By John F. Bruce
My tip expounds on an earlier Tip of the Week about treestand care — specifically, what happens to wooden ladder stands after the tree grows and sways in wind and rain for a year.
Between tree growth and weather, nails and screws holding together wooden ladder stands are especially susceptible to becoming loose or growing into the tree. Look at points of contact with the tree, such as the crosstie on the back of the seat, and leg braces.
As the tree grows, it literally pulls nail heads and screw heads into the wooden stand, even if it’s made of treated lumber. I’ve found a way to prevent this.
Instead of using nails, attach your bracing and crossties to the tree with galvanized lag bolts. A 3/8-inch or 1/2-inch lag bolt is sufficient.
Simply loosen the lag bolt one or two turns each season to accommodate tree growth. Don’t forget to do this or the lag bolt will disappear into the wood, just as it would with nails.
Also, never leave carpeting or other sound-dampening material on the floor of your wooden stand. Trapped moisture easily rots the floor between seasons.
Instead, use a generous application of water sealant after the season. Doing this will extend the life of a wooden seat or floor.
It’s also smart to do your bolt-loosening, sawing, hammering of loose nails and screw-gunning in late summer. Treestand maintenance is a noisy chore, and you don’t want to alarm whitetails just before opening day.
For more ladder stand tips click here.