Steppladder Platform Prototype

[PEEJAY]

nice s*** kickers BJ. i can smell chicken farms whenever i see those boots. Thank you Delaware for blessing me with all the sh***y memories

 

[jmeblen]

Here is mine. Having an extra piece of plywood to deal with was not fun.

Can you give us a few more pics of that?

 

[bj139]

Can you give us a few more pics of that?

This might be what you are looking for.

Primal Platform DIY 2 lbs 7 oz

I stood on a Primal step for 6 hours on Saturday. Not much fun with all the bulges. I had the wooden platform I made but the step pulled away from the tree because of the leverage of a large platform. This morning, I put a lightweight aluminum piece on a Primal step similar to what I did with...

saddlehunter.com

 

[bj139]

nice s*** kickers BJ. i can smell chicken farms whenever i see those boots. Thank you Delaware for blessing me with all the sh***y memories

I think they were $14 at Walmart last fall. I just bought some Muck brand boots but I doubt they are going to work much better at nearly 4X the cost.

 

[FrankNess14]

They really are hard to beat for the price. If a fella were looking to save a buck, I think this is really the climbing method to use. $40-60 of these will get you up a tree.

I am this guy...unfortunately

Anyway, I’ve been practicing with mine a few times now and am having a hard time finding the sweet spot on tightening down the factory straps. It’s either too loose or so tight I’m afraid to cam it over for fear of bending a standoff...any tips or recommendations? Do the primal straps stretch and need set on a big tree for a couple days like the WE Ropes? Should I ditch the strap and move to WE rope on all? Keep strap on the 1 to use with a platform?

 

[TNSTAAFL]

I am this guy...unfortunately

Anyway, I’ve been practicing with mine a few times now and am having a hard time finding the sweet spot on tightening down the factory straps. It’s either too loose or so tight I’m afraid to cam it over for fear of bending a standoff...any tips or recommendations? Do the primal straps stretch and need set on a big tree for a couple days like the WE Ropes? Should I ditch the strap and move to WE rope on all? Keep strap on the 1 to use with a platform?

Tough call. I think the ropes would be easier to work with, but by the time you buy primal steps and WE ropes you are almost at the price point of the WE steps.
If you are intent on sticking with the Primal Platform I would recommend keeping 2-3 Primal steps unused with original straps as backups. The standoffs do bend sometimes and since the steps go unavailable for quite a while you could get stuck without a platform. If you cut the Primal straps off then these steps become much less useful as backup platform steps.

I would buy a set of WE steps for the climbing part. They are more durable, already have ropes, and are almost always available.
My 2 cents.

 

[bj139]

I am this guy...unfortunately

Anyway, I’ve been practicing with mine a few times now and am having a hard time finding the sweet spot on tightening down the factory straps. It’s either too loose or so tight I’m afraid to cam it over for fear of bending a standoff...any tips or recommendations? Do the primal straps stretch and need set on a big tree for a couple days like the WE Ropes? Should I ditch the strap and move to WE rope on all? Keep strap on the 1 to use with a platform?

With my Primal platform, I have to adjust it several times to get it right. It is worse on soft trees. If doing multiple steps, I think you are going to have to adjust each one independently. For more fun try adding a carry as you go aider to your setup. I tried it and gave up.

 

[Bdwilliams]

There's nothing wrong with saving money. With a bit more practice I think you can get a feel for how tight to set the strap. And three of them makes for a solid ring of steps. That said, I went to climbing sticks and a Podium to decrease the fiddle factor of getting up a tree.

 

[Jgetch]

I am this guy...unfortunately

Anyway, I’ve been practicing with mine a few times now and am having a hard time finding the sweet spot on tightening down the factory straps. It’s either too loose or so tight I’m afraid to cam it over for fear of bending a standoff...any tips or recommendations? Do the primal straps stretch and need set on a big tree for a couple days like the WE Ropes? Should I ditch the strap and move to WE rope on all? Keep strap on the 1 to use with a platform?

I went to amsteel on mine. Honestly though the learning curve, wether with primals or WE, is just really steep. It takes time and loads of practice to get the tension just right consistently. Softer trees are an issue because they will dig in more and more throughout a sit resulting in a loose rope. Hard trees can be difficult with initial canning because u need the tension just perfect. I’d say just keep practicing though. I switched to srt some time back but still use a primal and ply for my platform. There’s other threads on here too about replacing the straps specifically. Climbing rope has been used successfully as well. There’s plenty of options besides the WE ropes that won’t put ya back as much.

 

[Lane457]

Going to try DIY out!

 

[DB4x4]

With my plywood platform and Primal step with strap attachment, I cam mine twice and 99.9% of the time it is set SOLID:

- Put step on tree without plywood
- Adjust strap to desired tightness
- Cam step onto tree
- Insert plywood platform
- Uncam step
- Tighten strap almost hilariously tight
- Push UP hard on point of V with one hand while using extra leverage of plywood platform to pull down to cam (Make sure both legs of step are contacting tree evenly)

Use the above procedure and you will be pleasantly surprised how solid this thing sets...

 

[DB4x4]

With my Primal platform, I have to adjust it several times to get it right. It is worse on soft trees. If doing multiple steps, I think you are going to have to adjust each one independently. For more fun try adding a carry as you go aider to your setup. I tried it and gave up.

I bet if you drilled holes, added some sort of paracord handle to provide more downward camming leverage, and used the last 2 steps I described in post #371, you would get a more solid, consistent cam with that thing...

 

[bj139]

I bet if you drilled holes, added some sort of paracord handle to provide more downward camming leverage, and used the last 2 steps I described in post #371, you would get a more solid, consistent cam with that thing...

View attachment 31161

Actually, I did a further refinement which I mentioned in my full thread on my Primal Platform. The platform would not allow the step to tilt up far enough to get a good cam over. I cut out a central V to get the step closer to the tree before camming. It works great now. There was never any problem with having enough leverage to cam it over. The platform adds a lot of leverage.

 

[Alud555]

Turning here for help. I finally got my primal step with the plywood platform and am having an issue getting it tight with the platform on it. My strap is hitting the plywood when it's up and then coming off when I cam it over. Do I just need to cut the radius bigger?

Are people using the "hole" version like this or the "slide in" version? I see both here.

 

[DB4x4]

I use the insert version, but if you are trying the hole version, it looks like you need to cut more away from that corner. (Judging by this photo)

 

[Alud555]

I use the insert version, but if you are trying the hole version, it looks like you need to cut more away from that corner. (Judging by this photo)

View attachment 31174

Thanks. That picture is helpful. I'll try that and I'll make a slide in version.

 

[DB4x4]

Thanks. That picture is helpful. I'll try that and I'll make a slide in version.

FYI - Insert version measurements:

 

[DB4x4]

I think this goes for any platform, but especially the Primal Plywood Platform (P^3 ???)

Make sure you are tethered in before stepping onto it. Will it hold? Yeah, most likely, but why risk it?

 

[TNSTAAFL]

That picture is darn near a work of art that I should have framed!

 

[Alud555]

I think this goes for any platform, but especially the Primal Plywood Platform (P^3 ???)

Make sure you are tethered in before stepping onto it. Will it hold? Yeah, most likely, but why risk it?

Safety was one of my main reasons to switch so you better believe I'll be tethered in! Maybe next year I'll have some cash for a different platform but not this year.