
 
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