BIG Guys and Ladderstands..............?

[2-BIG]

Do any of you fellas have a preferance for ladderstands? I have a few of the O'L Man ladderstands and they are fine for short bows but I can't seem to shoot my longbows out of them. The platform that you stand on is directly under the seat  so when I take a shot other than right directly in fron of me, my bow limb hits the stand.
I used one years ago that was made in Missouri but I can't remember the name of them or how to locate them.

[21cenlongbowhunter]

Jim,
I use a ladder stand like this one they run them on sale from time to time for around $ 70
I bolt a sheet of 3/4" plywood on top 3' x 3'
I use a 5 gallon bucket for a seat or a hand old climber for a seat. I do not take them down from year to year but I have to replace the plywood every couple of years. I have lots of room to move around . I like to put them in a Y tree with the platform in the V of the tree that way I can shoot behind the tree.

 http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0034332417217a&type=product&cmCat=searchFeat&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=ladder+stand&N=4887&Ntk=Products &Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=ladder+stand&noImage=0

[Biggie Hoffman]

Big Jim, we bought a bunch of Deslodge Manufacturing stands a few years ago that are the ticket (as long as the squirrels don't eat your straps ) Unfortunately, they went out of business. We build our own now. I haven't found anything on the market that I trust and is comfortable. Find a good welder and make something that suits you. Treestand makers don't care about us 300#+ers...there aren't too many of us.

[Voodoofire1]

Yep, I second that Biggie!, and we don't bounce too good either...I don't hunt from treestands any more, fell off a 47' scaffold onto solid concrete and walked away....cussing, with a little "I quit" thrown in for good measure,lol, figured I used up all my falling luck on that one,lol,lol.

[2-BIG]

Biggie, are those the stands that were made in Missouri? I hunted in Illinois one year and a fella let me use his and it was great but I never could locate them.
I have a friend that owns a metal fabricating place so I will have him design me one. Thanks for the advice!  

[2-BIG]

By the way, I saw that you had a little mishap with your ladderstand strap. I usually have to move all of my stands without any help so I always take a ratchet strap with me and strap the stand tight to the tree as an added safety feature. I am too gravitationally gifted to take any chances!  

[Biggie Hoffman]

Yes, they were in Missouri...

The ones I'm making now are one piece and a little shorter. A pain to move around but I'm not as mobile as I used to be anyway :-)
I have a dozen in Iowa, probably that many in Florida and who knows how many here in Ga.
I'm fortunate enough to have several places to hunt on a regular basis so once I get them there I just leave them. It's taken a few years to garner that many stands but hey........it's what I do, ya know?

[draco]

Biggie,are you a weldor? If you are I build a ladder stand you should see. They lean against the tree at the angle of a regular ladder,very stable,and with a swivel seat,quick to build and so solid I don`t even tie to the tree anymore unless the ground is uneven. I`ve not built one over 13ft.,so might not be tall enough for you though.Every time someone hunts in one I can`t get it back,they just wont give it up. I`ve never sold one but have traded them for hunts,bows,and bribes. If you want to see it I can take a picture and post tomorrow. bob

[Biggie Hoffman]

Sure thing. I'm always interested in a new design. The only misgiving I ever had about the Deslodge stands was you couldn't raise the seat and stand against the tree. We just started modifying them with a piece of piano hinge.
One down.......50 to go....

[draco]

Here are those pictures of the ladder stand.This one is only 10 ft. to the seat. To tie one off just tie rope around leg as high as you can reach,go around tree one and a half times,pull tight and tie on other leg. Bottom half of legs is 1 1/4 EMT and top half is 1 1/2 EMT.It comes apart for transport. Any questions,just holler.
 
 

[Arrow Slinga]

My buddys went to check these out this weekend made right here in Michigan, said they were very strong and very stable.They are both big guys, and they both really liked them a lot!! I went to the web site after they told me about them and I thougt they were worth checking out, they are made of round tubing and bolted together and they have no arm rests so you can shoot a recurve or long bow out of them with ease, they weight about 32 lbs. without the extinsion.
The web site is  www.familytraditiontreestands.com

[Slasher]

Originally posted by 21cenlongbowhunter:
Jim,
I use a ladder stand like this one they run them on sale from time to time for around $ 70
]

I have a couple of those and juust picked up 2 more very similiar to them @ Dicks for $59 (acually they were $49 a month ago,,,)

Being a lil sqirt cant say anything bout strength, but the one's @ Dicks are sturdier than my Cabelas stands...

[Roger Norris]

Jim - I'm about 225, and my sons are 180 or so.We use those ladder stands built for 2 people, and they are pretty sturdy...I have used them sitting alone, and they are waaaay comfortable.