The TurtleDog stand

[BroChaos]

BroChaos, I probably have more time in a TD than anyone, just a WAG but probably between 3 and 4 months of nights, using the same quik clips thru the end caps as kayak4water shows in his last pic. 2 weeks straight last May while in VA for the Granddaughter's birthday. After all this time I have yet to hear of an end cap failing. Sure, looking at the pot metal you could have some reservations but then I scare the heck out of people when I show them my 7/64" suspension. There are other things being done with TD's that have scared me. Mostly in the material used for toprails. If I had the scale I would do a fail test on the end caps just to put this concern out of everyone's mind.

hi olddog. i definitely remember reading your posts throughout the 200 odd pages of this thread. glad to hear you haven't had any issues. i could have sworn like a year ago someone said they had one break, but don't count on me trying to find it

[hppyfngy]

I have decide to build one and all I have left to purchase is the fence post. I wonder if I could paint it camo ? But then I might not be able to find it.

Someone painted theirs camo. Been a while... I don't remember who.
Looked good!

[kayak4water]

those end caps scare me. i have em on mine, but try not to use em (depends on which hammock i use). i just don't have a way of drilling an eye bolt through the conduit.
i also need to figure out a way to get an 11' hammock in there, need to add a third piece of conduit i think. what kind of hammock is that? i've never seen the ends with the different color like that before.

This hammock I made initially from a patch of ripstop 10' x 60" but found that I much preferred something a bit longer, adding about 15" on either end. The hammock measures 140" from one gathered end to the other. The pre-extension measurement was about 112". The fabric is 1.6 oz ripstop from diygearsupply.com.

I googled "endcap failure hammock" and got nothing beyond the message from hppyfngy above. If you find it on the forum, perhaps the poster left a picture?

Hang with Cheers,
jeff

[AaronMB]

This hammock I made initially from a patch of ripstop 10' x 60" but found that I much preferred something a bit longer, adding about 15" on either end. The hammock measures 140" from one gathered end to the other. The pre-extension measurement was about 112". The fabric is 1.6 oz ripstop from diygearsupply.com.

I googled "endcap failure hammock" and got nothing beyond the message from hppyfngy above. If you find it on the forum, perhaps the poster left a picture?

Hang with Cheers,
jeff

My first gathered end was also 10' and I had to go longer. 11'x60" is good for me and my wife.

There is a small amount of anecdotal evidence regarding end-cap failure, which is enough for me, considering the caps are only pot metal, as well.

The conduit can be hung from continuous loop(s) of Amsteel, without an eye-bolt needed. There are lots of folks doing that (lots of pictures, too).

Regarding a previous comment: For those of us using the fence rail, these sleeve connectors are popular for extending the ridge-pole length.

[hppyfngy]

My first TD stand, which was built just prior to the start of this thread, is still in use with end caps suspending my hammock, like olddog's.

That being said, after building several that way, I have switched to building them without using end caps at all. and suspending via an eyebolt.

While I never had any problems with the original stands, I'll build any future ones without using the end caps. Just seems prudent. And the realization that having hammock hang directly from the points of suspension of the ridge pole just makes it even more of a no-brainer.

Just say no to the end caps, unless you want to use it for tarp attachment. That's my opinion.

[Jkreese]

Thanks for the post! Just built mine today!

[novascotia-hanger]

Is there a standard length everyone uses for the rope on the bottom of the legs (limiters)? Do people tie them for adjustment?

[skwatupu]

I say no standard length. The factors for spread limiter line length are:

1. How far apart your tripod legs are at the base

2. How high up you put your limiter line

3. Spread limiter line attachment method. Are you using eye screws, or holes drilled through the legs?

My preference is to combine these factors so the line doesn't drag on the ground when the tripod is closed.



My lines are 20" up, through drilled holes, roughly 4' distance between tripod legs at the base.

Didn't measure the line, just made it the right length.

[kayak4water]

My first gathered end was also 10' and I had to go longer. 11'x60" is good for me and my wife.

There is a small amount of anecdotal evidence regarding end-cap failure, which is enough for me, considering the caps are only pot metal, as well.

The conduit can be hung from continuous loop(s) of Amsteel, without an eye-bolt needed. There are lots of folks doing that (lots of pictures, too).

Regarding a previous comment: For those of us using the fence rail, these sleeve connectors are popular for extending the ridge-pole length.

thanks aaron, I don't jump out of good airplanes with parachutes either.

My first TD stand, which was built just prior to the start of this thread, is still in use with end caps suspending my hammock, like olddog's.

That being said, after building several that way, I have switched to building them without using end caps at all. and suspending via an eyebolt.

While I never had any problems with the original stands, I'll build any future ones without using the end caps. Just seems prudent. And the realization that having hammock hang directly from the points of suspension of the ridge pole just makes it even more of a no-brainer.

Just say no to the end caps, unless you want to use it for tarp attachment. That's my opinion.

No to end caps then!

[gunner76]

I plan to build a stand this week. Only part I still need is long support rod. Looking at getting 2 of a 1 3/8" x 10 ft 6" 18 Gauge galvanized steel chain link fence top rail. Will cut down so over all length is 12 feet.

My question is, will this be strong enough to support my weight of 275 lbs ?