• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Platform questions

B

boone0

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
423
Hey all. First post here, love the forum. Hunted a couple times out of my aero hunter last year and love it. Just trying to figure out the platform. I previously just used the top step of my climbing sticks which is obviously not optimal.

Would you mind answering the following questions about your top platform? I would like to build some steps to use this year. I have some scrap aluminum, wood, and parts but this is basically a $0 project.

1. What step do you use?

2. What do you like?

3. What do you not like?

4. How much does it move/shift/tilt with your movement?

I ratchet strapped a steel shelving bracket to a tree and it was surprisingly stable with no discernable bend. I think with a little modification it could work. I am trying, among other things, to determine what the most stable shape is: an L, inverted L, sideways T, etc...

Just looking for some input to see what works for you guys!
 
Welcome to the site! :D

I assume that you are talking about a strap on platform. If I can pre-set a tree, I use screw in steps. I'll ignore that option for this.

I have the plastic ameristeps, cranford rope steps and a few api aluminum steps.


1. What step do you use?
I use them all for different purposes, but for a platform I use the ameristeps because I think the they are the best.

2. What do you like?
I like how they are light and pretty quiet compared to metal. I think their design is the best of all of the strap on steps that I have tried.

3. What do you not like? I do not like how bulky they are. And that they are no longer made...

4. How much does it move/shift/tilt with your movement? Once I tighten down my overcenter buckle (see the overcenter buckle thread), they may settle slightly the first time I step on them, but after that they are rock solid and don't shift or move at all. I think the T design helps with this and if I design a step I am going to use this design. I think that all of the other steps that are L shapes are more susceptible to shifting.

I actually also bought some shelving brackets to test. I think the ones I bought were aluminum. I never got around to testing them but they were really strong.
 
One followup: on a T shaped step, is the strap situated above or below the horizontal step surface? Any thoughts on the effect this would have on shifting?

Thanks for the reply. I will let you know what I come up with. It will probably involve the brackets because they would require the least amount of time.
 
boone0 said:
One followup: on a T shaped step, is the strap situated above or below the horizontal step surface? Any thoughts on the effect this would have on shifting?

Thanks for the reply. I will let you know what I come up with. It will probably involve the brackets because they would require the least amount of time.
Click to expand...

It is above, like this:
2a0110ed6292da735ac7c2c36cb3.jpg
. I'm not sure below would work.

Good luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top