What is needed for turtle dog hammock stand

[domromer]

Im hoping someone here can help me out. Ive read the huge threads and there are so many varations on the stand that im not sure what to get. I just want to build the basic turtle to stand. Ive got a lowes down the road so thats where I'll be getting my supplies. Im looking for specifics, bolt/hinge sizes. Im not very handy so i find all the different choices a bit bewildering when i walk into a hardware store.

Thanks,
Dom

[Pipsissewa]

You might want to send a private message to OldDog for a quick response. Otherwise, here's a bump up for your thread. Best of luck to you!!

[Throkda]

Let's see...you will need:

6 - 2"x2" lengths of wood....cut down to 6 feet. Usually, they'll be much longer on the shelf, but the store will trim them for free. Make sure to look for pieces that are as straight and knot-free as possible.

8 - 3/8" x 2-1/4" bolts, with 8 nuts to fit. Whether the threads go all the way up to the bolt head is irrelevant, since the bare part would be covered by the wood

16 - washers to fit the bolts....I went with the ones called "cut washers"

2 - 3/8" zinc shackles (I believe they're rated to 1000 pounds, if I remember the package right). These are what you'll be hanging from.

2 - Gate T-hinges (look at the picture in the Turtledog thread on page 2, I think)....I went with the 4 or 5" zinc-coated ones...just eyeball it. I do remember that at the Home Depot I went to, they were over with the door hardware, rather than the fence hardware.

1 - Fence toprail (they come as 10-1/2 feet long. I think the one I got was 1-5/8" diameter, or thereabouts). You can tell a toprail because one end is smaller then the other, designed to slip inside another pole.

Paracord - I used this for the spreader limiters. In my original attempt at the Turtlelady lashing-style stand, I also used it doubled-over to hang from, but I never got around to spending the night in it. For the hanging cord on my Turtledog-style stand, I used the cord that originally came with my Grand Trunk Traveller, since I'd replaced that with a cinch-buckle system. I've seen people use Amsteel, if you have any lying around.

All that should run $40-50. Assumed is that you have a drill at home, as well as a hacksaw (if you want to cut the rail in half for transport).

[old4hats]

Welcome to the club. I wonder just how many stands of this style are actually out there? The only thing I did different from the above, was to use 1/4" x 2" bolts. Either way have fun and enjoy a pretty solid hammock stand.

[gordonfreeman]

The other cheaper easier option is this:

3x 10ft 1/2" EMT Conduit
1x Chain Link Fence Rail (Length depends on hammock, I prefer to get the correct length then cut in half and they should fit together male/female)
Approx. 15ft of lashing for the tripod lashing

Cut EMT in half tripod lash 3 pieces together for each side. Hang fence rail below tripod lashing, hang hammock from fence rail. Enjoy

[tansey]

I am rather fond of Pipsissewa's choice of woodland poles instead of the store bought not so nice pine culls.
ever since i saw them in her photos i have a mental note to look for the right size poles in the woods.
as soon as the alabama ticks and heat allow me to return.
i will find them and then mark them and return to cut in early january when the sap runs lowest.
also may find them after the storms, etc

[Pipsissewa]

I am rather fond of Pipsissewa's choice of woodland poles instead of the store bought not so nice pine culls.
ever since i saw them in her photos i have a mental note to look for the right size poles in the woods.
as soon as the alabama ticks and heat allow me to return.
i will find them and then mark them and return to cut in early january when the sap runs lowest.
also may find them after the storms, etc

That's a good idea, Tansey. I cut my saplings last summer and, while the bark is still attached, I can feel that it is separating and will eventually start flaking off. I'll look for replacements this winter as well. Best of luck to you and thanks for the compliments!

[Sweeper]

That's a good idea, Tansey. I cut my saplings last summer and, while the bark is still attached, I can feel that it is separating and will eventually start flaking off. I'll look for replacements this winter as well. Best of luck to you and thanks for the compliments!

I remember as a kid working in my dad's barn in east Tennessee having saplings that were 10-15 feet long instead of lumber for spans in the barn. They were used to hang "sticks" of burley tobacco ( that is an entire different discussion) to dry and cure after the harvest. Typically they were about 4 inches in diameter and held a LOT of weight. I bet a little thicker sapling would work great in this application for a top rail as well. Just for the record, I weighed about 200 lbs back then and would trust my life to those things as I typically worked in the top of the barn 20-30 feet in the air and never had a problem.

sweeper

[hppyfngy]

Pretty much what Throkda said except I used 1/4-20 bolts 2" long with locking nuts and large fender washers.

And I used the end caps made for the rail to pass my suspension through via another shackle.



(I will also be looking this winter for saplings to copy Pips' stand though. It's a beautiful thing.)

[domromer]

Thanks for the help everyone. I really appreciate it. Tomorrow I'll get over to lowes and hopefully build myself a hammock stand. I'm really looking forward to this as I camp a lot in Florida and the state park won't allow hammocks at all. If this works I'll be able to camp right on the beach in total comfort!

I use my van with a futon now but it just gets too hot in the summer and bugs are an issue as well. I have an image in my mind of a hammock base camp. Two hammocks strung up next to each other under a very large tarp wich would also cover our seating area as this campground had zero shade. If I can make this work it would extend my camping season by quite a bit.