Erecting a ladder stand with one person

[bueller]

Yes, a light weight cheepo stand is light and easy to put up, even with one guy. An extension ladder can be made safe if used properly (I painted houses to get through college).

I find several problems with the inexpensive stands. The first is height. For firearm 15' to 17' is fine but it doesn't work well for me in Archery season. Leaves are still on the trees. A 21' stand gets me just above our mid-story. I have great cover and only prune a few spots of shooting lane. I'm much more successful at 21' during archery.

The second problem I find is comfort. With my arthritis, I can't handle stands with flat seats. Regardless of the cushioning, I can't deal with a flat seat for more than an hour or so. I love the chair type seats like the Millennium. They are very comfortable. You can similar seats in a less expensive stand. I have one 21' Muddy (Stronghold 1.5 I think or some similar name). The seat is just as comfortable, but assembling the seat was murder. You are trying to stretch the fabric wedging in supports. I finally got it together with a hammer and some wedging but that stand took me hours compared to Millennium assembly.

The third problem I find with the lighter less expensive but tall stands is that they require a mid-support bar to keep the ladder from bending in the middle as you climb. They are not safe without this installed. This means you need a straight tree which limits stand site selection. The Millennium is a double rail stand. That makes it very sturdy and it doesn't require a middle support bar but it is very heavy and expensive. As long as the tree is straight at the height where you plan to attach the stand, it doesn't matter what it does between there and the ground since there is no middle bar. I feel comfortable setting these stands in a wider variety of trees. For archery, a tree even 10 yards away may be much less effective for a stand selection. Since I'm hunting private land and don't move stands often, the weight is not an issue after initial setup. I simply loosen the ratchet strap at the end of the season and lean the stand out from the tree and then let it rest against it again so it is just sitting against the tree in a slightly different place than it was ratcheted. The strap is enough to keep the stand in place but allows the tree to sway in the wind and the tooth bar to slide against it. It keeps the tree from growing over the tooth bar. Before the next season, I simply tighten the ratchet strap and replace it if necessary.

Different situations require different strategies. My favorite was hang on stands with climbing sticks. They have the most flexibility for positioning with the best front and back cover and tree selection. They are less expensive too. I've abandon them in recent years because of my age and physical limitations. I don't feel as safe climbing into and out of them. I certainly understand the tall heavy ladder stands I use are not the best choice for everyone.

Thanks,

Jack

I never said anything regarding hunting from a cheap lightweight vs a heavy duty double. Only thing I said is that a cheap lightweight is a good tool to use to safely hang a block and tackle high up in a tree to safely pull up a heavy duty double.

 

[yoderjac]

I never said anything regarding hunting from a cheap lightweight vs a heavy duty double. Only thing I said is that a cheap lightweight is a good tool to use to safely hang a block and tackle high up in a tree to safely pull up a heavy duty double.

Got it, I misunderstood. They would not get me high enough to hang my pulley, but if fully installed with a bar they would be safer. Now you got me thinking....I have some old cheap ladder stands laying around...I wonder if it would be feasible to mount a tooth bar on an extension ladder for stability on a cylindrical tree. The biggest safety issue with using an extension ladder is if the top rung is against the cylindrical tree. A tooth bar would be an improvement. I'll bet I could U-bolt one to the top rung.

By the way, there is another option I used when hanging the last two stands where I could easily get my tractor to the tree. A friend had borrowed my tall extension ladder so all I had was an 18' ladder. It was not tall enough to hang my bracket high enough safely. So, I lifted my bucket as high as I could and put it against the tree. My smaller extension ladder easily reached the bucket. The tooth bar on the bucket made it very safe as it could not slide more than an inch or two left or right because of the bucket teeth. I then climbed into the bucket where I could easily stand, maneuver, and reach high enough to mount the bracket. Of course, this only works where one can get a tractor and FEL.

Thanks,

jack

 

[Gator]

Interesting thread. I've also walked up big Field and Stream double ladder stands and have almost killed myself doing it. The days of being able to do it are definitely winding down if they aren't already gone. Very interesting reading the different methods of erecting a ladder stand. Sorry I can't give any advice as my method probably doesn't work for me anymore either...

 

[35-acre]

How come whenever I look at guys pics from the woods I always think "I know that place?" or "Hey! That's my land!" LOL!


I guess I got really lucky when I put mine up - it's a 14' ladder.
I had it assembled and just dragged it with my atv as close to where I wanted to go. Then I dragged it the last bit on foot.
The ladder stand came in 3 sections. I disconnected the bottom portion of the ladder.
There was a tree about 18-24 inches away from the tree I was putting the ladder stand in, so as I was working, the ladder stand couldn't spin off the tree when I stood it up. And I guess I just had some serious dumb luck but I will admit that I grunted and pushed and swore and eventually I got the seat and lower section leaning on the tree.
Then I grabbed the last bottom section of ladder and I grunted and swore some more and pushed the stand up, held it up and then stuck the bottom section of the ladder in place. It took some doing but I managed to get the ladder to line up and snap in the safety bolts.

I then used a climbing stand and my harness to go up the back of the tree and put a ratchet strap on the top.
I climbed back down and put in the support for the ladder (between the ladder and the tree) and a strap around that.

It's solid.

 

[pnulty66]

Some interesting ideas for making this easier. I typically have to do this stuff myself and its a PITA. I just put up a F&S double like Gator mentioned above, using the walk it up method and it about killed me -- but its done!

 

[JackTerp]

I am 70 years old and have COPD. The chances of me putting up a ladder stand any more is slim to none. I have two L110 Millennium stands that I love, but I cannot move them any more. Fortunately they are in locations that have always produced so I don't need to move them. A couple years ago I bought an M150 Monster hang on. I also bought tree steps from Wild Edge. These are really safe and secure steps that I can put on and take off so easy. I use the steps to get to the height I want then attach a pulley. I pull up the stand and mount it securely. As I climb down the tree, I remove the last four or five steps so no one can get to the stand. It has been in the same tree for three years now. I have since bought three mor M150's and another 16 steps. I can move a hang-on like this in about an hour very easily. At the end of the season, and sometimes during the season, I will remove the stands or relocate them easily. The steps I take out every year. I also use one of the steps as the hanger for the pulley when installing the stand. It keeps the pulley about 5 inches out from the tree.

 

[MRBB]

just a reminder, but lock on tree stands are NEVER supposed to be left on a tree for any amount of time, the MFG" s actually tell you NOT to leave them for more th na a few days?? as tree's are forever growing and adding stress to the straps that attach them and then add in UV to them and its asking for a failure at some point!
even stands that use chains, I have seen tree's grow around chains and also just stretch a chain till links come apart!
its amazing how strong a growing tree can be

even ladder stands, you need to check straps as they too can be damaged and fail causing a stand to be come dangerous!

 

[yoderjac]

just a reminder, but lock on tree stands are NEVER supposed to be left on a tree for any amount of time, the MFG" s actually tell you NOT to leave them for more th na a few days?? as tree's are forever growing and adding stress to the straps that attach them and then add in UV to them and its asking for a failure at some point!
even stands that use chains, I have seen tree's grow around chains and also just stretch a chain till links come apart!
its amazing how strong a growing tree can be

even ladder stands, you need to check straps as they too can be damaged and fail causing a stand to be come dangerous!

Good point. Trees will grow around the tree bar on a ladder stand as well. If you don't take precaution to keep this from happening it can cause problems. It is counter intuitive to most. Gee, if the tree grows around the tooth bar, won't that make it even more stable? Well, that is true for a short period. The stand seems even more stable. The problem is that when storms come in, even large tree sway back and forth in the wind especially in storms. Metal has some flex, but when the top is fixed into the tree and the bottom is limited by the ground, that sway pressure can stress the metal causing failure.

I've lost several stands being lazy. On the other hand, unless you have help, transporting and erecting ladder stands can be a real pain and has risk. Here is the balance I've come up with that seems to be working, but I won't recommend it to others. After the season, I loosen the ratchet strap so it is hanging loose. Next, from the ground, I push the ladder away from the tree keeping the feet in the same place. I move it as far as the ratchet strap will allow. I then let it settle back against the tree so the tooth bar is in a slightly different location. If necessary I move the feet a couple inches. I do not retighten the ratchet strap. Before the next season, I'll again move the tooth bar a few inches and then replace the ratchet strap and tighten it.

This has been working for me so far. I'm also considering trying to use some 2x4s to offset the tooth bar from the tree in the off season.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[yoderjac]

I went online looking for parts to make this even easier. I first found this: Knape & Vogt 208 Extra Heavy Duty Ultimate L-Bracket, 22 in L x 1-3/16 in W x 21.4 in D, White It says a pair will hold 1,000 pounds on a shelf. So, I'm figuring one can support 500 lbs from a single bracket which is more than it will need to lift for a ladderstand. It is only 3 lbs. While not as heavy duty as the contraption I made, it should be much easier to strap to the tree. I think I paid about $15 for it to my door through the walmart store.

The next item is a hand winch. It got this one from harbor freight: https://www.harborfreight.com/manual-strap-winch-95541.html. It is really overkill at 900lbs. Northern tool has a 600 lbs winch but it uses wire rope and I like straps. The strap on this is 20 foot. I plan to mount the winch on a short piece of 2x4 that I can attach to the tree with straps. I figure if I attach it at chest height, I'll have more than enough distance to lift any stand. I put a prussic knot in the existing rope and should be able to easily slide it to whatever position I need. With the typical 20% off HF coupon it ran me about $20.

I'll try to take some pictures next time I erect a ladder stand. I'm in the process of buying a homesite for retirement. It will be a few years until we build a house, so I bought a millennium stand for there. I have not yet assembled it but will soon. I'm expecting closing to occur in the next few weeks. That will give me an opportunity to test this out.

Thanks,

Jack

Well, I put up a couple stands this year and learned a couple lessons. First, the harbor freight winch was much too slow for lifting the stand. If it had a hand crank like a boat winch it would be better. The back and forth action is just too slow. My ATV winch and tractor both worked well. The second lesson was regarding the bracket above. It can easily hold 500 lbs when the force is directly down. However, depending on vegetation and terrain, the winch may need to be located at an angle which can be 90 degrees or more. This puts torque on the bracket and it caused my bracket to bend when putting up the last stand. The other bracket lesson I learned was that it only needs to extend from the tree 6" or so.

This week I'm visiting my nephew who does a little hobby welding and is teaching me. So, I decided to make a bracket as my first project. Here it is:

It is my first welding project so the welds are pretty ugly, but plenty functional. the bracket is made from 1/8" thick x 1" steel tubing. I considered angle iron which would probably be enough, but tubing will resist twisting. The other reason I chose tubing is that I use a drill with a nut driver to insert the lag bolts into the tree. With a flat piece of metal (like the side of angle iron), I would need to hold the bracket in place and hold the lag bolt horizontal in place while I use the drill. With the tubing, the bracket itself will hold the lag bolts horizontal as I use the drill.

I clipped the background out of the picture because it made it hard to see the bracket. This makes the bracket look more ratty than it really is. Near the end of the horizontal bar, you will see a hole drilled through. I will insert a j-bolt through that hole and hook my swivel pulley to it.

The vertical tube is 9" and the horizontal is 6 1/2". The angled support is 7". The top hole in the vertical tube is just far enough above the horizontal tube that I can get my drill perpendicular to the horizontal bar. The bottom hole on the vertical bar is just far enough from the support weld that I can fit a nut driver in. I tried to make the bracket as small as I could to get the pulley 6" from the tree and use a drill to attach it. I wanted to make it as light as I could but still sturdier than I need.

I'll let you know how it works when I try it next season.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Big Snow Man]

So Jack explain to me how this is supposed to work ?

 

[yoderjac]

So Jack explain to me how this is supposed to work ?

Same as the bracket system I described earlier in the thread. It is so I can safely erect a heavy tall ladder stand by myself. I can get an ATV to most places I'd put a stand on our farm so I can transport it pretty easily.

1. Assemble ladder sections and position ladder stand on the ground with the seat next to the tree.
2. Use and extension ladder to attaché the above bracket to the tree a foot or so above where to top of the seat will be using a drill and nut driver.
3. Run a rope through the pulley and tie one end to each side of the tree bar on the ladder stand.
4. On the other end of the rope on the other side of the pulley, I'll have a prussic knot so I can adjust the attachment point of the winch to the rope based on the situation.
5. Use the winch on my ATV (or some kind of hand crank winch if I for some reason could not get the ATV in) to lift the stand into approximate position.
6. Once the stand is vertical and in approximate position, release the tension on the winch so the stand rests against the tree.
7. Once vertical and leaning against the tree, I can make small adjustments in the stand position from the ground.
8. Use the extension ladder once again to go up and secure the stand to the tree. On the way down I'll bring the stabilizing straps down around the tree and connect them to one of the rungs as per instructions.
9. Climb up into the stand and remove the bracket from the tree and the rope from the tree bar.

The stand is erected without me lifting it and it is secured before I ever climb it. I have a bad back and my target stands are not the short, light-weight stands. I'm targeting the 21' double rail heavy Millennium stands or similar tall heavy stands.

I don't have any plans to produce these or sell them. I'm just passing on the idea to others who might be in a similar situation. In addition to it being a fun first welding project for me, I was trying to design something small and light enough for me to easily carry up a ladder and attach but heavy enough to withstand the torque if the ATV winch is positioned at a 90 degree angle. If I find it too cumbersome to attach with a drill and nutdriver bit while holding it, I can always use a strap to put it in position first so I have two hands free. I doubt I will need to.

The parts not shown in the picture is a J-bolt going through the hole on the horizontal piece. The pulley which swivels 360 degrees attaches to the J-bolt. When I use it next season, I'll try to take some pictures of the process.

Post #20 has some pictures of an early wooden version of the bracket in use. The concept worked pretty well, but the bracket itself was much to large and heavy to be practical. The stand in those pictures was a tall but much lighter Muddy. I did not need a winch for that. I was able to simply pull the rope by hand. I can't do that with the Millennium.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Big Snow Man]

Alright Jack we will wait for your Utube video

 

[yoderjac]

On our flight back home the airline lost one of our bags....Yep, you guessed it...It was the one my wife packed the bracket in. It only cost me $15 in materials but it sure is frustrating. The bag is still on "tracking" status, but this is day 2 so chances of recovery drop with each passing day...

The upside is that perhaps this is an excuse to buy a welder...

 

[Big Snow Man]

We’re you taking your bracket on vacation?

 

[yoderjac]

We’re you taking your bracket on vacation?

No, I was visiting relatives in TN last week that have a Millermatic MIG welder. So it was born on vacation.

The good news is that the airline found and delivered the bag tonight so the bracket is home save and sound. I know you were worried. You can relax now.

 

[bjseiler]

And you feel safe climbing a 30' extension ladder leaning against a tree by yourself? That sounds like the scary part to me unless I missed something here. I have a low tolerance for risking a fall though so this very well could just be me being a wimp.

 

[yoderjac]

And you feel safe climbing a 30' extension ladder leaning against a tree by yourself? That sounds like the scary part to me unless I missed something here. I have a low tolerance for risking a fall though so this very well could just be me being a wimp.

You are correct. It is the most dangerous part. I painted houses to work my way through college so I'm pretty familiar with blocking ladders safely. Choosing a wide enough tree is also important, but I do that anyway for back cover with the hunting location. My next welding project will likely be a small tree-bar that can attach to the top of the ladder for better stability against the tree.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Chainsaw]

I have been watching this thread as I will be installing a few ladder stands this winter and spring and I find it very difficult. This is a two person affair by Primal Tree Stands but if it works as shown in the video, it looks like a piece of cake in the right spot with even two older people. Just ordered and have not seen it used.

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/pro...e-stands-standz-up-ladder-hoist?a=2130275#TBD

 

[yoderjac]

I have been watching this thread as I will be installing a few ladder stands this winter and spring and I find it very difficult. This is a two person affair by Primal Tree Stands but if it works as shown in the video, it looks like a piece of cake in the right spot with even two older people. Just ordered and have not seen it used.

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/pro...e-stands-standz-up-ladder-hoist?a=2130275#TBD

Interesting approach. One thing I like about laying the stand on the ground with the seat side near the tree and lifting is that I like to hunt in cover. Often I have other trees with branches that preclude lifting the stand through the mid-story with the lowest rung near the tree instead. I think if you have more open timber setting stands for rifle hunting verses archery hunting in more cover, the system in the link may be a fit. The advantage over my approach is that you don't need to climb a ladder to attach the bracket.

Thanks,

jack

 

[Chainsaw]

Interesting approach. One thing I like about laying the stand on the ground with the seat side near the tree and lifting is that I like to hunt in cover. Often I have other trees with branches that preclude lifting the stand through the mid-story with the lowest rung near the tree instead. I think if you have more open timber setting stands for rifle hunting verses archery hunting in more cover, the system in the link may be a fit. The advantage over my approach is that you don't need to climb a ladder to attach the bracket.

Thanks,
jack

There is a serious amount of ground growth in the planned stand locations as a result of recent logging activities, mostly tall blackberry briers, weeds and trunk sprouts from extremely low cut stumps, thus the need for elevated stands. Conversely though there won't be many standing timber trees in the way of getting setup. Likely it will work on some locations and not others; a bracket and a ladder system such as you use may be needed for some of my intended stand locations as well. I'll give this hoist lift system a try and report back once I have some actual experience with it.