Where to get treestand replacement parts?

[CdBurner]

Anyone know of a place where you can buy replacement parts for treestands?

I have 12 or so hang on stands that been in my rotation for a good while now. I've noticed on a few that where the cables meet the platform there is a little rusting on the cables from the where the rubber tubing has shrunk and exposed the cable.

I'm wondering if anyone knows were I can buy replacement cables? They are all sorts of different brands. I want to pull and replace a few of them after the season. Especially after reading of three different occasions where people have fallen from the cables letting go and the platform falling out from under them. It has happened after the person had been in the stand for a little whole and the pressure got to the cables and they let go from rust. I don't wand this to happen to me so I figured maybe I would do some off season maintenance.

I just couldn't find any online. Any help?

 

[RedCloud]

I'm not sure what brands you have or how they attach to the platform but I would think if it's just steel cable you could go to any hardware store and buy the cable by the foot. You could then buy some U-bolts to secure the ends. If you get a chance post up a pic and we might be able to get a couple guys to pitch in some info or tricks of the trade.

 

[Diablo54]

Would be a great build along thread.

 

[CdBurner]

Redcloud,

I was thinking of doing just that. Although I have at least four or five different brand of stands, (gorilla, big game, Rivers edge, a couple off the wall brands) they all seem to attach with a clamp that is like a u-clamp on one end and a loop hole on the other. If I could find these clamps I would make my own.

 

[RedCloud]

Your talking about the cable that goes from the square tubing near the seat down to the platform right ? I have a gorilla stand. Let me look and see what I can come up with for you.

 

[CdBurner]

Your talking about the cable that goes from the square tubing near the seat down to the platform right ? I have a gorilla stand. Let me look and see what I can come up with for you.

That is correct. The two cables that maintain the angle from the frame that runs along the tree to the platform that you stand on.

 

[Johnch]

If it is just the shrink tubeing

Bass Pro sells the shrink tubeing to replace the old stuff

John

 

[RedCloud]

Gorilla replacement parts number is: 1-877-685-7817 Not sure if that will help ya out or not. I know what end your talking about. It is just a barrel that the cable goes into and has a washer looking thing with a bolt through it that swivels with the platform.

The only other way around buying factory replacements would be to wrap the cable through the webing of the platform and around the outer framework. Then use the same u-bolts to secure the ends.

 

[RedCloud]

I was laying in bed and thought of the only other place I had seen connectors like the ones they use on the platform end of the tree stands and it hit me Electrical work I had done....Duh me lol.

They call them copper lugs and come in a veriaty of sizes. All you have to do is put the cable in and crimp down the connector to hold the cable in. You should be able to find them fairly easy. :smiley_clap:

 

[hickslawns]

I don't know if i would trust the copper lugs, but they are great for terminal ends going to a battery. I usually make my own battery cables. Cheaper and sometimes in the middle of the night while plowing it is your only option. NAPA sells them and you can get little solder chunks to drop in and heat with a torch. Once liquid you push your stripped cable end into it and hold for 30sec to a minute.

There are ferrules which can be crimped to secure braided steel cable as well. Personally, I would crimp on the ferrules and then use the u-bolts as well.

 

[jagermeister]

I was laying in bed and thought of the only other place I had seen connectors like the ones they use on the platform end of the tree stands and it hit me Electrical work I had done....Duh me lol.

They call them copper lugs and come in a veriaty of sizes. All you have to do is put the cable in and crimp down the connector to hold the cable in. You should be able to find them fairly easy. :smiley_clap:

Good idea, RC... but there's no way those lugs would handle the weight of a hunter by just crimping them. I would go with U-clamps and new grade 8 bolts... and shrink tubing around the new cables. I would think these repairs could be done pretty cheap really.

 

[hickslawns]

You can get braided steel cable by the foot which has a coating on it. I buy it by the roll for the pickup heads on our parking lot sweeper trucks. I will tell you if u-bolts will tighten down on the coated cable and drive thousands of miles holding up the pickup head (varying in weight but none of them light) then it will certainly hold the weight of a person. You have to figure the pickup head is suspended by these cables as the truck drives down the highway between jobs and takes serious abuse. Don't get me wrong, this is a wear item which we have to replace a couple times a year. However, climbing a tree stand 20 times a year and sitting in it is a lot different than suspending a couple hundred pounds or more for months at a time while absorbing many bumps.

 

[RedCloud]

Good idea, RC... but there's no way those lugs would handle the weight of a hunter by just crimping them. I would go with U-clamps and new grade 8 bolts... and shrink tubing around the new cables. I would think these repairs could be done pretty cheap really.

I bet if you go and look at your stand the cable is put into that clip that looks just like those lugs and crimped.

It was an idea I had pop into my head while laying in bed what can I say .

If it was me I would use the idea I mentioned before of taking the cable and working it through the webbing of the platform and wrapping around the main framework and U-bolt the cable. Go into any electronic store and buy some shrink coating and be done.

 

[jagermeister]

I bet if you go and look at your stand the cable is put into that clip that looks just like those lugs and crimped.

It was an idea I had pop into my head while laying in bed what can I say .

If it was me I would use the idea I mentioned before of taking the cable and working it through the webbing of the platform and wrapping around the main framework and U-bolt the cable. Go into any electronic store and buy some shrink coating and be done.

Like I said man, not a bad idea at all. I know the ones on my stands look just like those copper lugs... but they're not copper. I don't know how they are attached to the cables but I don't think it's just a regular crimp job. I've crimped a lot of copper lugs onto wire, and if you don't do it right they pull out pretty damn easily. I just don't think I'd feel safe in a stand of my own, knowing the only thing holding me up are some crimped on copper lugs LOL. :smiley_dead:lol

 

[RedCloud]

Like I said man, not a bad idea at all. I know the ones on my stands look just like those copper lugs... but they're not copper. I don't know how they are attached to the cables but I don't think it's just a regular crimp job. I've crimped a lot of copper lugs onto wire, and if you don't do it right they pull out pretty damn easily. I just don't think I'd feel safe in a stand of my own, knowing the only thing holding me up are some crimped on copper lugs LOL. :smiley_dead:lol

I know what ya mean about wires pulling back out of crimps lol. I have done a fair share of that myself.

They have to make steel ones like those but the crimping tool would probably be the size of a pair of bolt cutters to get enough force to fully crimp them. After thinking about it now that I'm fully awake I don't think I would trust the lugs either lol.

I will keep looking lol.

 

[hickslawns]

The coated steel cable with ubolts will work. Why couldn't you put a grade 8 bolt through and thread a locking nut on it flush with the stand? Then leave enough threads to wrap the braided cable around the bolt with the u-bolts connecting and put another locking nut on the outside of the cable? Just a thought. I know I have a stand which was a store demo that is not right. It leans rather than sit at a 90 degree angle. I am just going to modify it one of these days. Problem is everytime I go to hang a stand I just pull one out of inventory. Too easy I guess. I am not in the normal position though either. Most guys do not have this luxury.

 

[CdBurner]

Great stuff on this thread guys.

Thanks!

 

["J"]

Listen, I am by no means an expert on the subject... But at work we make cables for Aircraft use and they have to be load tested and you'd be amazed at what looks good but fails very quickly under a load... With my life depending on those cables holding my ass 20 odd feet in the air I'd be getting stock replacement parts from the manufacturer.... They have been load tested and will work just fine and if something does happen you're covered to a point unlike if you do it yourself to save a buck and end up at the bottom of a tree in a bad way... Like I said I'm not an expert but just do some home work and find the OEM parts.... :smiley_blackeye:

 

[hickslawns]

I just make sure i am always strapped in. Maybe I put too much faith in the harness? Probably not the best thing to admit on the open public internet, but I am being honest. I am also well insured and worth more dead than alive. Just sayin'.

 

[CdBurner]

I too have faith in the harness. Bought a new Gorilla G30 harness this season. It's a quality harness for sure.

However, my friends hunt my stands too. I wouldn't want them to be in one when it failed. Trying to be safe rather than sorry.