12 Pack Screw in Tree Steps for Hunting 5 Inch Tree Steps for Climbing, Tree Climbing Screw in Steps for Hunting, with Slip-Resistant knurling Pattern

Getting these steps to start screwing into the tree was easy and it became harder the deeper they went into the tree trunk – I was doing it bare handed on a poplar tree. It was very hard to screw in the last 1/2″ AND FOR MAXIMUM SAFETY THESE STEPS MUST BE SCREWED IN ALL THE WAY which means the THE BOTTOM OF THE STEP’S Z MUST FIRMLY TOUCH THE TREE BARK – that’s what I read somewhere – and I was pounding the step with my bare hands to get it to turn and screw into the tree the final distance until it FIRMLY touched the tree bark. They came out much easier but still had to be pounded by hand to get them turning. There is a tool to make it easy to screw in and out that I saw on a youtube video by John Eberhard. I also like the fact that the diameter of the step is 1/2″. I tried screwing in some 3/8″ x 8″ long lag bolts because they were cheaper but they bent when I stepped on them and I only weigh 175 lbs so the cheaper 3/8″ lag bolts didn’t work and 1/2″ lag bolts cost about the same as these steps. I’m happy with these steps! In my opinion, I recommend not turning them backwards, counterclockwise, when they’re all the way in because the tapered thread might pop out if you loosen the fit even a little bit. Keep them as tight as possible and against the tree bark for maximum safety. I would buy these again!