Broken Saddle Tree

[Bear]

This is a Simco saddle that I was going to rebuild, the tree is broken. Any ideas on how I can fix this or is it a total loss?

[hillbilly jack]

I would call it a loss and buy a good tree and build a better saddle

[Denise]

Looks like it might be a Ralide tree? If so, you can probably get an identical replacement if you can figure out the number. That said, it won't be a high quality saddle when you are done with it, even with a new tree, so you need to make your decision based on that.

[Bear]

Thanks for the information. I figured it was not worth the trouble.

[Saddlebag]

I used metal plates and screws on a Ralide tree. It lasted a long time after that. I was told Bondo works on Ralide trees.

Edited November 13, 2014 by Saddlebag

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

Broken Ralide trees go in the trash can at my place. It's easier to fix a cheap old wood tree with no covering than a Ralide tree. Some folks elect to have them replaced with a new tree, some don't. When I started in business, the Little Wonder Ralide trees were about $40. Now they're about a$100. With labor added, it has to be a pretty decent saddle in all other aspects to make it worth replacing the tree. Way too many new $300 cheap saddles on EBay anymore for people to want to money in repairing a cheap one. Of course the good thing is, those $300 new saddles last about a dozen rides or 6 months, whichever comes first, before they start to self destruct.