New high seat design in a fallow hotspot

[Muddy Springer]

Spent a few hours knocking up a high seat for a 100acres of mixed forestry that's jam packed with fallow. Should work quite well, easy to get to ( have marked the tree trunks on the way to it with great big white paint arrows), easy climb ladder, secure and comfy seat, camouflaged, great backstop, and best of all only cost the price of 4 coach bolts, rest of the bits were lying round the farmyard.

 

[8x57]

Yea I can really see that design catching on. Why hadn't anyone thought of it before.

 

[nick100]

I've seen it all now.
A rope ladder? Plus it's all bolted to two presumably living trees.

if someone bolted anything to one of my trees that would be the last thing they'd do.

 

[THE STALKER]

I thought the Flintstones were only a Cartoon on the TV.

 

[Wingy]

I've used similar in the past and presently have a stable platform between 4 trees to shoot prone from an elevated position over water in order to increase the angle of shot & decrease risk of ricochet.
Only thing to be aware of is movement of the trees in the wind as they will all move in dependant of each other breaking any fixed structure between them. I learned the hard way.
Yours looks ok as it is quite low and the trees are thick, the higher you go & thinner the trees the bigger the problem. I've overcome this by fixing attachments to the individual trees that support a loose non fixed structure kept in place using rope which allows the trees to move without straining the structure between them
Wingy

 

[8x57]

Securing high seats to trees actually raises a valid point. Few of us would even consider nailing or screwing into a living tree but how many actually check any securing straps/chains or cords occasionally and do you ever release the tension slightly so as not to damage the tree. Last year I had to cut some chains that had been used to secure a high seat to a tree by the previous stalker many moons ago. The chains had become deeply embedded in the growing timber.

 

[Wingy]

Point taken re fixing to living trees and didn't think anyone nailed, screwed or bolted anything to a living tree but re reading can see that my post could be misunderstood
The attachments I "fix" to the individual trees are 2 pieces of 3"x2" timber one either side of the tree, drilled and a threaded bar passed between them (either side of the tree) this is then tightened trapping the tree and providing a stable fixing. The threaded bar can be released gradually as the tree grows.
Wingy

 

[countrryboy]

Wot u could do is cut a couple of rails (say 3x1 or similar) and steeple/attch them to ur securing chain/rope/wire at a few points round the tree stem, so as the tree grows the pressure will be on these wider rails rather than on the narrow chain so should not grow into the tree the same. Althou over a long period of time (depending on tree age/type) u may have to slacken wires as they get tighter as tree grows.

But i would advise not bolting ataching timber to tree as Nick said above, most foreters would kick u off for doing that.

The reason ur there is to protect the crop from damage and u have put dirty great bolts into the most valueable part of the tree, thats probably the botom 4m of tree ruined, plus the harvester company will come in with machines worth 1/4+ million quid even the harvesting heads alone are worth 80+K and would not take kindly to coach bolts in a tree.

 

[howy308]

The thread should read how not to build high seats. How to kill healthy trees with 2 no. threaded bars!

 

[Mr. Gain]

There's a fallen tree on one of my patches that was clearly brought down by being used as a fence post.

The barbed wire cut in so deeply as the tree grew that the trunk was ultimately too compromised to support its top-hamper, and down it came.

 

[countrryboy]

While i do not agree with it or would never do it, it is not unusual for trees to continue to grow even after being used as a fence post. Would actually say the above is quite unusual.
There is tree surgery procedures where u drill through parts of trees and put threaded bars through the holes, cabling and bracing, it is a last resort to save a 'special' tree but even driling a 1"+ hole through the trunk would not kill it

Plenty of old mature beech's,ash and oaks as well as plenty of other trees that the wire has been included into the tree and can be well in. Doesn't actually do them much harm or kill them, nightmare for chainsaws thou
In the case of soft woods in the OP the 1st piece of timber of a stem will probably be worth more than the rest of the tree, driving nails or damaging bark (over vealous brashing, or deer bore scoring, eating bark) effectively makes the bottom log almost worthless and so tree almost worthless after 30-40 years of growing

 

[BunnyDoom]

I know a forester who used to bolt owl boxes in using coach bolts. He now uses a chain fed through hose pipe as the screws/bolts present a serious risk to chainsaw use. He's fixed his own high seats using heavy chain through bike tyre inner tube to prevent the tree from growing around the chain, or the chain damaging the bark. He loosens the chain annually.

no reason a coach bolt would kill trees of those sizes. Usual sad SD case of a bunch jumping on someone's back without actually bothering to check the facts:

"Just below the bark there is a thin layer of tissue called cambium. It is the part of the trunk that is alive (the wood, which is the phloem, and the bark are not alive).


One of its functions is to transport substances between the leaves and the roots. If you ring bark the tree (this is also called girdling) you will cut this line of transportation between the roots and the leaves."

 

[2130martin]

View attachment 41840Spent a few hours knocking up a high seat for a 100acres of mixed forestry that's jam packed with fallow. Should work quite well, easy to get to ( have marked the tree trunks on the way to it with great big white paint arrows), easy climb ladder, secure and comfy seat, camouflaged, great backstop, and best of all only cost the price of 4 coach bolts, rest of the bits were lying round the farmyard.

I have "PAID" to sit in worse than that!!!

 

[countrryboy]

I know a forester who used to bolt owl boxes in using coach bolts. He now uses a chain fed through hose pipe as the screws/bolts present a serious risk to chainsaw use. He's fixed his own high seats using heavy chain through bike tyre inner tube to prevent the tree from growing around the chain, or the chain damaging the bark. He loosens the chain annually.

no reason a coach bolt would kill trees of those sizes. Usual sad SD case of a bunch jumping on someone's back without actually bothering to check the facts:

"Just below the bark there is a thin layer of tissue called cambium. It is the part of the trunk that is alive (the wood, which is the phloem, and the bark are not alive).


One of its functions is to transport substances between the leaves and the roots. If you ring bark the tree (this is also called girdling) you will cut this line of transportation between the roots and the leaves."

Quite the oppisate but u can't think it is good practice to hammer metal into a living tree?

If u read my post above it will make the tree almost worthless esp in a soft wood like is shown. I know a few foresters who would take a very dim view of it and a fair chance u would be losing ur stalking if caught doing that

 

[BunnyDoom]

Quite the oppisate but u can't think it is good practice to hammer metal into a living tree?

If u read my post above it will make the tree almost worthless esp in a soft wood like is shown. I know a few foresters who would take a very dim view of it and a fair chance u would be losing ur stalking if caught doing that

wasnt directed at your post fella, agree not ideal but looked like pine to me so not worth much anyway

 

[BearStalker]

If needed, I'll just use my self-climber tree stand; it, also, can be configured as a game carrier. The only thing I might need to do is cut a few limbs on the way up.

 

[8x57]

I know a forester who used to bolt owl boxes in using coach bolts. He now uses a chain fed through hose pipe as the screws/bolts present a serious risk to chainsaw use. He's fixed his own high seats using heavy chain through bike tyre inner tube to prevent the tree from growing around the chain, or the chain damaging the bark. He loosens the chain annually.

no reason a coach bolt would kill trees of those sizes. Usual sad SD case of a bunch jumping on someone's back without actually bothering to check the facts:

"Just below the bark there is a thin layer of tissue called cambium. It is the part of the trunk that is alive (the wood, which is the phloem, and the bark are not alive).


One of its functions is to transport substances between the leaves and the roots. If you ring bark the tree (this is also called girdling) you will cut this line of transportation between the roots and the leaves."

Ease up guys no one was accusing anyone of damaging trees, I simply mentioned that it raised a relevant point about high seat fixings. It's pretty obvious to most that this is really a kid's play house and not a real high seat so why get your knickers in a twist. Muddy Springer is probably wetting himself with laughter at the reaction he has caused.

 

[Olaf]

What a pathetic thread.

 

[sir-lamp-alot]

cant belive any one hasnt noticed the blindingly obvious flaw with this when you sit in the seat you will have nothing behind you and you will be effectivly skylining your self and any movment you make is going to stick out like a sore thumb

 

[Stingercargill]

Its a child's den surely