Deleted User

[Deleted by Admins]

Howler

To me, it looks like the bend is opposite of the way I would've expected it to bend. If you have weight on the platform, the cable has a lot of weight pulling on it, and the bottom tree grabber portion should also have a lot of weight bearing on it, but it seems to me like the tree grabber should want to bend down, not up, when weight is on the platform. I mean our body weight on the platfrom is pushing down, but the opposite is true of the tree grabber, it's being pushed up, so it should bend down, not up. Wierd!

Glad you didn't get hurt.

StrutNtom

Alright here are my thoughts.

With today's liability towards companies I am sure that a "300lb rated" stand should be "actually" rated at least 100lbs more that it is labeled. Or would hope so.

There have been some cases where metal just gives. Hard to explain, but it happens.

Trex

I have a very old Summit Viper. It is made of steel and is very heavy. I weigh approx 250 and have never had a concern with the structural soundness of this stand. I don't believe you could put a dent in mine with a 12 pound sledge hammer.

nodog

Not quit sure if this is the way to add things up, but this is the math. Hunter+all gear+part of the stand=total load. I knowI pack in sometimes fifty on my back. That along with dressed hunting weightadds up fast.It's not just dead weight either, stresses from different forces can over load the stand. Favoring one side over the other when climbing is an example.

I've always gone by the x3 method in calculating what was needed to carryX load. Meaning if you need 100 to carry a load before it broke, 300 is what you would use. Been told by someone who has something to do with stands that they go by x2 beforebreaking. Over the limit and up to the x's whatever it can fail but shouldn't break.

This problem most likely has been adding up over time until failure happened.

Mikey S.

So let me get this straight....you leave you climber in the woods all through hunting season ? I kinda skimmed throught the posts, been up since 4 am....

If you leave themout all through the season, it subjects that aluminum to a lot of stress, especially in the colder weather. Yea, we leave hang-ons in the trees for a long time, but I don't really see a hang on putting up with the stresses of constant climbing up and down the tree like a climber. The angle a climber is working at, with the weight applied to it put a lot of stress on that stand. I can see from the pics, that you still have the old style boot straps for climbing. I remember those on my bushmaster, and they do force your weight little more towards the v section of the stand(towards the tree), whereas the stirrups kinda forces your weight to the front edge of the stand, (behind you) while climing, that's where your weight should be. I can see this type of bend occuring with everything "wrong" falling into place. The elemants taking their toll on the materials, bendsand welds, and the perfect amount of excessive downwardweight or force applied at the perfectspot causing that stand to bend upward like a lawn chair .

I am in no way blaming you Moose, just trying to figure out why it happened. Glad your ok dude.

moose1915

i took the stirrups off so i could send the base back to summit.

i usually leave the stand in for the entire bow season. then it comes out for gun (afraid of theft) then back in for the late week of extended bow.

i have used this stand ALOT, in all conditons. i'm sure there is a lifespan to these things, i guess i found mine!

i dont pack anything in with me to speak of. probally 5 pounds of boots, 15 lbs of clothes, maybe 3 lbs in my fanny pack.245 +23=268, still below the rating. i also agree that if the stand is labled 300lbs max it really probally could hold twice that. but i'm too fat allready i wont be pushing that mark!

anyway, thanks for the concern!
MOOSE

nchawkeye

Its notihing you did Moose....I worked for John Deere for 13 years, grew up working on their equipment, taught service schools for them starting at age 22...I can tell you right now, they make a great product....BUT....Stuff does happen...No way for anyone to tell until they get their hands on it and run it through some testing....It could be as simple as the welder was set too high and took some of the temper out of the metal and it took time for it to show up....

I will say, before I hung my API this afternoon, I sure looked it over well, before I went up...So, thanks, for reminding all of us that this can be a dangerous sport...

Good Luck with it....

Adrian J Hare

I'm sure they'll look after ya moose

The recalls listed is not summit stands but rather the safety harnesses that went with the stands. I think it was 2005belts need the tether taking off and sent in for replacements...

HNI_Christine

That's really weird, I don't understand how it could have bent the way it did.

I backed over my summit with my truck and it didn't get that mangled. (I'm still usingit too.) [:-]