I tried them with both OCB and ratchet, yes they will work, but they still have movement which for me is undesirable at best. Last thing I want is for my stepping on a step to make noise as it shifts or drop a piece of loose bark. Sadly, it is all we have currently available. Today, if I was goign to purchase steps to walk around a tree I would opt for the Jim Stepp as they have much larger foot surface and once set properly are not going to move every time you step on them. CON for Stepps are that they take longer to set and are heavier/more bulky. PRo is no ratcher strap required - quieter to install