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  1. #1
    New Member
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    Truck hanging rig - not for gram counters, possibly crazy.

    This may not be original, but I haven't been able to find anything like it. Those who cut corners off of their maps may be deeply offended.

    Basically, in addition to backwoods hanging, my wife and I would like to combine our new love of hammocks with conventional car (or truck) camping. Calling around, most campgrounds couldn't give a clear answer on the availability of suitable hanging sites, or simply said no - they wouldn't give us the OK over the phone.

    Not being one to leave stuff to chance, or to pass up an opportunity to use angle grinders and welders, I took a hundred dollars or so of scrap tubing and made this:



    This is a single WBBB, although it fits two pretty nicely. At this height, the final sag does not bump into the sides of the bed except under extreme circumstances. The tie-outs mount nicely to screws under the fender.

    Some details:
    This is the base of the forward posts - one at each corner. The base is bolted to the bed of the truck, and the upright locks into t and is also held by the original picket pocket. This is very strong, and useful for all kinds of stuff - I've decided to leave it in place all the time, although it comes down in 30 seconds without any tools.



    Here is the upright locked into the original picket pocket.



    At the top is a hefty mount, with two height options. I run a heavy clevis through here to connect the two front supports with a tight chain rated at 1/2 ton. (I put the chain on before inserting the uprights - it would be too tight to attach later.) The chain gives lots of options for spacing out the hangers.



    At the back, the rear base is two pieces of tubular steel - the 6-foot 2" piece slides into the hitch receiver, and the 2.25" bracket slides onto it, held with pins at both ends.




    The upright drops into the bracket and slides freely - there's a bit of motion involved, and pinning this piece seemed to increase the stress everywhere else.



    At the top of the upright, there are additional height adjustments, and another heavy clevis. It's easier to attach a carabiner to the clevis than fitting it through the steel. At the bottom is another hole to mount a ratchet strap to stabilize the rear support - see the first picture to see it in place.

    The rear upright can also be turned to face backwards for hybrid tree/truck hangs - I'd move the strap to the top and anchor it to the front chain in this situation.

    In all, it takes about 2 minutes to set up, and the steel seems plenty strong - less than an inch of deflection.

    All in all, I think it'll be a fun way to travel, with my wife beside me and our dog on his bed below us. It came to a final weight of 143 lbs, but you can go without the rear clevis if you want to shed a few grams. Feel free to tell me how crazy this is.
    Last edited by queuetue; 09-10-2012 at 17:34.

  2. #2
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Jul 2011
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    Redneck ingenuity at its best! I suppose your next project is putting a window air-conditioning unit in that Warbonnet?

    Impressive work.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Cannibal's Avatar
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    Around here, crazy is a good thing!

    That would be a great rig for traveling around the land. I've been on many a roadtrip where a good hang wasn't easy to find. This would be incredibly handy and just a little bit crazy.
    Trust nobody!

  4. #4
    Senior Member gargoyle's Avatar
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    May 2009
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    Nice weld job!
    Now get ready to start making them for everybody.

  5. #5
    Senior Member gargoyle's Avatar
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    And...those threaded chain links have given me problems in the past. Some would bend and then it was impossible to undo the link.

    Might not happen to you, but it has to me. FYI. HYOH...

  6. #6
    New Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by gargoyle View Post
    Some would bend and then it was impossible to undo the link.
    Do you think you were putting them in loads they weren't rated for, or pulling them the wrong way? I'll keep an eye out for it. But of course making the "impossible" possible just takes a bolt cutter or the aforementioned angle grinder!

  7. #7
    Senior Member gargoyle's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by queuetue View Post
    Do you think you were putting them in loads they weren't rated for?

    Is that a FAT joke?
    Maybe I am kinda thick.


    angle grinder!
    Great tool, too bad we can't pack a lightweight version

  8. #8
    Member
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    Mar 2011
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    Truck hanging rig

    Is there a tarp setup yet ?

  9. #9
    New Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by dac01 View Post
    Is there a tarp setup yet ?
    A problem I'm dying to solve - I'll let you know when my mamajamba arrives in about 24 hours. I've been watching every move it makes through the postal system for the last week with baited breath.

  10. #10
    Senior Member
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    Albany, ny
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    Wonderful idea! Look like it kinda belongs.

    For a tarp set up, as long as the tail end of the stand is lower, rig a ridgeline in the form of a triangle and drape the tarp over that. The steel tops may need some padding. As long as the tarp is wide, should hang fine with decent coverage.

    Remember dont hang over something you dont want to fall on.

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