Come to think about it when I was a young teen going hunting I used to see some really horribly built treestands that seemed they were hanging on a thread. Example, a platform was built between 3 oaks with half it's 2 x 6's missing! Don't get me wrong you can build some great stands between a group of oaks but then again that is digging unneccesary spikes in a tree. Ladderstands, tree climber's, box stands have come along way it seems over the years.