I understand things go wrong and accidents happen. At 60, I still use two of them and feel pretty good about them. Honestly, I just recently started using a safety system since I don't feel as agile as I used too. I've read on here where folks talk about how unsafe they are. I inspect mine each year and use the spring clipped pins in the cables. I strap the foot climber to the top portion of the climber. What are the major problems with them? slipping on the tree? I feel like if the pressure is applied correctly that I feel comfortable with mine and can sit for long periods using the factory mesh seat. Mine are the heavier ones but, I can climb pretty quietly with them. What are the safest climbers on the market? I'm just not much on sitting in a box or the ground.

Pretty sure most of the problems arise from the clips breaking, which leads to the stand coming off the tree..

Dang - my oldman climbers are old as the hills - I prob to old and fat to get in them any more

Got one on tree I never tried this year

I loved the original ones. Had several of them. Back when they had blades that dug in the tree. Then they started making them with a sawtooth pattern and they didn’t hold as well. I filed those teeth down to make them bite more. Then they sold the company and that’s when the problems started. Glad I found Treewalker before they closed. Best stand ever for biting on any tree you climb.

My son and i have six of them. Have not had any problems. We do add our own footstraps and a piece of bungee to go behind our heels. Also a piece of paracord from top to bottom on each side. The strap between them kept getting hung when climbing so we took it off and put a paracord on each side.

I know one of the problems was the serrated blades bending and causing the climber to slip on the tree. Thought I had also read that the cables were prone to rusting or corroding and possibly breaking (can't inspect the cables inside of the climber arm tubing or the rubber tubing covers).

I have one that I got back in the late 90s that I'm hesitant to use unless I can inspect the cables

This is the recall on the blades bending (2004)
https://cpsc.gov/Recalls/2004/CPSC-Ol-Man-Treestands-Announce-Recall-of-Hunting-Tree-Stands/

I had an old man stand back in the late 90's, but it never held to a tree the way I wanted. I didn't think of filing the teeth to make them sharper. My API with a chain and those teeth seemed to be a lot more stable. I still don't really like to use it.

I have three. All over 20 years old now. I’ve had exactly one cable pin break and it was 23 seasons old. I keep a couple spares handy(spring pins). When I start a new season I put each on a sturdy tree and jump and bounce on the top and bottoms to see if anything is willing to break.

thanks for posting that, mine are not in that series and are the older ones. I see what your saying about a complete visual on the cable. I inspect the looped end of the cable every year. Maybe its time to give them up, but I sure do like em.

The weak point is where the cable is attached to the frames, not the loop end the other end held by a bolt

All climbers are dangerous and can have parts break or it can slip on the tree, etc.. People complain about Summit cables all the dern time. I have never thought an Ol Man was any more or less dangerous than anything else on the market. If anyone is worried about their cables get a brand new new stand and be done with it. Get a new cable if you have a newer model. Always wear your safety harness.

Problem solved.

Ol Man had a problem with the blades a while back. Lots of lawsuits. May have been another component that went bad also. Can't recall. They've been through one, and maybe two, ownership cycles, and are supposedly on the up and up. I've stayed away from them because, as I said, "supposedly."

Hope the thief who stole mine ended up falling 20' or more.

I use to have 4 old style ol man treestands. Outside of deer season they stayed in my shop. Every year before season I get my climbers out and hook up on a tree and hang off the end to make sure they are still safe. Drug em out one year and snapped the loop on the cable ... I no longer hunt out of ole man climbers.
Summit climbers are where it's at.

I’ve only used one once and that was enough. I didn’t like it when the top piece flexed as I was climbing. I need rigid sides .

Nothing against Ole Man climbers but my favorite is an API grand slam easy climbing never had one slip, seats have plenty of padding.
They use a chain incased in plastic instead of cables with the same type of pins as yours. Replace the chained when they get a little age on them and your good.

I’ll tell you this, you’re crazy not to have the tree strap buckle pulled up to the top of each arm and buckled together so that it and the cable form a complete circle around the tree. The stand is inherently unsafe and subject to slippage the way you’re using it in the picture. 90% of tree stand accidents are the result of people not using the stands and safety features as designed. Those two straps that are hanging there on each side of the stand with the male and female buckle parts flapping in the breeze are almost as important as the metal pin you drop in the hole to secure the cable. People never cease to amaze me. If you hunt with it like that, both top and bottom, you’re really lucky you haven’t had an accident yet. Used properly, they are as safe as anything out there. I have 3 ol man stands and 3 summits. I use the all interchangeably with confidence.

I had a buddy of mine have an Ol' Man break a bolt on the cable when he was getting up the tree at about 20'. He was hanging upside down from the stand and could not get up enough to get out of it. He heard a tractor going down a field road an was screaming. The man happened to stop to open a gate and heard him over the tractor noise. They got him down, but he was almost a goner. I bet KEITH dont climb with an Ole' Man anymore. He was very lucky to say the least. Most folks here in North Alabama ( Shoals area) will know who this man was.

My son and I still use them but we make sure the bolts are grade 8! We actually took one out of the box this year we had bought severtal years ago. There isnt a more comfortble sitting stand than an Ole' Man except a Millenium. When I think of Ole' Man I think of Mossy Oak!

Well, I am lucky then, I tie the top to the bottom with them where the if the bottom slipped it would not go far. I will reevaluate that situation.

Hope the thief who stole mine ended up falling 20' or more.

^^^^^

Thanks for the laugh w the quote above Davy 😀