well to day i took an old ladder stand we had sittin in the back of the garage and decided it was time for a face lift, so i added 6'' of platform to each side and im going to weld on a railing going around the front 3 sides and sew up a camo skirt and use a seat that straps to the tree and make a mini "condo" setup....this only took me aboout a day and tomorrow im going to sandblast the whole thing and herculine it for durability. anyone els make their own or modify their store bought stands?

so here is what i strated with, a sad old rusty stand.


then i welded on some 1'' square tubing to both sides to make a 5''x24'' platform on each side



wels somecoss supports for the wodden slats to fill the gaps, and cut and fit the wood into place


and presto the stand is now much bigger, ill also seal the wood tomorrow so it will last lobger.
let me know what you guys think....

If you are looking for something roomier than it should work well. I am guessing that you are a little like me and like to tinker with and improve things so good job.

exactly....i just wanted something you could comfortably stand up in and not be standing on this little wee platform...and now when i add the railing and skirt it will be quite roomy inside...

A lot of our old ladder stands are home jobs and are going almost 20 years strong. They are made of old iron pipe for legs with welded rebarb for steps and scrap or angle iron for the top with a wooden sign for the platform, and large nails welded on the back to go against tree, put on hooks with a chain and a swivel, and you have yourself a durable stand.

Best part was some of my relatives work in construction so the materials and labor were free.

Make sure you get that plywood fastened down good so it doesn't creak at a critical moment!

yeah im going to drill down throigh the wood into the cross members i welded in and use some large bolts to tighten it down really good so it makes no noise....

Looks good man. I like to tinker with things too. Should do you right this fall. good luck

Maybe you should put some felt or foam or some like matereal between the wood and welded fram,sure would help to have something there.Just a thought.

yeah i need to look around and see what i got.....i have a roll of 1/4'' rubber mat around here somewhere.....if i can find it that would work perfectly.....maybe cut up some old carpet if i cant find the rubber....