I no longer use ladder stands, I build wooden stands. But from what I gathered, those ladders, that are not made of the sturdiest stuff anr made for a certain amount of weight at the height the stand the maker labels them. Adding 5 more feet to a 17 foot stand could be dangerous. At the least you would need more of the braces that go between the ladder and the tree. I watched my brother who was well under the weight limit bend a ladder very badly in the middle. It took new a new ladder section and another brace between the tree and the ladder to make it safe. In addition, if something happened and you fell because of the extended ladder, you nor your family would not get anything from the manufacturer because you altered the stand.