So my Summit broke.... wear a harness people

[YFKI1983]

just curious now looking at the bend (was it adjusted to large for the tree?) was the platform level or slightly angled down? this sometimes happens and you climb higher and the tree narrows, i always set my summit so the platform is angled up when it's first put on, as you climb up the tree it levels out

 

from the way it is bent in the image, it looks like the platform was angled down and the weight applied pulled the V bar and bent it rather than applying the stress to the cable and upper bars

 

Next time try starting with the platform a bit tighter (it will level out as yo

 

 

 

 

did those 2 green straps you have on the stand come with it?  I have a viper sd and it just came with one cord that attaches platform to chair.

[YFKI1983]

I use the Third Hand Achery stabilizer straps, best thing ever secures top to bottom, makes it rock solid and you no longer need to strap it to the tree

 

saw this after my last post. why does this eliminate the need to strap to the tree?

[NYbuck50]

i use the third hand stabalizer straps as well. they work as an umbliical cord, as straps to pack the stand, and to secure the top portion.

[Danny]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVrETdPx-tQ

 

Rather than explain how the straps work (fast forward if you wish)

 

 

 

 

[YFKI1983]

That's great. Why can't i think of something like this

[NYbuck50]

Just got off the phone with Bear Kelly from Summit. I sent him some pictures and discussed the situation with him on the phone. Even admitted that it was likely my fault the stand broke. He agreed, and said they would be sending me a brand new Titan in the mail at no cost to me. Not just the broken bottom, but an entire new stand. That is OUTSTANDING customer service in my book. I was expecting to have to argue to get a warranty, but he said no, new stand no cost, and then spent 10 minutes discussing some things i can do to make sure this doesnt happen again.

 

Summit has a customer for life

[Arrow Flinger]

Just got off the phone with Bear Kelly from Summit. I sent him some pictures and discussed the situation with him on the phone. Even admitted that it was likely my fault the stand broke. He agreed, and said they would be sending me a brand new Titan in the mail at no cost to me. Not just the broken bottom, but an entire new stand. That is OUTSTANDING customer service in my book. I was expecting to have to argue to get a warranty, but he said no, new stand no cost, and then spent 10 minutes discussing some things i can do to make sure this doesnt happen again.

 

Summit has a customer for life

 

 

That is awesome customer service!! I'll have to remember that the next time I purchase a stand. Do they make ladder stands? I have a friend who is in the Archery industry and he told me that for a treestand to get a TMA rating of 300#'s it needs to be able to hold a static weight of 1000#'s. You may have used the stand wrong but it shoulda still held you up!

[MACHINIST]

Same here.They are great to deal with and I tell everyone if you are buying a climber go to the summit sight and pick what you want because they are the best and most comfortable!! GREAT TO HERE!!!

[Lord of War]

Glad to hear they did right by you and sent you a completely new stand.  I just picked up the Summit Goliath and have yet to take it out yet b/c I want to practice first.  What tips did he give you?

Edited October 8, 2013 by Lord of War

[WNYBuckHunter]

Just got off the phone with Bear Kelly from Summit. I sent him some pictures and discussed the situation with him on the phone. Even admitted that it was likely my fault the stand broke. He agreed, and said they would be sending me a brand new Titan in the mail at no cost to me. Not just the broken bottom, but an entire new stand. That is OUTSTANDING customer service in my book. I was expecting to have to argue to get a warranty, but he said no, new stand no cost, and then spent 10 minutes discussing some things i can do to make sure this doesnt happen again.

 

Summit has a customer for life

 

Awesome! They are a top notch company, thats for sure!

[steve863]

Just got off the phone with Bear Kelly from Summit. I sent him some pictures and discussed the situation with him on the phone. Even admitted that it was likely my fault the stand broke. He agreed, and said they would be sending me a brand new Titan in the mail at no cost to me. Not just the broken bottom, but an entire new stand. That is OUTSTANDING customer service in my book. I was expecting to have to argue to get a warranty, but he said no, new stand no cost, and then spent 10 minutes discussing some things i can do to make sure this doesnt happen again.

 

Summit has a customer for life

 

 

I bet he did agree that it was your fault.  Sending someone a new stand is a whole lot cheaper for Summit than fighting a lawsuit.   

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Curious, Did he ask that the original one be went to them so they could examine it?

[NYbuck50]

He didnt. I asked him if he wanted me to send it back for inspection and he said they do that in alot of cases, but he could tell what happened in this instance from the pics

[Danny]

so.... what happened? according to him what was the reason?

[Witty]

If you are interested I need a new seat for my summit. Let me know if you are willing to part ways with it. Glad you are ok and glad they are taking care of you.

Edited October 8, 2013 by Witty

[88GW]

Just got off the phone with Bear Kelly from Summit. I sent him some pictures and discussed the situation with him on the phone. Even admitted that it was likely my fault the stand broke. He agreed, and said they would be sending me a brand new Titan in the mail at no cost to me. Not just the broken bottom, but an entire new stand. That is OUTSTANDING customer service in my book. I was expecting to have to argue to get a warranty, but he said no, new stand no cost, and then spent 10 minutes discussing some things i can do to make sure this doesnt happen again.

 

Summit has a customer for life

 

You mentioned he spent 10 minutes discussing things you can do to make sure it wont happen again.  Would you mind sharing some of these tips as they may be helpful to others using climbers.  Thanks.

[NYbuck50]

Couple things he mentioned, some id heard before, some were new

 

1.) some guys carry a string with them thats 20 inches long, to make sure the tree is proper sized

 

2.) climbers work best or uniformly round trees, if its mis-shaped or has a big bulge, theres no telling how it will affect it climbing over it

 

3.)keep an eye on your cables and make sure their loose enough to be able to climb,but not so loose it could slide down.. if the cable gets below the deck of your stand it will not be pretty

 

4.) stay away from birch and ash especially in the rain

 

There were a few more ill post up when i rememeber

[CuseHunter]

Thought I should add, I bought the HSS rope system you use to throw around the tree and tie into, and I love the darn thing. Makes it so easy to loosen, slide down and up the tree when climbing.

Glad you are okay!

[Culvercreek hunt club]

 

1.) some guys carry a string with them thats 20 inches long, to make sure the tree is proper sized

 

 

 

I get al the other points he brought up But I don't understand the string at 20". I read in the summit specs it is recommended for trees between 8 and 20" diameter.  Is the string just a guage to eyeball it? I would think a string about 63" long to check the girth would give you a better indicator of the max size for the tree.

 

[Five Seasons]

inherited a spider this year. In the past it was the old strap around the chest, which would have worked but not the best. I tried a hunter safety version and found it too bulky, but the spider is awesome.

[Danny]

Couple things he mentioned, some id heard before, some were new

 

1.) some guys carry a string with them thats 20 inches long, to make sure the tree is proper sized

 

2.) climbers work best or uniformly round trees, if its mis-shaped or has a big bulge, theres no telling how it will affect it climbing over it

 

3.)keep an eye on your cables and make sure their loose enough to be able to climb,but not so loose it could slide down.. if the cable gets below the deck of your stand it will not be pretty

 

4.) stay away from birch and ash especially in the rain

 

There were a few more ill post up when i rememeber

 

 

Yep if you look at my pic. you can see its on a birch tree, and it was raining

 

slippery.....

[CuseHunter]

how many of you guys tie the climber part to the base? I started doing it last year...........it turned out to be a good idea, as it keeps you from totally losing the platform should it ever slip.

I never used my strap until I keep reading these horror stories so I keep mine with a simple know to my seat which is a netted seat. I had my feet slip out of my footing holds and it caught the platform. Glad I keep it tied

[notasheep]

Check out the treewalker pro mags guaranteed not to slip.....got one their awesome

[dbHunterNY]

good to hear they were good to you...  a lot of little things snowballed together to cause that failure it seems.  Summit makes a good stand and I trust them every time i'm in tree.  I will say that do what the "silly" safety DVD says, because it'll save your life.  You should be attached to the tree the whole time as soon as you've left the ground.  Suspension relief strap is extremely important, as well as having top section tied off to the bottom platform.  I've really liked the HSS Pro Vest harness and just replaced it with a Muddy Safeguard, which I like even more.  I have kept using the HSS/rope style tree strap with a prussic knot.  It's more convenient to loosen and adjust as you work up the tree, but you'd be crazy not to use something even if it wasn't convenient.  More accidents happen on the way up and down then when you're sitting on stand hunting.

[BowFreak]

Wow. That's crazy. I'm glad you made out okay. It is crazy how that stand bent like that. I am using a Summit Titan right now because where I live I only have public land so the stand has to be mobile. Although I have considered trying cloning sticks and a hang-on