PSA - check those welds

[KIBarrister]

Summit 180 climber (350 lb rating that counting gear I’m comfortably 75 under). Felt it give a bit climbing down this morning, thought I’d broke free of some bark. Went to go up this afternoon and noticed paint flaking at the weld by sheer luck; put some weight on it and boom it was six inches shorter. Grateful I learned on the ground!

Wink’s is four miles away (love that place); we’ll see if they can save my afternoon

 

[USAF05]

That definitely could've ended badly. Glad you are good.

 

[lx1x]

Doesn't look the weld but the frame itself cracked..


+1 better finding the issue at ground level than hospital.

 

[jrumann59]

Doesn't look the weld but the frame itself cracked..


+1 better finding the issue at ground level than hospital.

Looks like maybe welded at too high a temp made the metal brittle.

 

[KingClown]

Aluminum welding tend to make the surrounding metal brittle causing it to crack right next to the weld like that.

 

[outrider58]

It looks to me that the top tube was poorly mitered and the gap was filled by the weld, which failed.

 

[lx1x]

Op.. Summit have 5 year warranty. So if you are within that time.. contact them .

 

[outrider58]

Op.. Summit have 5 year warranty. So if you are within that time.. contact them .

I would send them an email either way, with some really good photos.

 

[willtill]

Can it be you're just too fat?

J/K

I had a climber (bottom portion) come apart on me once. Left me hanging on the tree. Was a painful skittering down; fast, hugging that tree and hitting mother earth quite hard. Tore up my chest, stomach and inside of forearms a bit.

This was the piece of crap I was using. It was called a "Tree Saddle". Good concept. Terrible implementation

More about it:

https://www.bowhunting.com/blog/201...-is-it-the-next-big-thing-for-mobile-hunters/

 

[Doco Overboard]

Good catch.
You should always regularly inspect your climbing equipment.
Looks like it failed right at the point where all the stress is placed when it's suporting weight/ in the working position.
You should send it back and get a replacement, or destroy the remnants if they dont want it back.

 

[welder516]

Problem with any welding and aluminum as well, no weld failure there it is aluminum failure. Even if they reinforce it, it was possible for a crack where you leave off.

If i was to repair that i would bend clips on each side to do a better tie-in.

 

[outrider58]

Can it be you're just too fat?

J/K

I had a climber (bottom portion) come apart on me once. Left me hanging on the tree. Was a painful skittering down; fast, hugging that tree and hitting mother earth quite hard. Tore up my chest, stomach and inside of forearms a bit.

This was the piece of crap I was using. It was called a "Tree Saddle". Good concept. Terrible implementation

View attachment 385408


More about it:

https://www.bowhunting.com/blog/201...-is-it-the-next-big-thing-for-mobile-hunters/

Was it a hang-on stand with cables to support the platform? People don't realize, those cables need to be replaced ever couple years. I used to replace them with chain.

 

[Uncle Duke]

I would send them an email either way, with some really good photos.

This! That shouldn't happen. Period.

 

[remrug]

Glad you found it before something bad happened. I have an old Ole Man that I cant find anything wrong with,but am too scared to use it for some reason. Your post convinces me to destroy it' Thanks for the PSA

 

[Slackdaddy]

My summit Vipers (3) are 15-18 years old,,,
Found a similar crack on the bottom platform of one last year.

Don't get me wrong,, I love the Summit Viper and will buy another one.
but after 15 years of hard use,, they do fail

 

[Slackdaddy]

My summit Vipers (3) are 15-18 years old,,,
Found a similar crack on the bottom platform of one last year.

Summit 180 climber (350 lb rating that counting gear I’m comfortably 75 under). Felt it give a bit climbing down this morning, thought I’d broke free of some bark. Went to go up this afternoon and noticed paint flaking at the weld by sheer luck; put some weight on it and boom it was six inches shorter. Grateful I learned on the ground!

Wink’s is four miles away (love that place); we’ll see if they can save my afternoon View attachment 385385

How old was it ??

 

[outrider58]

How old was it ??

Looks almost brand new.

 

[outrider58]

I'm just gonna leave this here; anyone using a climbing tree stand and doesn't use a safety harness and line all the way up and all the way down(as well as the entire time they are in it), well that's doom on them.

 

[Slackdaddy]

I'm just gonna leave this here; anyone using a climbing tree stand and doesn't use a safety harness and line all the way up and all the way down(as well as the entire time they are in it), well that's doom on them.

That can not be repeated enough,,
My climber goes on the tree, I ty on the two host cords (day bag, and weapon),, I step onto the climber and go up 2-3 feet to get off the "base thickness" and check my angles,, then my harness strap is hooked to the tree strap,,
It adds a few seconds to the climb to push the tree strap up every "step" of the climb.

 

[lazarus]

That can not be repeated enough,,
My climber goes on the tree, I ty on the two host cords (day bag, and weapon),, I step onto the climber and go up 2-3 feet to get off the "base thickness" and check my angles,, then my harness strap is hooked to the tree strap,,
It adds a few seconds to the climb to push the tree strap up every "step" of the climb.

Ditto.

Absolutely the only time I am not in a harness and secured to the tree is if I HAVE to remove/loosen it for some reason briefly. Usually it is something like I have to take a layer off and I am just baking. So I slip the harness shoulders off after unbuckling it. Take my top layer off or a bottom layer off and back in the harness. Not moving around a ton. And it gives me the hebe-jebes to do it.

I will admit I don’t use a line headed up/down a ladder stand. I do the entire time I am in one with the same caveats to sometimes when I change layers I am temporarily not fully in my harness. I know failures can happen there too. Then again I don’t use a harness and line when using a ladder normally working, and that is even more sketch. I certainly don’t rush up and down a ladder stand and I don’t carry anything in my hands up and down. Those are good steel and get inspected before and after putting up. Have safety lines on the stand and basically need multiple parts to fail, to collapse completely.

On the tree saddles, frankly those have never looked comfortable to be in all day and also looks like easier to have fail and leave you in a bad spot.