Installing a pole for one-tree hammock hanging questions

[DannyII]

So, I've sourced a 8"-10" diameter x 12' (well, the guy even offered cut it for me to any length up to 20 feet) utility pole FOR FREE from a local municipal maintenance department to solve the issue I have in my backyard of only having trees that are 36' apart. I plan to put it right in the middle, giving me about 18" on both sides for me and the wife to hang from, inline with each other. The Ultimate Hang calculator says I should have my suspension attached at a height of 80.4"

I have a few questions:

1. How deep should I set the pole if I want it not to fall over when just one person hangs from it?
2. How much should I leave above ground? Minimum obviously 80.4"?
3. What should the diameter of the hole I dig be?
4. Should I put a pea gravel base, or concrete pad underneath? If gravel, how deep should the gravel be?
5. Concrete under and/or around the pole, or not? (I'm leaning not, because I've heard bad things about it speeding decay and holding water.)

As much as I like my TurtleDog stands, I'm excited to hang from two "trees" in my backyard. My wife doesn't much care for the instability of the stands because she moves around a lot in the hammock. Plus, it should make rigging the tarps easier.

Finally, any suggestions for making it more aesthetically appealing?

Thanks all!

[Fishbite]

That pipe diameter is so large I would go with a 24" hole for 7" of concrete on the outside, which is a lot of concrete. Concrete will always be damp, but I bet you could find a sealant to coat the pipe before it gets surrounded by concrete. I would dig below your frost line, with 48" a safe depth, plus room for a couple of inches of gravel. Its the "aesthetically appealing" part that I can not figure out.
Instead of setting a pipe in concrete, maybe you could use one of your TD stands to support the ends of both hammocks and run the ridgeline pipes directly to trees and attach them to the tree with a nice wide strap. Drills some holes in the legs and pound in long stakes so the tripod does not blow over (you could make a single bipod instead). Plant some quick growing vines to go up the legs, and why not plant a few trees? My TD stand has lasted about 5 years now. If you plant a decent size tree now, when the stand is no longer usable you may be able to use the tree.

[DannyII]

The pole is treated wood. It's the top portion of an actual telephone pole.

That is a lot of concrete!!!

So far, I was thinking of attaching a couple of brackets for hanging baskets to decrease the wifely "scowl factor".

[oldgringo]

The used poles I've seen failed from the top down...check it carefully.

Utility crews in my neck of the woods set poles ~6' deep, backfill with whatever came out of the hole, tamping as they go, and do not use concrete.

[WalksIn2Trees]

A warning about treated utility poles: I hung from one last autumn...I didn't notice anything until I relocated, but my straps and cordage that were in contact with the pole all smelled heavily of the chemicals the pole was treated with, and it took a very long time to disipate... In fact, I still catch a whiff occasionally

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[DannyII]

The used poles I've seen failed from the top down...check it carefully.

Utility crews in my neck of the woods set poles ~6' deep, backfill with whatever came out of the hole, tamping as they go, and do not use concrete.

Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking of just using some crushed gravel (very small) around it. I may be replacing it with a tree next winter. I got to inspect the pole I'm getting and there was no checking in it at all, and it looked solid.

[DannyII]

A warning about treated utility poles: I hung from one last autumn...I didn't notice anything until I relocated, but my straps and cordage that were in contact with the pole all smelled heavily of the chemicals the pole was treated with, and it took a very long time to disipate... In fact, I still catch a whiff occasionally

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Good point. Was it the creosote they use on the bottom portion of the pole? Did it smell like tar?

[DeltaR]

I've recently don't this myself but with some all be it larger poles. I'm a scout leader in England and maintain a scout campsite, I've recently added 6 large poles (20cm in diameter) to a circle of trees to allow for a group hanging area.

I dug a hole 1m deep and added half a bag of gravel for drainage, then using bitumen (roof tar) coated the bottom 1 metre in 3 coats of the stuff. This makes a good seal around the bottom which has the greatest chance of failing due to the constant exposure to moisture. Then 2 bags of quick set concrete and some top soil to finish.

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[Tikker]

as a professional telephone pole climber, I'd recommend probably at least 30% of the pole buried if you're going to hang from it

it may not be as critical if you're going to have 2 hammocks set up (you could always tension the empty side if you feel it moving at all)

[SoaknWet]

As a retired lineman I would definitely advise against using a utility pole. It was taken out of service for a reason. Actually it's against most utility companies to give these poles away. They are Very Dangerous.! They will appear in perfect condition on the outside but be rotten inside, the chemicals used on the poles are are heavy in arsnic! One splinter can cause major problem and should never be used as firewood.