Platform Spike - Temporary Holder

[A.Princey]

So, I know a lot of hunters have been hanging their platform, wishing they had a third hand to help maneuver/hold it still while getting their strap or rope around the tree. Trust me, it’s a pet peeve of mine as well. So, I thought up a way to eliminate this obstacle.

I’ve trialed a couple ideas, and some weren’t retractable and could be subject to bending when camming the platform down. The final solution came down to a hinge, where one side is cut into a spike and the other is attached to the post rear, beneath the top teeth. This way I can close the hinge and get the spike folded down and safely out of the way when it’s not needed, or before cam-locking the stand.

If you look close at the hinge joint you'll notice 2 black bushings, and these serve to really stiffen the action of the joint. It does take some effort to open and close the hinge, but not overly so. It'll definitely stay open or closed as I need it to.

 

[Alaska at Heart]

Can you show a photo of the hinge prior to cutting into a 'spike' and how you attached the bushings? I like your 'mmad scientist' approach to problem-solving. So the idea is that the spike allows you to pre-set the platform into the treebark and remain in place during attachment?

 

[A.Princey]

The bushings were there, it’s a 4$ part from Menards.

 

[A.Princey]

 

[Horn]

Cool, thanks for pictures! In my opinion, this is the best idea I've seen in a while, thanks for sharing!

Do you just deploy your spike and give it a tap to hold it while you deal with the strap, give it a little slack to collapse the spike and proceed as normal?

 

[A.Princey]

Cool, thanks for pictures! In my opinion, this is the best idea I've seen in a while, thanks for sharing!

Do you just deploy your spike and give it a tap to hold it while you deal with the strap, give it a little slack to collapse the spike and proceed as normal?

Yes, exactly that way. Here’s what the finished claw and everything looks like after I cleaned it up.