Use the ceiling instead of the walls. Takes the limitation off where it can go.
The ceiling will be 2x8 lumber at least for the floor joists above.
Use the ceiling instead of the walls. Takes the limitation off where it can go.
The ceiling will be 2x8 lumber at least for the floor joists above.
Thanks for the tips about the carabiners and the pad-eyes. I also agree with your comment about Chinese hardware, although the pressure to produce at lower cost may be more to blame than the Chinese themselves.Originally Posted by Beast 71
Depends on what ceiling you're referring to. I've been up in my attic and the rafters aren't 2x8; they're 2x4...all of them.
We built an "ice House" 4 season travel/camper trailer. 20 foot x 8 foot. The walls are all 2x2's the ceiling is 2x6 (on 18 inch center) the outside of the wall is 1/4 plywood and covered in flat aluminum siding. the inside is low grade pine carsiding (or "tounge and groove" 1/4 pine). This is alot less than most/many/all homes are made of. We used a 7' piano hinge to attach a bed to the wall and then supported the front endge with 2 chains coming down from ceiling. (simply screwed 2 bolts into 2x6) the beds alone weight 85Lbs each... with a 300 lb person on the bed, we had 2 other guys sit on the edge. (to test it) we couldnt get it to even move a smidge.
I would find it very unlikly that if a 2x2 wall with carsiding/plywood sheeting is able to hold...800 lbs and that is all on ONE wall, that the weight spread to 2 walls would be an issue. The key, like suggested above, i would guess, is to be sure to have it attached to the wall solidly.
Something i dont quite understand is the fear of falling in a hammock. yes, i know its better to not fall, but the amount of concern that goes into this is a bit overdone in my opinion. you're in a home, probably over a carpeted floor...at a height of maybe 2..3...4 feet? Its not like your hanging from a cliff side or over a pile of jagged rocks. Again, no one wants to fall, but worrying if a 400LB S connector is going to bend out and cause a break is a bit picky.
@SirLips...better safe than sorry. Also, how you might be injured if your setup fails not only depends on the height, but the surface you land on and what part of your body hits first. I'll grant you that carpet would be a lot more forgiving, but at a certain height, even carpet might not be enough to break a fall without injury.
I just spent some time trying to locate pad-eyes that Beast 71 mentioned. I didn't have any luck searching Bosum or Bosum supply, but got a number of hits on pad-eye. i found a company in the good ole USA that makes stainless steel products. Their name is Suncor Stainless; www.suncorstainless.com. You can't buy retail directly from them, but I found at least two distributors in the U.S.:
Jamestown Distributors
Berkeley Point
Based on my brief browsing of both sites, I think Berkeley Point is the better of the two, at least if you're wanting Suncor Stainless products.
Man, Beast 71 wasn't kidding when he said the parts were more expensive than what you would find in a hardware store. However, the heavy-duty folding eye-pad manufactured by Suncor Stainless has a weight limit from 1200 to 4000 pounds. Now that is heavy duty.
I'm assuming you would need to use stainless steel screws to attach the pad-eyes. I do not see any on the Berkeley Point site.
Edit: Ah...Jamestown Distributors has stainless steel wood screws. I wonder how much better they are than what you could get at a big box store?
Last edited by @Diagonal; 07-24-2014 at 15:44.
When hanging hammocks from the ceiling or top plate how has this affected the way you hang your hammock? Do you try to get the 30 degree angle?
I have successfully hung my hammock in two different locations, althoughbeit, both century old buildings. All was /has been well. I drilled into the wall stud with 1/3" eye-hooks and am now considering using s-hooks for my current set-up for versatility. And I am a renter. I just made sure I actually found the centre of the stud.
I have no concerns about the wall falling in. My only concerns are the lovely floating feeling I get when I lay in my hammock, and then the difficulty getting up in the morning because of it.
You made me laugh a little. I have injured myself far worse falling off a broken chair and from a bed and have been hanging since before I could walk as a baby almost 50 years. Falls from poor suspension and hammock hooks ripping out of poor wood studs have been fairly minor mishaps over the years. The biggest nuisances is alway the repair job to the ugly wall not my sore butt (SBS). But that being said I really dislike hammock stands, they are a nuisance so even if builders these days use super soft wood that will not hold a screw and often the studs are just two 2X4 spliced together with some glue and foolishness like that, I will continue to run that fairly minor risk. However, hanging from quality eye bolts from the ceiling with a good compression bar is one idea I have not tried. That may be the best of all, no obstruction with pictures and shelves and such on the walls. That is a great concept that apparently a lot of people have applied with success. New to me.
OH second thought, you could run a threaded rod up through from the bottom of the ceiling to the attic (if no second floor) then put a large washer and bolt on it up in the attic or even a steel bar or sheet, little chance of this threaded rod ripping through like an eye bolt can. I have considered placing a 2x6" (or larger) board across several ceiling joists and suspending a 1/2" threaded steel bar from that thru the sheetrock of the ceiling, bolt to U-bolt hardware on compression bar below. This could theoretically hold over 1000 lbs. But I will do some calculations first. Fun stuff.
Once a HVAC repair man saw how I had mounted a ceiling fan from the attic side. He said "there is no way that fan will EVER fall down. The entire house may be destroyed by a tornado but that fan will probably still be up there. You certainly know how to over engineer stuff." LOL
Last edited by ntxkayakr; 07-26-2014 at 17:53. Reason: second thought threaded rod
Occasionally when you attach a climbing anchor or eye bolt onto a wall stud you will hit a "Finger Joined Stud" at a critical place or a short piece between two of these joints or splices. This increases the chances that the screw(s) will pull out or the stud will rip out of the wall, especially if this section was repaired or remodeled previously.
FingerJointed460x280.jpg
This linked discussion may help explain why these are even used and why solid pieces of lumber are not required in the USA's building codes as they are in a few other countries.
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/sp...4-studs-56747/
For me personally, the bottom line is to always hang low so any fall is minimal, like falling off the edge of a typical bed or chair. Also to use a board (2X4" or larger) or steel bar (about 1/4" x 2" by 4' max) to spread the force/weight of the hammock across several studs and reduce this risk. Mostly just the risk of repairing the wall, because falling 18" to a soft carpeted floor is not an issue for me yet and when it is I plan to put a thick foam padding below my elderly pelvis.
Many years ago (20+) my wife and I had a party in our house and some "friends" got a little rowdy. Perhaps it was crowd psychology or something like adult beverages but their math skills were diminished and we were busy in the kitchen with snack preparation. So a few mischievous folks thought that because a Mayan hammock can hold about 800-1000 lbs, 4-5 of them could sit in one and take a photo. Well that was an unnecessary repair job, and they were not invited to any more parties.
Happy hanging ya'll.
I agree with you Beast 71, climbing gear is a better choice over S-hooks and eye bolts and in my opinion the cost is not that much more. A quality S-hook rated at 300 lbs is functionally very similar to a Dutch-clip also rated at 300 lbs, in fact a person could use such an S-hook like a Dutch-clip is normally used. Also with a short webbing loop (or not) a Dutch-clip can be use from an eye bolt to hammock. Functionally both are "open" not closed loop hardware. The differences between the two are obvious, no need to explain that.
Here is one of many alternatives to an eye bolt: "Petzl Coeur Bolt Hanger", if installed and used correctly it is rated at 25kN or about 5620 lbs-force and costs about $4:
http://www.rockcreek.com/petzl/coeur...1-264DDE0C5AD8
23 gram aluminum "climbing" carabiners also rated at 25kN from Camp and Black Diamond etc typically cost about $6 each but I often find them on sale for about $4 or $5 with free shipping.
The major problem with S-hooks and Dutch-clips is not the hardware its self but the accidental miss use of it by people who are just a little distracted. Think of it this way: A person about 200-300 lbs, gets in their hammock that with suspension and quilts and all only weights about 3 lbs total, but then his/her 100 lb dog or kid joins him/her or perhaps significant other sits down beside them to view a youtube video. Another more subtle way is the hanging angle: consider the physics of the Tyrolean Traverse. HF and Derek Hansen and his calculator all tell us to hang at a 30 degree angle but if you hang with others especially indoors you will often see a much smaller angle so what does that do to tension on the Hardware and wall studs?
fig5-16.gif
Total Sling Tension (i.e. divide by two to get tension in just one side or anchor, eye bolt etc.) In real life at 30 degrees tension is slightly more than weight suspended, but the exact math is complicated.
Run some quick calculations with this chart (not the best chart, it is a little confusing) but basically if you go from a 30 to a 15 degree angle you increase the tension about 93% or from 300 lbs to 579 lbs so suddenly you and your dog are not at the 300 lbs limit but almost double the rating of the S-hook or Dutch-clip and all you did was raise up the hammock to get out of the reach of the dang cat that kept jumping up and sitting on the keys of your laptop. It sure is hard to read your favorite survivor, hammock and bow hunting forums with a cat on your keyboard. I'm only joking I actually like cats.
This Tyrolean Simulator does not allow you to change the angle and the unit conversion makes it more difficult to use but it is fun to play with:
http://www.tagsafety.com/library6.aspx
I most likely made some calculation errors or incorrect assumptions please correct them, I appreciate it.
Also I believe Dutch has tested his clips and some have not failed at well over 300 lbs, but he does not guarantee that. If you are going to hang at a smaller angle or with more weight just put two Dutch-clips side-by-side, works great. I like Dutch clips.
I've never heard of a finger-joined stud. I have seen finger-joined brick mold and other molding, but never a stud. They shouldn't be allowed IMO.
Nice...and it's only $4. What size bolt would one use for a 2x4 spanned across studs for this bolt hanger? Also, I'm assuming when a 2x4 is spanned across studs, your spanning with the 4-inch part against the wall. If so, does 2 inches of wood provide enough bite to hold the weight and tension of a person in a hammock?
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