ricky racer
Well-Known Member
I received my new Predator today and just had to try it out. I put it in a tree in our yard.
First, the Predator is truly light weight.!! I'll need to snug up the pivot bolt so the platform doesn't fall down to the stop bolt. No problem providing it doesn't put stress on the ears that the bolt passes through. If it looks like it my induce stress in the cast ears I may have to disassemble it and add a nylon washer or two. Shouldn't be a big deal.
Stepping onto the Predator I was surprised at the amount of flex in it. Probably not a problem but it will take a bit to get used to and a bit longer to trust that it won't break. I'm still leary of cast aluminum...
The upper bat wing pulled away from the tree even after several resets. I think if the versa button was moved up another inch or so it would have reduced it from pulling away.
When I removed the stand from the tree, the tail of the spring on the buckle dug into the strap and took some fiddling with to get it unsnagged from the strap. In the second picture I'm pointing at the spring tail. I think the buckle needs to be positioned on the right side of the post so the strap is pulled against the side of the buckle opposite of the spring so it doesn't snag the strap like mine did. In the last picture you can see the snag the spring created.
Other than those few concerns the platform just needs a good deburring to get rid of the sharp edges and and some time spent in it to build confidence in it.
First, the Predator is truly light weight.!! I'll need to snug up the pivot bolt so the platform doesn't fall down to the stop bolt. No problem providing it doesn't put stress on the ears that the bolt passes through. If it looks like it my induce stress in the cast ears I may have to disassemble it and add a nylon washer or two. Shouldn't be a big deal.
Stepping onto the Predator I was surprised at the amount of flex in it. Probably not a problem but it will take a bit to get used to and a bit longer to trust that it won't break. I'm still leary of cast aluminum...
The upper bat wing pulled away from the tree even after several resets. I think if the versa button was moved up another inch or so it would have reduced it from pulling away.
When I removed the stand from the tree, the tail of the spring on the buckle dug into the strap and took some fiddling with to get it unsnagged from the strap. In the second picture I'm pointing at the spring tail. I think the buckle needs to be positioned on the right side of the post so the strap is pulled against the side of the buckle opposite of the spring so it doesn't snag the strap like mine did. In the last picture you can see the snag the spring created.
Other than those few concerns the platform just needs a good deburring to get rid of the sharp edges and and some time spent in it to build confidence in it.
