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broke my OCB today

Jbiehn

Jbiehn

Active Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2019
Messages
168
Location
Nutmeg State
I was in a black birch tree and cranking down on my OCB tonight and PING, the thing exploded. It had seen nearly 50 hunts and probably close to a hundred setups, the rivets were loose'ish but got that way after a few trips out and there really wasn't much hinting at this coming failure. I've always found a fine line with adjustment of the OCB being too tight to close or okay to close but ROS a bit loose.

How tight do you crank down your OCB? Anyone explode one like that? I hunted off a WE Stepp and didn't see a critter.
 
We’ve seen a couple go this season on the site. I haven’t had one fail yet. I pull the strap tight, then wiggle the buckle a little to loosen it back up. That seems to hit the sweet spot where I can cam it over and it still be tight enough. If it’s a touch too loose you can step on all the steps to settle them down the tree. I can certainly see how you can bust one if you’re trying to really cam it over when it’s tight. There is a lot of leverage with those little guys.
 
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Out of curiosity - what kind of OCB? Boat buckle? Sewn OCB? Separate?
I use a sewn OCB, but imagine I could get more leverage with other options - although maybe that's not always a good thing.

I wish I was a headlight on a north-bound train
 
I busted mine earlier this season that I had gotten from DanO last year. My fault all the way. I was trying to really wrench it down on a very smooth barked tree. Apparently I am stronger than the rivets on the buckle. I’ve learned since then that there is a sweet spot to hit for sure. Pull the strap tight, then ease it off just a tad. With course barked trees I will sometimes tighten it, loosen it, snug the strap just a bit then re-tighten. Seems like the bark will compress some.

I have started carying a spare as well.
 
Jbiehn said:
I was in a black birch tree and cranking down on my OCB tonight and PING, the thing exploded. It had seen nearly 50 hunts and probably close to a hundred setups, the rivets were loose'ish but got that way after a few trips out and there really wasn't much hinting at this coming failure. I've always found a fine line with adjustment of the OCB being too tight to close or okay to close but ROS a bit loose.

How tight do you crank down your OCB? Anyone explode one like that? I hunted off a WE Stepp and didn't see a critter.
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just ordered a strap and OCB combo from DanO...I ordered an extra OCB buckle for the $4 to throw in my pack in case this happened...I also ordered the 1" ratchet strap buckle in case I cant get the "hang" of using the OCB(pun intended)...glad I did now that I read your post...I am trying to attatch 2 squirrel steps to go along with my predator so I can move around the tree more easily...thanks for the post...gave me peace of mind
 
Pilk64 said:
just ordered a strap and OCB combo from DanO...I ordered an extra OCB buckle for the $4 to throw in my pack in case this happened...I also ordered the 1" ratchet strap buckle in case I cant get the "hang" of using the OCB(pun intended)...glad I did now that I read your post...I am trying to attatch 2 squirrel steps to go along with my predator so I can move around the tree more easily...thanks for the post...gave me peace of mind
Click to expand...
Definitely practice until you get the feel of that just right amount of tension. Then practice some more on other trees. I’ve found on rougher or softer bark trees that I have to go tighter initially or lock it over, then re-tighten it some more. On smooth bark trees it seems to be a bit more finicky to get just right. But for the lack of noise, lack of bulk, and certainly lighter weight compared to the ratchet, I love the OCB. I just watch it closely when tightening and carry an extra one just in case. Good luck.
 
yessir and thanks...will heed your advice from your experience!...best of luck to you...
 
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