Once you have completed assembly of your stand and tree brackets and have placed ALL bolts and pins in place and have tightened all nuts, you can remove the pin or lock shackle from the hole that joins the two brackets together.
Your tree bracket is ready to be hung on the tree of your choosing.
Always utilize a lineman’s belt and or a safety line with a harness when ascending or descending trees. Safety first ! Do NOT exceed your tree stand manufacturers weight limitations / restrictions.
Our preferred recommendation for hanging your tree bracket is to put your bracket inside the backpack which you purchased it in along with the tools to hang it with. A 9/16” socket, a 3” extension and an electric impact driver or ratchet compatible with the socket and extension size. You will also need the 2 high quality, high strength ratchet straps for attaching the tree bracket.
It is recommended to start by removing the upper pin that is holding the 1 ½” square tube in the vertical position, this will allow the square tube to be tilted forward to a horizontal position allowing access to the upper center ⅜” hole of the flat bar. Start by placing the ⅜” lag bolt through the upper center hole of the flat bar and placing the flat bar against the tree in the location where you wish to place the bracket. Using the impact driver or the ratchet with the socket and extension and begin driving the lag bolt into the tree. When the lag bolt is in the tree a sufficient length to hold the bracket in place you can then place the hooks of your ratchet straps in one side of the large holes of the 3” x 3” angle, pass the other end of your strap around the tree and hook the other end of the strap hook into the other side 3” x 3” angle at the same level as it was hooked into the first side.
Once both straps are in place you should ensure they are smooth and not twisted and begin to pull them snug. At this time it is recommended to complete the installation of the lag bolt into the tree. Tighten the lag bolt to the point where the head of the bolt is flush to the plate, snugly into the tree but do NOT over tighten the bolt to the point where it cracks or snaps off the head of the bolt. If this should happen, you must stop installation. Obtain a new lag bolt of the same size and reposition your bracket allowing for the new lag bolt to be installed. Once the lag bolt is properly installed you may tighten both ratchet straps securely around the tree thus drawing the tree bracket securely against the tree.
For your safety double check that your lag bolt is snug/tight and not fractured or broken from over tightening. Also check your ratchet straps to ensure they are flat against the tree and the hooks are properly placed through the appropriate holes in the angles. Tighten the ratchet straps to their optimal strength and capacity.
Now that your tree bracket is secure, tilt the 1 ½” square tube back to the vertical position and replace the pin to lock the tube in place. You are now ready to place your double length rope through the hole of the eye bolt and allow both free ends to drop to the ground. This double length rope will allow you to hoist your tree stand up to the tree bracket by tying one end of the rope to your stand by pulling on the opposite end of the rope. When your stand is at the height of the tree bracket, tie the end of the rope you are holding off on the tree and your stand will be waiting for you to climb up the tree while using both hands to climb.
Once again, ALWAYS wear a safety harness attached to a safety line when climbing up and/or down. Once you are up to the level of your tree bracket and stand, grab your stand and place the 1 ¾” square tube of your stand bracket over the 1 ½” square tube of the tree bracket. Place either a 5/16” safety pin or a 5/16” padlock shackle through the open holes of the square tubes, thus locking them together. (You can also use a cable lock to secure your stand bracket and tree bracket together, like the one’s the Sheriff’s office give away to secure firearms) Once these two tubes are secured together and your platform has been lowered into deployment position you may step onto your stand platform and you are ready to hunt.