16 replies to this topic

[RYAN68]

Anybody ever built there own? I've found some online, but for what they want for them I could build a super simple one for dirt cheap. I don't really want to hunt from a ground blind. But I will have a couple out this fall so I have a few different stands to choose from.

Ultimately, I'll build something similar to this:
http://www.sportaid.....ree-stand.html

but for about $2700 less. And it will be up in the air farther than the 8 foot it looks in the picture. I'm going to be shooting for 12-15'+. It will be able to be towed by a quad/utility vehicle. And if my idea works, a para should be able to set it up almost independently (hopefully ) depending on the particular tree, hopefully there aren't limbs in the way. The hoist will be hand operated, or potentially hydraulic, maybe even a 12v winch. Idk yet....

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome!! As soon as it sorta warms up, and I get my welder and torch over to my place from our farm, r & d will begin!!!

[dangerousdave]

There are trees in Iowa then I take it
Exactly how do you intend to weld this wood together
Wouldn't it be more fun to construct a roll cage, all terain, 5 Liter dirt buggy

[RYAN68]

dangerousdave, on Feb 1 2010, 03:42 PM, said:

There are trees in Iowa then I take it
Exactly how do you intend to weld this wood together
Wouldn't it be more fun to construct a roll cage, all terain, 5 Liter dirt buggy

lol, we actually have quite a few trees! I have a couple hundred acres of woods to hunt within 2 miles of home. I would just hunt out of my side by side, but the full front windshield prevented me from shooting a small 8 point last fall

[mjrcpd]

I have a few stands that are based on a ladder stand. 2 have power winches on top rung of ladder and 1 is powered by a manual winch. All enable an attached chair to move from the base of the ladder to the top as the top of the ladder is attached to the tree. Looks like a ladder stand with an attached chair. All are roughly 16-18 ft tall and are great to hunt from as your out of the game's sight path. I can take photos and email if you'd like. MARK

[RYAN68]

mjrcpd, on Feb 1 2010, 07:38 PM, said:

I have a few stands that are based on a ladder stand. 2 have power winches on top rung of ladder and 1 is powered by a manual winch. All enable an attached chair to move from the base of the ladder to the top as the top of the ladder is attached to the tree. Looks like a ladder stand with an attached chair. All are roughly 16-18 ft tall and are great to hunt from as your out of the game's sight path. I can take photos and email if you'd like. MARK

Ya I'd love some pics!! Did you make them yourself or buy them?

[edlee]

Hey, MJ,, I'm interested, too. Hunting from my jeep or from a ground blind is getting old. Like Ryan, the windsheild cost me a shot at,, what I believe was,, a trophy buck,,,, obviously, I can't be sure as I valued my ride home more than the deer.

I'ld love to see what you have been using,,, and more pictures is better than less when it comes to me figuring out how you do it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The one at sportaid used a power drill to lift it,,, what are they using to convert it for powering,, what I assume is some kind of winch??? I've got to think that a small 12 volt winch and battery under the seat would work as well.

The one that takes you AND your chair is not shown in their ad. I think that would be more like what I would want to use.
ed

[RYAN68]

I have a pic of a stand I got off of Purdues Plowshares cd. But the computer its on keeps crashing, and my laptop doesn't have a cd drive after I spilt a beer on the keyboard...lol

Its ran by a hand winch, and the user transfers into the seat. It looks just like a ladder stand that you can buy from cabelas. I'll try again to see if i can get it off of the other computer, and try to post it here.

Here are a couple that I've found online:

this is the one sportaid sells, theres a video, and shows the chair model too
http://vasquezmetal.com/web.aspx?

this one is a hydraulic lift/crane stand
http://www.kripplekreek.com/

[mjrcpd]

Here are few photos...


what the heck ! tried to add more photos but now they have all been deleted!?!? I wonder if I exceeded a file size limitation or something? hmmmmm

Edited by mjrcpd, 04 February 2010 - 02:49 PM.

[RYAN68]

thats pretty much exactly what i'm looking for. Is the hand winch just a regular hand winch? And doesn't the electric winch make it a little top heave when putting the stand up?

[mjrcpd]

Yes it's a "brake" winch. It works in both directions, and when you stop cranking, the winch secures your position. The winches certainly add extra weight to the stands. Once secured to the tree the weight isn't an issue (obviously), however, getting them up to the tree may take two men. I have a great friend who's strong as an ox and does my stands. Nothing like being in the air, esp during bow season.

[edlee]

I'm thinking that you could mount the winch under the seat with a pulley at the top, if you wanted to. I like the idea of the hand winch, tho,,, less to go wrong.

That looked like a winch from a boat trailer,, is that strong enough or did you go for something different?

Those links you put on were great,,, I particularly liked that one that worked with the hydraulics,, would make it easier to gut the deer once you shot it
ed

[dangerousdave]

So when your hunting, out to to kill somin for lunch
How is it all those other camoflouged co-hunters havn't been put on the endangered spiecies list
Is it that nobody can shoot straight???

Good luck with the tree lift

[LuckyinKentucky]

Those are some great blinds mjrcpd. You probably exceeded the limit on your post if you tried to load more. If you post more than once you should be able to load more. You got us all slobbering to see more, got any pics of em in the field? Do you chain em off at bottom and top... or spike down at the base... or heck strap em into the bed of UTV?

[RYAN68]

What are you using for a seat? I was thinking about using a boat seat of some sort.

This is probably what I'll use for a winch.
http://www.google.co...0CBkQ8wIwBDgA#p

Then just use a cordless impact or drill to drive it up or down. I'll make my own "bit". The way I want to build a stand is to have it almost vertical, not at a 45* angle like some of the commercially available stands.

[yeldarb00]

These stands sound interesting but I can't seem to find any photos of them. If you can please email any photos you have. Thanks

[edlee]

RYAN68, on Apr 8 2010, 04:43 PM, said:

What are you using for a seat? I was thinking about using a boat seat of some sort.

This is probably what I'll use for a winch.
http://www.google.co...0CBkQ8wIwBDgA#p

Then just use a cordless impact or drill to drive it up or down. I'll make my own "bit". The way I want to build a stand is to have it almost vertical, not at a 45* angle like some of the commercially available stands.

Ryan,, I hope you haven't bought that winch you linked to, yet. I got the same one on Ebay last week,, for considerably less money,, and the thing is a piece of crap. No bearings at all,, just through bolts. And 41 to 1 is unbelievably slow. I made a fitting to run it with a drill,, it works,, but boy is it slow,, and I wouldn't trust it to hold me up in the air all day. It's just not well enough constructed.
ed

[RYAN68]

edlee, on May 14 2010, 03:25 PM, said:

Ryan,, I hope you haven't bought that winch you linked to, yet. I got the same one on Ebay last week,, for considerably less money,, and the thing is a piece of crap. No bearings at all,, just through bolts. And 41 to 1 is unbelievably slow. I made a fitting to run it with a drill,, it works,, but boy is it slow,, and I wouldn't trust it to hold me up in the air all day. It's just not well enough constructed.
ed

Thanks for the heads up. I haven't bought it yet. Have you found anything else that might work better? I'll keep looking, but I don't really wanna spend a ton of money on a winch..lol

Ryan