[flexj]

Does anyone have any good designs for home made tree stands? I have made some, and I'd like to make some more comfortable and better ones. The ones I have made are just "crotch" stands. They work just fine, but I find myself yearning for backrest or more comfy seat most of the time. Plus, those stands are now grown into the trees where they were installed, and I can't get em out. I'm not looking for anything specific, just anything you guys may have come up with. So...whatchagot?

 

[Southern Man]

What kid of stands are you looking for? I've made several ladder 16' stands out of steel and am working on hanging stands now. I'm trying to get a hangon weighing about 15-20 lbs with a seat. I can't guarrantee the comfort tho...grins. I think I can make them fairly cheap...compared to what you can buy them for. Can you weld?

 

[Hunting Man]

With some ladder stands now selling for under 70.00 making them seems more like a hobby,nothing wrong with that. I purchased a second 16' ladder stand last year from Menard's (local everything store) for 58.00 on sale. What are steel prices going for? My Michigan buddy built climbing sticks from 18 ga square steel tubing and they work very well. Thin walled tubing requires a tig/mig welder doesn't it? As soon as I get my printer/scanner I'll try to post some pictures of the climbing sticks.

 

[ronn]

I've bought most of my stands at WalMart. After the season any left over stands go on sale. Gorilla hang on's go for $25, the climbers $50, and the ladders $25 for the single but they are short, and the doubles $50 again short. they do have the ladder extensions. With that said its hard to beat the price even if you build your own. I do have a real good climber that was long $$$ $260, I think, and a good hang on that I got years ago and that was Like $75. I use the strap-on steps cause of the laws here and I can take the steps home and leave the stand locked to the tree. If someone wants to go through the effort of bringing in a ladder and bolt cutters for a $25 tree stand they must really need a stand.

 

[flexj]

I just like to tinker with stuff...and occasionally come up with something worth using. Most of the stuff I build ends up being too heavy, and I don't have a tig so aluminum is out. I know stands are not that expensive, but I get some satisfaction out of making stuff myself. I used to come up with some neat ideas for stuff like this, but haven't for a while. That's why I was asking if anyone else had come up with any good homemade (southern engineered, redneck fabbed, or otherwise) tree stands. I guess what got all this started was a trip out to the woods last week. I happened to walk by a couple of my old "permanent" stands that were rotten and falling apart. I thought maybe I would build some replacements, but couldn't come up with anything that sounded too good.

 

[Southern Man]

If all you want is a stand, you can buy them cheaper. I bought my wife one 2 years ago. 12' ladder stand, 4x4' platform, bench seat and shooting rail. $200 the next year she wanted another one in a spot on the next ridge, so I bought another. LOL after last year she said she'd like to hunt the bottom some too......I thought I can build these things. 1" square tubing, 16' to the platform, a step a the top of the ladder has a little landing on it so she can comfortably step up onto the platform. Powdercoated textured black. The platform is 4' X 4' with a boxed frame 36" high. Weighs about 75 lbs without the wood platform (I bolt it on after its in the woods). Very comfortable. I built them for around $125 total. I still have 2 frames here in the shop. I'll take a picture and post it if I can. Makes a good stand if you have a place to leave it. Moving it is not that much of a problem for 2 guys but takes a little time.

 

[timberghost]

A friend of mine made a good ladder stand from reebar. He took small diameter bar and welded small pieces in between each long piece for steps and did something strange with the top and tied a camo couch cushion or something up top and it was very comfy. To move it around is like using a wheel barrow but pulling the stand behind you by holding the top of the 2 long pieces and kind of dragging it behind and it was really easy to do. He's an ironworker so steel and welding are kind of in his blood.

 

[WHITETAILFEVER]

I just like to tinker with stuff...and occasionally come up with something worth using. Most of the stuff I build ends up being too heavy, and I don't have a tig so aluminum is out. I know stands are not that expensive, but I get some satisfaction out of making stuff myself. I used to come up with some neat ideas for stuff like this, but haven't for a while. That's why I was asking if anyone else had come up with any good homemade (southern engineered, redneck fabbed, or otherwise) tree stands. I guess what got all this started was a trip out to the woods last week. I happened to walk by a couple of my old "permanent" stands that were rotten and falling apart. I thought maybe I would build some replacements, but couldn't come up with anything that sounded too good.

NOTHING WRONG WITH BUILDING THEM YOURSELF I HAVE BUILT MANY BUT MOSTLY THE LADDER TYPE.THEY WORKED WELL FOR ME.WHAT I DID WAS BUILD EVERYTHING ON THE GROUND THEN STAND THEM UP WITH THE HELP OF ONE OF MY FRIENDS.I MADE SOME THAT YOU BOLT TO THE TREE AND MADE SOME THAT STRAP TO THE TREE.MADE THEM SMALL AND MADE THEM LARGE ENCLOSED.I BUILT THEM MOSTLY OUT OF PRESSURE TREATED LUMBER SO THEY LAST LONGER.BUT NOW I HUNT ON THE GROUD IN MY 5X7 FULLY ENCLOSED,CAMOED,INSULATED,CARPETED,AND HEATED GROUD BLIND.I HAD A CLOSE CALL A FEW YEARS BACK AND EVERY SENCE THEN I HUNT FRO THE GROUD.

 

[joel the signman]

you can make simple ladder stands out of pressure treated wood .i was going to do this last year but bought stands instead.i got to look for the blue prints i made