Single point hammock hang

[mattyg]

id be a little concerned about how you have the top secured. it looks like a2x4 just laying on two i beam flares. thats going to hurt if/when it falls.

[mattyg]

get you a beam clamp that fits that beam
http://www.zorotools.com/g/00065135/k-G3266925?utm_source=google_shopping&utm_medium=cpc &utm_campaign=Google_Shopping_Feed&kw={keyword}&gc lid=CMSImd77k7kCFVFp7Aod6D0Asg

[Gristlehead]

I found this on calculating sling length. Sling Length

[Klaussinator]

Why-oh-why-oh-why do you people have to get the gears in my head spinning like this ?!? I've got a background in structural engineering so I started thinking how the forces work here... I sketched up a few drawings to ponder, hope they're readable.

As Gristlehead showed in his attachment, sling angle matters. It affects the amount of compression on the spreader bar.



Here are two more options.
#3 shows a center hang point for the spreader bar. This would only work if the bar was extremely rigid and could resist the bending forces pulling the ends down.

#4 Shows my guess at a balanced approach, where the sling straps are inboard of the hammock hang points, resulting in a mix of bending & compression forces on the bar.



Now here's what I think could be the best light weight and most portable solution: A hinged spreader bar. Design the hinge connection so it could only fold in one direction as shown in the drawing, and would lock the two halves into a straight bar when downward force was applied. This downward force would come from the hammock connections being inboard of the sling straps. These points could be adjusted to create the correct down pressure without adding too much bending force to the spreader bar.


Just some food for though (and discussion!) I think this is a neat idea that could prove useful in some situations. Just need to find the best balance between weight / portability / and strength. (and maybe not in that order!)

-Klauss

[alukban]

Nice Klausinator

I'm a physicist meself. I'm figuring wrist sized wood cross section should be more than enough to prevent buckling of the horizontal piece under compression. For a 10' hammock and a hanging angle of about 30°, using an 8'+ horizontal member will put you at that 30° from basic 3-4-5/30-60-90 triangle approximation (half hammock is hypotenuse).

I only weigh 160 lbs so no worries on the simple testing exercise on that 3' length 2x4 with nominal break strength of over 300 lbs in the small dimension.

Packing extra material to hang like this is certainly doable. It's just yet another way one could address a hanging problem in an expedient manner in the woods to optimize one's hammocking experience

[mrmike65]

You know, I've been wondering if something like this was possible. Something like a hanging turtle stand, using the metrics from the bridge hammock suspension.

[1camper]

Nice idea! ..I'd be worried about using the 2x4 as an anchor point. But it would be considerably stronger turned with the 2" side up however still might lose strength over time....tho I'm not a physicist. A simple eyelet thru the beam would be preferable.