So I wanted to make my Summit Open Shot SD even lighter and better for bow hunting. I removed the seat and added this netting seat I found on Amazon. The seat is pretty much as advertised… But the middle bar where the factory seat attached is in the way. It doesn’t give me much room to sit back into the seat. The middle bar is welded onto the main unit - I think I can remove it without effecting the integrity of the seat… But I’m not 100% comfortable with it. I’m like 80/20… Obviously if I were to modify I’d try it at ground level like I did in these pictures. Anyone have an opinion? I weigh around 200lbs. I can’t imagine that middle bar serves much other purpose than to be able to mount the factory seat. But I work at a desk - so I can be really dumb when it comes to stuff like this that matters!
No way I would remove that. That is structural and ties the outer side walls together. If you removed it the armrests would become flimsy and push outward. I do not believe that bar has anything to do with seat support. That is tied up in the webbing of the original sear cushion. Any chance you could pad that bar with pipe insulation?
I would not remove it. Looks like its needed to keep the outside bars parallel to each other. There is more pressure from the cable then you would think. Can you just put the seat frame back on, minus the seat pad and attach the net seat to it? I know you are trying to save weight and remove, but I thing it will be ruined if you remove that bar. I could see cutting off the tabs for the seat hinge and that wouldn't effect anything.
That bar is an integral part of the stands structural strength. I bought a summit open shot exclusively for saddle hunting. I use the top piece as my climbing method and platform. My saddle acts like the top that I sit in and use my legs to bring the platform up higher. I cut 3 slats from the bottom piece and attached them on top of the frame and used regular nuts and bolts to attach them. (No need to use grade 8 as they are not load bearing points) Weighs in at a few ounces over 5 pounds. My saddle weighs 3 pounds, so 8 pounds total for my set up (not including all the other gear).
Thanks for the feedback guys. I will not remove it. The padding is going to be 100% necessary I do believe. It’s not horrible but it’s not as comfortable as I imagined when I started to customize this stand a bit. Again - thank you.
Is this what you decided to use on the new property you acquired? Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk
Yes. I already owned it just hasn’t used it in years as I have so many hang-in’s that I use on my two private properties that I hunt. I am not thrilled about using a climber but it’s the least amount of investment and a piece of equipment that I am both familiar and comfortable with.
The only way to possibly do that would be to cut it out, turn it 90 degrees downward and weld back in place. May give enough clearance. Would definitely recommend having a professional welder do the job.
Man I've got a complete saddle setup I would have loaned you and I was in Terre Haute last week Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk
