Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Any ideas for silencing material on metal stand platforms?

I've got quite a few metal ladder stands and they invariably end up squeaking when the weather dips below freezing. I should have used nylon washers when putting them together but too late now.


Looking for something like maybe a rubber floor mat or something similar that I can put on these metal platforms to help silence them. Would prefer something not slippery when wet.



Any ideas?

How about that foam rubber, eggshell-shaped stuff they use in computer rooms for sound deadening?

Carpet remnants? Easy to put up, twist ties thru them to secure them, easy to throw away later and replace.

Just a thought.

Truck bed liner.

Take your shoes off and hunt in your socks.

Spray on bomb can bed liner

I think that would work.

Spray on bed liner sounds like a pretty good idea. anyone know a good brand or a place to buy it?

carpet,without a doubt

Automobile undercoat.

Duracoat bed liner on the outside, spray foam like "Great Stuff" on the inside. Elecrtical tape cinching anything down that may rattle.

some hardware stores carry a spray on rubber toolhandle that might work well

We use carpet scraps on the platforms.

I currently own 5 metal ladder stands.The first year I had this problem.So I decided to build them all over again.
I put on all new nylon bushings,I used 1" weather stripping between all metal parts where they touched and bolted everything down using lock washers and locking nuts.Then I wrapped the shooting rail and hand rails with a rubber tubing and secured it tightly with camo duct tape.Where the seat and shooting rail touch the metal when lowered ,I used thick pieces of felt cut and wrapped to the metal,this way there is no sound made when they touch. I also use carpeting secured by zip ties on the platform and wrap each ladder bolt pin with duct tape to stop any rattling.
The stand is as quiet as a church mouse.

So, for under your feet or for ladder rungs or for where the pieces bolt or insert together? All of the above?

I used to zip-tie custom fit and perforated pieces of rubber floor mat to the foot rest. More for comfort than sound, but it does help. Most of the time, the squeaking happens when the ladder isn't set straight. Could that be the issue?