Sorry to hear about Your Brothers accident,gonna check my ladder stands just to make sure.I usually take mine down each year after Hunting Season but I have a few that are heavy and strong as heck....well made and a few have double runners so I feel much safer using them!

Well the mfg. of the ladder stand must think the thing breaking was no big deal. they have said they will replace the section of ladder that broke on my brother but will not pay the hefty copay of the hospital bill. Brother is home now after almost 27 days in the hospital. Still bed bound for a while yet.

He has taken the stand down every year at season end and stored in his pole barn. The lawyer he has hired took the broken section to a few welders and they all signed statements the welds on the rungs were P poor even on the unbroken rungs.

The other one where the section joints were broken was left hooked to a Elm tree for 2 years all year long and this is not the first tree it had been attached to for a while. Figure the wind making the tree sway and last winters ice storm worked the sections into breaking off much like flexing a light rod over and over again.

Al

I wish your brother luck on the lawsuit - I am sure he will need the money with the condition he is in now. I just took a look the other night at a ladder stand at Menards - the welds were inconsistent - some were incomplete. After what you shared, I would only use such a stand if I reinforced with my own additional support brackets.