Hello! I just found this great forum and wanted to share the tree stand I just finished tonight.

platform:

3'x4'
1" tube

Ladder 21'

1.25" tube

Looks pretty sweet. But a couple of suggestions for future stands.

I would definitely support the tree gripper out on the ends. Ratcheting pressure, high winds, moving around, putting up and down, etc... can easily bend these pieces.

Also, I don't see it in the pics but make absolute sure that you have at least one adjustable support that attaches the ladder to the tree to keep the ladder from bending.

You might also consider making the ladder come down at a bit of an angle from the platform instead of straight down at a 90* angle. It will make climbing much much easier if the ladder is going away from you when climbing and working toward you when descending. Think of a stair case versus a perfectly vertical ladder. Much easier to climb the stair case.

My only suggestion would be to run supports out to the corners of the stand from the V tree mount, to make it a little more rigid , Looks good and looks comfy