Order a Chippewa Wedge lok from there website ....its the best stand on the market. Nothing hangs as easy.
Sticks, muddy pros, hawk helium, lone wolf, and beast sticks are all soild.
I like the Millennium M100s the best. The are light and very comfortable. Lone Wolf is great too, but expensive. I also have used a Summit Viper climbing stand as a loc on. You cannot beat the comfort for long sits. Just run a stick ladder up the tree and leave the Viper in place like a regular loc on.
As I mentioned, I bought a XOP Air Raid and Hawk helium sticks. When unboxing I noticed the seat a little off center. I have put it on a tree twice now and the top claw bracket doesn’t want to even hardly touch the tree and certainly not bite. It clearly will move back and forth not touching tree
The bottom bracket is what is doing the grabbing. I have had really cheap hang ons from 20+ years ago hang much better than this.
Have any of you noticed this being an XOP issue. I may need to contact them and exchange.
That's concerning...for as much as XOP products cost I'd want that fixed, especially since that is essentially a life support device. I'd give them a call and send them those pics.
the top claw bracket doesn’t want to even hardly touch the tree and certainly not bite. It clearly will move back and forth not touching tree
The bottom bracket is what is doing the grabbing.
You need to learn how to cam lock a stand since there is nothing wrong with the offset bracket. Not sure what your issue is with the seat but in the pictures the stand is not set so how it looks folded up is not a real issue.
I am very happy with my xop silver and maximus hang ons and their quick hang offset bracket is very good, even for one day sets. It offers straight and offset positions for the I beam and can be cam locked.
I have used a Lone Wolf Assault with up to 4 sticks as needed for years. I will be purchasing another stand soon, and it will probably be another Lone Wolf. XOP has held my interest for quite a while, but during the research phase I have noted too many quality control issues to pull the trigger.
I am familiar with that from many years ago using hang ons. I just need to make sure it tight and properly locked down. However, the bottom teeth and top bracket do not line up evenly, which doesn't help things.
If you were familiar with cam locking and cam locked the stand to the tree... the offset bracket would be biting into the tree and you would not be complaining about it not making contact with the tree....if there is an actual problem with the stand and you purchased it from xop call them and arrange to get it worked out. Cody will get it squared away.
I am familiar with it like I said from years ago, I now see that I didn’t do It properly mainly because I didn’t get the strap tight enough to begin with. I attempted to cam lock it but immediately thought it wasnt biting due to the bracket And I beam unaligned. And like I said I have an email to them already with pics.
I am in a tree now and was able to lock it better by getting strap tighter. And yes cam locked. Top bracket is tight to tree.
You get the strap tight via cam locking...you cannot get the strap tight enough any other way. If properly cam locked everything should line up. The I beam moves back and forth normally because the washers are rubber, that is normal....so there really are no issues with the stand that I can see from your posts.
If the stand should line up as shown in my initial pics out of the box then maybe it’s all good but it didn’t look right to me. Hence the post to gather opinions.
Which are my exact questions in email to Scheels, whom I bought from
It should be relatively aligned but the top of the I beam moves side to side easily. There should be no play at the bottom attachment point where the I beam meets the platform. Rubber washers should hold it snug and there should be the same size washers on either side.
Yup. Cam lock:
hang stand with top strap only getting platform angle correct before next step.
kneel on seat, hug tree.
reach back with one foot and pull up the platform until the stand drops a few inches, keep seat and I beam level while doing that. The offset bracket will bite in the place it needs to while you keep seat level and I beam level.
stand on platform and then set bottom strap if you want to do so. DO NOT set both straps prior to cam locking.
Stand is now rock solid and if you kept the seat and I beam level while cam locking it is set well.