Mini-spreader bar on End Channel Hammock

[Redoleary]

I did this, quite by accident..the hammock slides down the Amsteel and bunches up...no spread. Look at Red's picture and imagine a long leg and a short one. You'll see what I mean.

I concur.

[MAD777]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1343573850.175591.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1343573867.510273.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1343573891.580787.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1343573908.983489.jpg

I finally got around to taking pictures of my mini-spreader bars. I used Newhanger's dog bone method.

The 1st couple show the triangle of orange dynaglide and how it is larks headed onto Dutch whoopie hooks. The yellow line looped over the dynaglide is my 1.75mm Zing-it ridgeline which is a UCR.

The last 2 pictures are of my 900# rated half straps attached to my dynaglide UCR suspension by two diamond knots in the UCR. The black cords are small Solomon bars prevent slippage.

Everything on the suspension is spliced except for the diamond knots. The only hardware are the Dutch whoopie hooks at each end. The total weight for the suspension is 2.5 oz. and the 5/8" hardwood dowels + dynaglide dog bone adds another 1.2 oz.

[Redoleary]

Very cool Mike.

[Sweeper]

I used the gmcttr method and made a couple of these tonight for my netless classic Switchback 1.9 dbl...I haven't had a chance to hang with them yet as I am still laid up with my torn Achilles. One thing that I noticed was that I had to re-do the locking splices a couple of times to get it tight enough as it had a tendency to cause the spreader to bunch and slide to one side as has been mentioned in the this thread.

I am also thinking of making a couple with notches to make it removable for my other classic Switchback 1.1 dbl as I use that one as my go-to hammock when I hike.

It also gives me some ideas of adding some larger spreaders to my Dream 90 hammock I got from PapaSmurf....

Sweeper

[hppyfngy]

Any new revelations on this subject as I head out to cut some dowels?

hfg

[Pipsissewa]

Yeah---3/8th inch wooden dowels are not strong enough in the long term. I wanted to redo my clove hitches to tighten up the line between the two ends of the dowels. When I took off the line (amsteel blue, 7/64ths) , I saw that the clove hitches had nearly compressed the wood to nothing. The wood was so compressed, it was ready to snap off. No one would have fallen more than a few inches, but a heart attack certainly could have ensued!

[Sweeper]

The 1st couple show the triangle of orange dynaglide and how it is larks headed onto Dutch whoopie hooks. The yellow line looped over the dynaglide is my 1.75mm Zing-it ridgeline which is a UCR.

Mad, I played around with using Whoopie Hooks in a configuration somewhat like this, but was concerned that doubling up on the W.H. might stress the hook past its breaking point? Have you had any issues with that yet?

I am concerned, I guess, since I am still around 230 lbs and would hate to break my second piece of Dutchware. I broke a Dutch Clip a couple of years ago due to user error when my D.C. got turned sideways in the night. I could see the same thing possibly happening here if we overload the W.H. and it gets turned from the optimal position.

Sweeper

[Sweeper]

I used the gmcttr method and made a couple of these tonight for my netless classic Switchback 1.9 dbl...I haven't had a chance to hang with them yet as I am still laid up with my torn Achilles. One thing that I noticed was that I had to re-do the locking splices a couple of times to get it tight enough as it had a tendency to cause the spreader to bunch and slide to one side as has been mentioned in the this thread.

Ok, I finally got around to testing my mini-spreader after re-working the buries, again with mixed results. The Diva found it quite comical to see me hopping around on my crutches hanging the hammock and then trying to get into it without falling down.

As you can see in this picture, the fabric still tends to bunch up to one side when I am in the hammock. I can't tell if that is A) because my "dogbone" connectors are too long, or B) My angle of hang on the porch is way too steep.



This is a somewhat fuzzy but closer shot of the same view:



The last is a shot of the head end of the hammock and it's doing the same thing on that end as well.



I won't have a chance to hang in a "normal" environment until I get my cast off next week, so until then I am looking for any advice or comments from the experts!

Sweeper

[oldgringo]

Two things: the long legs must be exactly the same length.Exactly.

The short leg needs to be as close to the same length as the spreader bar as you can get it.

[olddog]

What oldgringo says. I just cut a pair of dowels for my hiker at 8" OAL and 6" spread and figured that I would have the same problem. A thought I've been bouncing around is to sew on grograin loops on each end of the hammock to hold the corners of the hammock out by looping them over the dowel ends. Even on the 4" dowels on my fulltimer when I go to my side the ends of the hammock will twist allowing the hammock to slide more to one end of the dowel. After some more work I'll post as to how this works out.