let's break my DIY hennessey

[hippofeet]

So. I have read alot of posts regarding weight bearing capabilities of hammocks and suspension. So, I figured I would test my DIY Hennessey (headchange4you instructions) till something broke. So far, no joy. But I have more beer, and limitless water and weights. Tractor front end weights, if need be. So, there are 2 45# weights in it first. Then it held (at that hang) 25 gallons of water. I filled a 5 gallon bucket to the top, and repeated till it overflowed. 8.34 pounds x 25 gallons is 208 pounds. So far, 298 pounds. Hollow braid polypropylene rope at 1/2 for whoopies is 2,600 #s min breaking strength, or like 203 #,s per foot load factor, whatever that is. With that much weight, they are tight, but holding fine. So as it sits, 300 pounds is hanging outside with no problems. Time for tractor weights. Oh, the hammock body is 200 denier cordura, COATED. Double stitch end channel, buried end of whoopie run through channel, shoe string whipping at gathers. Shoe strings seems like 1/8 inch paracord type stuff, with flugelbinders. I am tempted (but afraid) to lay in it. It's hot.

[Raskusdrotti]

Hippofeet - Are you seriously that bored? lol

You could always send it to me if you don't want it - or you could do a sweepstake with a broken hammock as a prize.

I guess 468lbs and the cordura goes...

[Raskusdrotti]

I have more beer

Scratch that - I just noticed this...

[hippofeet]

Ok. The horse trough is 100 gallons. I have measured the height, and divided it into tenths. The posts do not bear weight, just hold the tank upright. The failure occured at the branch, at 70 gallons. The horse tank weighs 72 pounds empty. the branch snapped (don't freak out, I trim the apple trees, and this was a 1 inch sucker that was low on the trunk and going anyways, I will seal it and the tree will love me.) at 70 gallons in the tank. So 70 gallons is 583 pounds, plus the empty tank of 72 pounds is 655 pounds. Hammock is still going strong. I suspect that the unknown age polypro hollow core braided rope (from the barn, used as a dog run for ? years) will be the failure point. 6 beers down, 10 to go.

[hippofeet]

Raskusdrotti: (a long and easily misspelled e-name)

I AM bored. I am also still sick. I have not eaten today, and am drinking. My GF is sick as well, and sleeping upstairs. This limits my activities. I am still setting up the new sewing room. And, I see a real need for a real world test of the things we make stuff out of. I see alot of posts about, "I am a large guy/girl, want to make a hammock, how much will will hammock X hold?" Well, here is one example. 655 pounds from a 4 hour DIY coming in at less that 75$ doesn't seem too bad. I am hoping that those on the fence about the cost of a sewing machine, and materials, will see that you can make anything you want to be as strong as you need, or as light, if you are willing too compromise strength for weight. So, here is a 200d hammock, and get anywhere rope, coming in at yet to be determined pounds.

[Gqgeek81]

Very interesting.

I suggest that 1. you be very careful and 2. forget about marking the tank.

Next time put the tank in and add whatever weights you have handy into the empty tank. They are far denser than water.

Then take the 5 gallon bucket and measure how long it takes to fill it with the hose. Should be something like 1 minute on a 2" well and half that for a 4" well depending on the pump. Once you have the gallons per minute figured out just drop the hose in and time the thing till failure from a safe distance.

You'll be able to get a more accurate water measurement and won't need to be looking into the tank when it fails.

[hippofeet]

Gqgeek81.

Did that. It takes about a minute, correct. I marked the tank because it seemed easier to walk away. I am not pressing my face against the rope as it fills. lol. However, I agree about the accuracy, this is just a close guess. Not very scientific, but I think very close, 600 pounds or 623 pounds will answer some questions about strength.

[hippofeet]

Ok. Failure and final results are in. As I thought, the rope failed (interestingly, at the end of the adjustable bury). The tank had filled, and overflowed. I wish now that I had listened to Gqgeek81, as I would have a more accurate count. Be that as it may, the tank filled, (100 gallons) plus the weight of the empty tank (72 pounds) as well as 2 brimming 5 gallon buckets full of water that spilled over from the tank into the body of the hammock (some spille dout, I will call it 10 gallons.) So, 100 gallon tank times 8.34 = 834 pounds, Plus 72 = 906 pounds. I will not add the excess that had run over and filled the body of the hammock. I go with 900 pounds. To summarize, junk 1/2 inch polypro rope and coated 200 denier cordura body and headchange4you's hannessey insructions will give you a hammock that will hold in the area of 1000 pounds.

P.S. it was really neat when the poly rope snapped, like a gunshot with a big "whoooosh" at the end from the tank.


Sincerely.

Hippo.

[obmit]

Too bad you didn't get that on video.

[bhinson]

WOW cool test thanks for sharing