tailgunner
Well-Known Member
My dudes relax.we just b.s.in
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Bullman Pioneer steps
- Thread starter joel0711
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I just bought 2 of these new Bullman Pioneer steps and they arrived today.
I just weighed one and it does weight 3.07 oz (close to as advertised).
However, the edges of the slot that would touch the daisy chain or strap have not been chamfered and are sharp enough that if you pushed and rubbed a finger you could probably cut yourself. This isn't good over time if the same spot on your attachment method hits those edges over and over. I could probably sit down while watching a movie and cut through a strap with it by working the strap.
I'll chamfer mine and try my method and let everyone know how it goes. I can save 1.5 pounds if I move to them, but they'll have to work really well to have me spend the money and move away from the Treehopper steps.
I just weighed one and it does weight 3.07 oz (close to as advertised).
However, the edges of the slot that would touch the daisy chain or strap have not been chamfered and are sharp enough that if you pushed and rubbed a finger you could probably cut yourself. This isn't good over time if the same spot on your attachment method hits those edges over and over. I could probably sit down while watching a movie and cut through a strap with it by working the strap.
I'll chamfer mine and try my method and let everyone know how it goes. I can save 1.5 pounds if I move to them, but they'll have to work really well to have me spend the money and move away from the Treehopper steps.
Last edited:
joel0711
Well-Known Member
Let us know how they do on a tree---Thanks
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- May 16, 2018
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And here I thought this would be the year of no new gear or methods for me.
I'm new to the truckers hitch concept, and I'm intrigued. Can the slide be repositioned mid daisy chain so you wrap there after pulling the chain thorugh the end loop and work it back around the tree? Do I have that right? I'm trying to picture how that slide would be accessible to wrap with once you've put tension on the daisy chain. Might be another case of a need for a video. Please direct me if one exists.
Vtbow
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Interesting...thats the same issue Dan at EWO had with the first batch of Squirrel steps. he then recalled and replaced all of them and chamfered moving forward...guess bullman wasn't paying as much attention as we thought!
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And here I thought this would be the year of no new gear or methods for me.
I'm new to the truckers hitch concept, and I'm intrigued. Can the slide be repositioned mid daisy chain so you wrap there after pulling the chain thorugh the end loop and work it back around the tree? Do I have that right? I'm trying to picture how that slide would be accessible to wrap with once you've put tension on the daisy chain. Might be another case of a need for a video. Please direct me if one exists.
Not sure yet, I don't have the triglides and will probably try it first time around without (just wrapping back onto the step to test for ability to handle side load and overall stability). But I'll keep you posted here.
@GeoFish has a post upstream here maybe you saw where he has the daisy chain and triglide with a treehopper step and he said it worked with the trucker's hitch. With the shape of that triglide, with the flared edges sticking out, then you should be able to pull the trucker's hitch tight and then get a few tucks between the triglide and the tree.
Maybe he will chime in on this.
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Ok. I just chamfered one with a cheap dremel knock off and then a sharpening stone. Only semi-happy with that job.
I put a daisy chain/trucker hitched the new Bullman step and a treehopper side by side on a telephone pole and stepped up on them and pushed to the side, etc.
I did the Bullman doing the full wrap around the step (see my upstream post where I paste a link showing how I do this on treehoppers) and also with a triglide from DanO (not the ultralight one that Bullman offers, from austrialpin I think). With the triglide, you only need to wrap it a few times and tension then squashing the wraps and the triglide against the tree (telephone pole in my case tonight), preventing any movement. This is faster than the full wrap.
The treehopper is wider and has wings and so it handles side pressure better, which is of marginal but still some importance when climbing (not as ROS). I think the polymer and smoothness of the treehoppers will probably be better on the attachment, unless you do a very good job chamfering.
The Bullman's have the edge in lightness and probably strength. The treehoppers are polymer and supposedly test very strong (pulled straight down though according to owner, and not tested for side pressure). However, I just trust aluminum more not to catastrophically fail. The treehoppers are more stable on the tree due to width and back wings. They are also naturally quiet without having to wrap them all over with vet tape. The Bullman's really shine in the Sun. If you didn't wrap them with vet tape, etc then you'd probably want to hit it with acid etching primer/more paint.
The triglide will speed either method if using the trucker's hitch, but it is a little more weight and bulk and something to make noise (and costs some money). I trust the full wrap around the step method a little more than the triglide as far as never moving.
I already had an overhand knot in the daisy chain to the left of the step in pic below to keep step from sliding around. I didn't tie one on the other side (like I do with treehoppers). You can put the triglide on either side. If on opposite side as loop then just pass daisy chain under the step then wrap.
I put a daisy chain/trucker hitched the new Bullman step and a treehopper side by side on a telephone pole and stepped up on them and pushed to the side, etc.
I did the Bullman doing the full wrap around the step (see my upstream post where I paste a link showing how I do this on treehoppers) and also with a triglide from DanO (not the ultralight one that Bullman offers, from austrialpin I think). With the triglide, you only need to wrap it a few times and tension then squashing the wraps and the triglide against the tree (telephone pole in my case tonight), preventing any movement. This is faster than the full wrap.
The treehopper is wider and has wings and so it handles side pressure better, which is of marginal but still some importance when climbing (not as ROS). I think the polymer and smoothness of the treehoppers will probably be better on the attachment, unless you do a very good job chamfering.
The Bullman's have the edge in lightness and probably strength. The treehoppers are polymer and supposedly test very strong (pulled straight down though according to owner, and not tested for side pressure). However, I just trust aluminum more not to catastrophically fail. The treehoppers are more stable on the tree due to width and back wings. They are also naturally quiet without having to wrap them all over with vet tape. The Bullman's really shine in the Sun. If you didn't wrap them with vet tape, etc then you'd probably want to hit it with acid etching primer/more paint.
The triglide will speed either method if using the trucker's hitch, but it is a little more weight and bulk and something to make noise (and costs some money). I trust the full wrap around the step method a little more than the triglide as far as never moving.
I already had an overhand knot in the daisy chain to the left of the step in pic below to keep step from sliding around. I didn't tie one on the other side (like I do with treehoppers). You can put the triglide on either side. If on opposite side as loop then just pass daisy chain under the step then wrap.
Attachments
I tried wrapping around the triglide and it seemed to work OK. This was done at ground level with only one step.
instead of wrapping, I put one loop around the triglide. This seems to work since the truckers hitch got all of the slack out of the Amsteel.
tailgunner
Well-Known Member
But if you use ink and write China on it it will explode......uh oh I just blew up the thread
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For me, to get the most out of the trucker hitch (meaning to get it really tight), then you have to wrap the tag end while pulling the thing tight. Then it stays very tight on the tree and doesn't sag at all (well no more than 1 inch) under your body weight.
tailgunner
Well-Known Member
Convincing me to try it
Don't know what I was thinking.
China metal never breaks or bends.
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2015/global-manufacturing-company-recalls-api-outdoors-tree-stands
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2016/Global-Manufacturing-Company-Recalls-API-Outdoors-Tree-Stands/
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2006/Hunting-Tree-Stands-Recalled-for-Collapse-Hazard/
https://www.cpsc.gov/recalls/2006/full-body-safety-harnesses-recalled-for-fall-hazard/
https://www.cpsc.gov/recalls/2011/hunter-safety-system-recalls-carabiners-due-to-fall-hazard/
https://www.cpsc.gov/recalls/2013/rivers-edge-recalls-hunters-tree-stands-due-to-fall-hazard/
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2015/Hunters-Tree-Stands-Recalled-by-Primal-Vantage/
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2021/A...ecalls-Climbing-Treestands-Due-to-Fall-Hazard
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What carabiners do you use? I ask because there are only 2 companies that still manufacture their carabiners here in the USA
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thanks for posting this! I know I sound like a virtue signaling sissy to half of ya by being anti China hunting products
I am not anti China, I am anti death!!!!
I wrote in another thread about the One Stick;
"China has the worst quality control in the world.
China also has a reputation for subsisting materials when they run out of the correct material. There plant managers are under intense pressure to meet production. If you don't meet production and you are lucky you go to a reeducation camp, if not you go to a slave labor camp.
Toxic Chinese Drywall Creates A Housing Disaster : NPR
Toxic Treats from China Killing US Dogs, Say Pet Owners - ABC News (go.com)
If you internet search, you will find China manufactured tree stands and sticks that have been recalled do to quality/safety issues. Too many to list.
So the issue could be design, but my guess it is poor quality control.
You can not manufacture a product that needs precise temperature and humidity for the glue to dry properly in a country that has no quality control and expect a quality product."
I am a little tired of my fellow hunters getting killed or put in a wheel chair to save a few $.
I know a guy who is in a wheel chair from a tree stand accident, and it could have been avoided.
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I use Petzl, which I believe are made in France still.
Which companies are still in the USA (or at least Europe)?
Off the top of my head:
Kong-Italy
Petzl-France
CMI-USA
DMM-UK
Eidlweiss-Austria
Wild Country-UK
There are many more.
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The only 2 USA made carabiner manufacturers are SMC (Seattle Manufacturing Corporation) and Rock Exotica