I do all my bowhunting these days from the ground or from ladder stands because of medical challenges.
Last night I took the dog for a walk around one of my fields, and decided to do initial prep on a ladder stand for the soon-to-come season as I walked by. I carefully climbed up to re-tighten the strap loosened after the season closed last Winter and see what needed to be trimmed.
I looked the strap over, and clicked the ratchet maybe five times. Pretty good, but still a slight wobble against the tree. One more click, and SNAP :eek: , the strap broke!
The stand didn't move, so I s-l-o-w-l-y backed down. The stand is probably 5-7 years old, and althogh the strap looked great, UV and time had taken their toll.
Have done several searches for replacement straps without finding what I want at a decent price. Figured it is time to get 1/2 or so more, and replace them on the other stands, as well...
Does anyone happen to have a good place to get ratchet straps?
Even if not, I figured it was worth mentioning, so "all y'all" could check your stands for wear and age, too. :dunno:
Walley World or some of the big box stores.
Try Tractor Supply Company I was in there the other day and they had a bunch,even the ones for strapping down heavy equipment. Oh and some of them carry hunting supply's ..
Harbor Freight, If you leave your stand out you will need to replace them evry year but you can't beat the price.
All of them are junk unless you get the straps the truckers use
What RedNeck said-don't leave the straps out with your stand all year or you're asking for trouble.
If you must leave it on to hold your stand in the off season, grab a new one and replace it when you start using the stand again.
Cheap insurance.
Harbor Freight.
X3 what red neck said
Yep harbor freight, Menards, or Home Depot. Any of those have a great selection. I bring my straps in every January. Helps them last longer and safer. Be careful leaving them out in the woods for extended periods.
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4 - Pk. 8' Camo Tree Stand Ratchet Straps
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Thanks, everyone. That gives me some options to check out!
Have to disgree about replacing them every year. I have had some out there 5 or more years and they are fine. No doubt they have to be checked every year but I have 66 stand sites and it would cost me a fortune to replace them every year. Shawn
Check out strapworks.com. They will have everything you need, and you can make what you want in terms of strength and material. Heck you can even get stainless steel ratchets. I like the HEAVYWEIGHT polypropylene for abrasion resistance. 1-1/2" will give you a work strength of 450#s and a breaking strength of around 1300#s.
Thanks, Fred. I will check them out!