My brother has a old baker the 18"x18" platform one. He bought it cheap from his boss who had bought it and just had to try it out at home on a POWER POLE. Went up about 15 feet and was turning around when it started to slip, he grabbed the pole and slid down with the climber spent a good amount of time in ER having slivers removed from belly and chest.


First thing my brother did was to sharpen the metal plate at the tree gripping part of the stand. Never had a problem in probably 20 years of using it.
I my self didn't care for high places so bought the bigger 24"x36" platform model baker. I also sharpened the metal griper plate on it. I still own it and do use it every so often still. Never had a problem with it in 40 years that was not my doing.
On the Bakers they recommended you keep your weight near the front of the platform so the gripper plate would grab the tree good.
I almost always used mine in Popple trees can't get much smoother bark that that.


These are the plates you should sharpen.






Al