Glad your good. Safety lines. I'm always amazed at the terrible designs on some stands. Many seem try try to catch water to advance the rusting a China will just make it cheaper next year. Kilboars Hunt Club
Every time the wind blows the tree puts pressure on the stand and ladder. Flexing metal back and forth will eventually break it. Leaving ladder stands up year round shortens their life by better than half.
I have this exact stand, and it has been in the tree since last August. Guess I better bring my HSS this weekend so I can take it down while checking cameras.
What he said. Glad you found that little tid bit of info before you climbed up and sat in your stand. I just recently took a 21 foot ladder stand down due to failing to lock onto the tree in a manner that felt was good enough to put my family in let alone my self. Safety is free. Good catch man!
Well I would certainly check it well. I'm unsure if I would have seen the rust under the paint coating unless it was crazed/cracked & showing through. The stand is a gorilla comfort HX lounger. It has the tall arm rests. I suspect that because of the open tube ends that rest against the tree trunk, that water goes right down the trunk and into the open tube where it can accumulate and begin to rust inside the tube.
To be fair, there are some really nice, economical stands out there. Also, when Gorilla was making stands, they were not the cheap economical kinds I have a Gorilla as well... I went and checked it, and it seems to be in good order, but the more I dwell on it, the more I want to take it down... Typically, my girlfriend is the one who uses it when we are in that set, and the thought of my negligence possibly allowing something catastrophic to happen is too much.
Good checking, I always get my stands out of the woods the week or two after the season goes out. Straps, cables, and ropes are susceptible to break at any point so I check my stands before and after!
