First off i want make it clear i am not telling YOU to do this but i have done it before and not had any problems. i added an extra 4 ft ladder section to a couple 16 foot stands i had for my son to gun hunt when he was younger. I would definitely not put him in something where i thought there was any chance it wasnt safe. What i did have to do tho was add an extra brace/support bar between the ladder and tree. I put one at approx. 8ft and the other approx. 16ft. After everything was ratcheted down tight they were very sturdy-i would even go as far to say they were more sturdy than the 16ft ladder with just one brace. Definitely a two man job putting them up tho.