My planned backyard hanging set up

[uneekwahn]

So, my lovely wife has agreed to allow me, as part of our backyard renovations, to put in some points for hanging as well as a small bricked area on the lawn for a fire pit which will be in the middle of the "hanging zone" as I'm naming it!

I'm looking for a bit of advice about the size of the posts I'm planning on using. I'm contemplating putting sleeves in the lawn so that the posts can be removable and want to know how deep they will need to go in to the ground. I'm looking at having 3 poles in a triangle pattern so three people can hang. The poles will be steel of some kind and I thought having ~2.5 metres (8.2 feet) above ground would be sufficient but how far would it have to go into the sleeve? Half a metre (~1.6 feet)? 1 metre (~3.2 feet)?

Any assistance/suggestions/ideas would be appreciated

I will continue to update this thread when I can!

Cheers,

Jason.

[Old River Rat]

I am sure that someone that can engineer a setup will chime on on this. I have trees in my yard, but they are not where I want to hang. I am doing the same as you. My answer to the problem is a cross bar. I have not yet designed how it will be attached. It will keep the posts from bending in from the weight and also serve as a way to hang my tarp. That is my non-engineer solution.

[Bradley]

I have a 3" diameter steel pole that is part of my handrail at my back door . . .
The one I use for hammocking is the corner up-right post
and extends 4 ft higher than the upper horizontal hand rail.
When I use it, I put a ratchet load strap from the top of the pole
down at a 45° angle to the top hand rail.

This keeps the pole from flexing.

Al of that to say . . . I might not worry so much about how deep to sink your poles,
But have a system where you connect the tops of your poles.
Buy attaching a horizontal pipe from one pole to the other at the top
you would rid your self of tilting ground pressure, and pole flex.
And you could connect all three this way and it would be as a triangle as viewed from up above.

Just me thinking over my first cup of coffee

[DaleW]

Make them stout and strong-- the stresses are surprising. Consider that you will have two hammocks pulling on one pole as well. The wall of the pipe is as important as the diameter and I would put the sleeves down a meter with a good dose of concrete. As others said, bridging the tops will help a great deal and allow you to use lighter components. You might use them to string Christmas lights for a nice glow.

I like the idea for a fire pit, but consider that you want the poles 3.5 to 4.5 meters (12-15 feet) apart for a typical hang and that doesn't give you much room for a fire and keeping sparks off the hammocks.

[Timberrr]

Check out this recent thread on the subject.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=38373

The conclusion is that 4x4 (10cm x 10cm) is too small! 4x6 is adequate. If you're going to set up two hammocks on the same post I would strongly recommend 6x6 (15 x 15 in centimeter talk).

Personally - I prefer wood to steel. Use pressure treated lumber so the bugs won't eat it. Wood is easier to work with and easier on the eyes. (You can train a vine to cover it.) And easier on your wallet too. Mine are in the garden and you can't see them even if you know they are there. A steel post always looks like a steel post.

Regarding length: If you just want it high enough to hang your hammock without a ridgeline & tarp, then 6' lumber (2m) will do you just fine. If you want to have enough height for a ridge line, go up to 10' (3m). Borrow a post hole digger and plant ~1/3 of the length underground.

I assume you have a product similar to sacrete (instant concrete). Plan on a bag of sacrete per post.

Dig the hole, triple check your depth and put the post in it. Throw in a shovel or two of sacrete down the sides, followed by a shovel or two of dirt. More sacrete, more dirt. Tamp it down a bit as you go and continue until the hole is filled. Check your plumb every so often. If you live in a very dry area without much moisture in the ground, pour in about a half a liter of water after your dirt scoops. If your ground isn't bone dry then you don't have to add water but it doesn't hurt to water it in when you're done. Finish your hole with dirt, not sacrete, so your growies can snuggle up close to your post.

Let the sacrete set for 48 hour before putting it under load. I put a giant galvanized screweye in to hang from and it works great!

Good luck! Send pics!!

[Timberrr]

I should have noted...
My set up is just posts sticking straight up out of the ground. No guy wires. Nothing overhead.
Your lovely wife okay'd this project - now you gotta make it look good for her!

[TFC Rick]

Tim you have my creative juices flowing. I have a concrete slab in my back yard. I was considering using "post anchors" to attach four 4x4s with 4x4 cross members all the way around.

What say you engineer types? Perhaps this will be another option for the OP.

[Timberrr]

Tim you have my creative juices flowing. I have a concrete slab in my back yard. I was considering using "post anchors" to attach four 4x4s with 4x4 cross members all the way around.

What say you engineer types? Perhaps this will be another option for the OP.

How big is your slab?

[TFC Rick]

16-ish by 18-ish me thinks.

[Timberrr]

16'x18' (ish)? No problemo.
4x4 posts are fine. I would probably use eight 14' sticks. 4' down and 10' up. One and a half to two bags of sacrete at each post.
Start with one corner, set it up carefully because everything will be run off of thispiece, i.e. quadruple check your depth and your plumb. (which will be a pain because 14 feet of 4x4 is heavy!)
From that one use a laser level (by far the easier way) or a string with a mason's level (the cheaper way) to set your two adjacent corners. You can just use a string along the tops to do the midpoint posts. Remember to check and re-check your plumb on each post.
From those corners, shoot over to do the last corner and then the last two midpoints.
Clean up. You are done for the day.
Now use eight PT 2x6's (adequate) or 2x8's (better) or 2x10's (SEAR'S BEST!) of sufficient length to go from the outside edge of a corner post to the exact centerline of the midposts. Measure them (twice) on the ground at the particular section it will be mounted on. Predrill three holes on each end for mounting scews (5/16" x 4" galvanized lag screws with washer - you'll need 48 total) while on the ground.
So far you could have done this project solo - help would have been nice. Well now the help is absolutely essential. You are each going to climb a freestanding ladder (not leaning on the post) to the top of adjacent posts to put your 2x? flush with the top of your post (on the outside perimeter). Midpoint post starts his/her first lag screw (it might help to do a small pilot hole) first because he/she has to be at the centerline of his/her post. Use a socket wrench or a cordless drill with the socket on it to put in the lag screws. Carefully continue around until the entire perimeter is mounted.
Clean up, relax and admire your work over a beer. Maybe two. Then take pictures and post them on HF.

Pointers: Pressure treated lumber (PT) is impregnated with arsenic and a variety of other nasties so 1) wear good gloves - you don't want a splinter from PT. 2) do your cuts and drilling outside - it's just better if you avoid breathing PT sawdust as much as possible. 3) when doing the horizontal perimeter pieces, use a 4' level on them before you put in the first lag screw on the second end (don't trust your post tops to be exactly level) 4) you've heard it all your life and it applies here - measure twice, cut once.

Good luck! Post pics!!