Tensahedron Stand

[warbonnetguy]

A bridge hammock is generally going to have a bit flatter suspension angle than the normal 30deg you might have use for an end gathered hammock. So the angle of the stand would be more obtuse... Would that increase forces? Bridge hammocks often have a longer min hang distance too, the Ridgerunner is 13' between the apex buckles

[MAD777]

Sounds like four 8' poles will fit an 11' hammock with essentially no suspension. But no suspension would put the seat height way above 18".

Those 8' poles would fit easily inside my SUV. Now I need to source aluminum or clear (no knot) 2"x2" lumber that will support 200 pounds.

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[Latherdome]

A bridge hammock is generally going to have a bit flatter suspension angle than the normal 30deg you might have use for an end gathered hammock. So the angle of the stand would be more obtuse... Would that increase forces? Bridge hammocks often have a longer min hang distance too, the Ridgerunner is 13' between the apex buckles

Without having tried, I suspect the flatter suspension angle and longer min hang sort of take care of one another, at the expense of seat height for a given splay/stance. The spreader bars can't be allowed to bang into the poles (unless overbuilt) so splay must be generous enough. If poles are made longer to restore adequate seat height, then they must be stiffer/stronger too, affecting weight/size/cost unfavorably. All this is with only one side guyed. Guying both head and foot ends, taut, could maybe fix all these issues at once, but at the expense of requiring much stronger anchoring than in the gathered-end simplest case, as the guys will then be bearing significant load, lifting the hammock and user up away from the poles.

[necaver]

This is the best thing to happen in the hammocking world since Amsteel! Now that I'm stopping by here every day to see how things are developing, I guess it's time to start posting. I'm starting my own trials with 2x2 struts, and was about to order some of the 7075 0.742" Easton tubes when I read that you had a failure with those. Can you share any details/photos of your experience? Was the failure point the inserts where the sections join, or in the middle of a shaft? How long were your poles and how much weight were they holding? I may try to get some 22mm 7075, but it looks like it's hard to find if not purchasing in volume. I'd still be glad to take a shot with the 0.742" stock, but I don't want to just repeat what you did. If the failure point was the inserts I could try to reinforce those. Any thoughts?

[GadgetUK437]

As for budget, how deep are you in Gadget, for those 4 poles and hinges?

£22.36 plus £2.50ish for the hinges (had them lying about, as were the tie-down straps).



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Gadget

[GadgetUK437]

Sounds like four 8' poles will fit an 11' hammock with essentially no suspension. But no suspension would put the seat height way above 18".

At the risk of becoming repetitive...
Seat high can be adjusted by changing the base width (splay).

Now I need to source ... (no knot) 2"x2" lumber that will support 200 pounds.

My 2x2"s are far from perfect!



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Gadget

[Latherdome]

This is the best thing to happen in the hammocking world since Amsteel! Now that I'm stopping by here every day to see how things are developing, I guess it's time to start posting. I'm starting my own trials with 2x2 struts, and was about to order some of the 7075 0.742" Easton tubes when I read that you had a failure with those. Can you share any details/photos of your experience? Was the failure point the inserts where the sections join, or in the middle of a shaft? How long were your poles and how much weight were they holding? I may try to get some 22mm 7075, but it looks like it's hard to find if not purchasing in volume. I'd still be glad to take a shot with the 0.742" stock, but I don't want to just repeat what you did. If the failure point was the inserts I could try to reinforce those. Any thoughts?

The failure didn't result in destruction of anything, just unacceptable deflection/bowing. I couldn't even get in the hammock without the poles telling me they were gonna keep bowing until my butt was on the ground if I kept going. I'm 160lbs and the lengths were about same as in my CF prototype. There went the no-stakes sub-4lb aluminum dream.

Rather than find what will barely hold me, I'm now leaning toward taking a big weight/size hit toward what I'm confident will hold 300 or more lbs with an 11.5' hammock, and then whittle that down rather than inch my way up in iterations. For a first version I think it's better to err on the side of robust, cost-accessible universality than try to compete with stake-intensive stands in weight.

[MAD777]

Seat high can be adjusted by changing the base width (splay).
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Gadget

Very true. However, the more we splay the poles, the longer they need to be. Since the poles are the heaviest element, the weight increases with splay. I think it's better to lower the seat height with longer suspension, to keep the stand lightweight as possible.

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[jellyfish]

What are the preferred various options for poles?

I see Gadget used 2x2s.

I like the idea of a hollow pipe so that I can run some string through it.

What about canopy poles or steel pipe? Overkill?

[knightshade]

My current plan is a set of Military Masts.
A set of 8x4' poles runs around $40
I just need to sort out what to use as joints.

(Note: joining two sections results in a length of ~7' 8")