Do you have a rule of thumb for the minimum size tree you will attach your suspension to?
I have been playing with equations in response to a thread about a backyard hammock stand and got to thinking about this.
Yes there are many tress out there but I am curious if there is a generally accepted rule of thumb.
As long as it's circumference is roughly equal to, or larger, than my forearm, I consider it acceptable. If the wind is blowing good, I look for thicker trees....usually. Sometimes it's fun to take a ride on Mama Nature's roller-coaster.
Trust nobody!
Personally, I have never measured a single tree from which I hung my hammock.
"If you play a Nicleback song backwards, you'll hear messages from the devil. Even worse, if you play it forward, you'll hear Nickleback." - Dave Grohl
Size matters.
Last weekend, I hung from a rather small diameter tree, maybe ten inches in diameter. When I got in the hammock, the tree top swayed about fifteen feet toward the hammock. We used another tree instead.
- MacEntyre
"We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
www.MollyMacGear.com
A lot depends on the tree. A Sasafrass tree as compared to a white oak of the same diameter would be very different. I like the forearm concept.
Generally I am attracted toward younger trees because they are less likely to have widow makers hanging up high somewhere. The sway on a windy night is kinda fun as well.
“Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Fifteen feet is a lot! What kind of tree was it? Or was it the haggis from last week kicking in?Originally Posted by MacEntyre
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"If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you should do is STOP DIGGING "
I generally try and go for trees that cannot hide behind my hand when i rest it on the trunk-min 5inches, across- about 15" circumference- bigger is better of course, but occasionally will depend on placement; have also used two limbs on single tree- both were > 6 inches at the point the straps went over them....
hope that helps- KM
Rubber tree?
I've used anything from 2 inches to 3 feet, depending on species, and how well they are rooted on the smaller stuff.
Anything larger that about 2 inches has been fair game for me. If you set up and find that something about it does feel right to you. You can always move to another tree. That is one of the great advantages of hammocks they are quick to set up and take down.
Terry
I don't think there is any 'generally accepted rule of thumb' and don't let Cannibal fool you... he has Popeye forearms that are a foot in diameter.
When I use smaller diameter trees (my guess would be less than 6 inches?) it is generally when it is the best, or only option I have. First off the smaller the tree, the more they bend and that makes them a pia for hanging because they often continue bending all night long, slowing dropping you closer and closer to the ground. If you retighten the suspension, you only make the bending worse. If you raise the suspension, you only make the bending worse. You are kind of hosed if you have to use a small diameter tree that bends unless you can also tie off to another tree in a way that supports the small diameter tree and reduces its bending... sort of cascade the hammock suspension from one tree to another. That is sometimes possible when you have a tree that has multiple trunks or small trees growing in a cluster.
Youngblood AT2000
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