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  1. #1
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    BD Ergo Poles As Bridge Spreader

    Behold the G-Hook!

    WARNING: I haven't used this on a hammock yet, and probably won't have a chance to until sometime later this fall. There was a posting on another thread about using BD Ergo poles and this idea popped into my head, so I stepped into the workshop this morning. I wanted to post this before I forgot how I did it. This seems like it should be amply strong, but heavier folks may want to be wary since I haven't even loaded these yet. As Jean-Luc would say, "Proceed with caution!"

    Black Diamond Ergo poles have a 'bent' handle. I love this feature when hiking (actually, I wish it were bent more), but it would put significant bending stress into the shaft if the pole were loaded at the tip of the handle. Ideally, the load from a bridge hammock suspension would contact the handle here...

    BD-Centerline.JPG

    I never cared for the wrist straps and cut them off my poles several years ago. If you want to try this and still be able to use your wrist straps later, the rolled pin holding the straps can be pressed out and back in again. I then used a box knife to shave off the rounded edge of the handle into a flat face.

    BD-8.JPG

    Steps to make the G-Hooks:

    1 - Cut 2 pieces of 1/2" x 1/16" Aluminum strap 2-3/4" long. Generously round over the corners with a file.

    2 - Scribe lines @ 7/32" and 2-1/4" from one end on the front side, and at 1-1/4" from the same end on the back side.

    3 - Round the edges at the 2-1/4" scribe line. I used a chain saw file and then smoothed them out with some emery cloth. Your suspension will rest here, so you want it smooth.

    BD-Dimensions.JPG

    4 - Bend a U-shaped hook for the suspension @ the 2-1/4" scribe line. I formed the bend around a small pry bar, but almost any thin piece of metal should work. It's probably best to have rounded edges on whatever you use to form the bend. Place the scribe line slightly above the forming tool so that the rounded edges will end up at the middle of the bend.

    BD-1.JPGBD-2.JPGBD-3.JPG

    5 - Bend a hook at the other end to catch the roll pin where the wrist strap had been attached. Make this bend slightly past 90 deg.

    BD-4.JPGBD-5.JPGBD-6.JPG

    6 - Bend the opposite direction at the 1-1/4" scribe line on the back side. This should be right where the aluminum exits the "hole" in the handle. Adjust the bend angle so the hook contacts the face of the handle.

    BD-7.JPGBD-9.JPGBD-10.JPG

    I plan to use this with Dynaglide dogbones as the suspension triangle, girth hitched onto either either webbing suspension or Dynaglide suspension.

    BD-11.JPGBD-12.JPG

    I've always liked the BD Flicklock clamps - it's one of the biggest reasons I bought the poles. Although others have reported success relying only the Flicklock to hold length adjustment for a bridge hammock pole, it seems marginal to me. Adding dowels inside to keep the pole from collapsing is also complicated by the curved Ergo handle. It turns out that the inside of the handle has a hollow cavity as an extension of the inside of the shaft. You can easily feel this by inserting something small, like a coat hanger or 1/8" dowel.

    A 1/2" dowel fits nicely in the upper section of the metal shaft (7/16" in the lower section). I pushed in a 1/2" dowel until I felt a slight resistance at the curve and then backed off about an inch. This told me how much of the handle cavity I wanted to fill. I then cut a 3/8" dowel to fit from there to the top end of the handle cavity and I pushed this all the way in. It went in with a bit of resistance as the dowel bent to fit the curved cavity (hint: it's not coming back out!). Now the 1/2" dowel has something to push against.

    Total weight of the G-Hooks: 7.5 gram/pr

    I'll eventually rig up a small cord to attache them to the hammock so they don't get lost.

  2. #2
    Senior Member
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    Looks genius dude. Hope the aluminium holds up. Looks awesome.

  3. #3
    Senior Member krshome's Avatar
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    Maybe Dutch can do a Ti version. One question though what happens to the straps?

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by krshome View Post
    One question though what happens to the straps?
    Mine went in the trash. I really couldn't stand them.

  5. #5
    Senior Member kayak4water's Avatar
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    An adaptation doesn't get any more elegant than this.

    Ben, the OP in a relevant thread, uses his straps. We could have sewn a loop to the static part of the strap. Instead, we went with 8" amsteel loops, one end larks-headed to the dog-bones and the other end larks-headed to the first depression below the heel of the cork grip (your first photo, just left of center) or the hand-grip on the cork (the black grip could slip). Weight of the pair of loops: 7 gm.

    Ben conducts real world testing of his new hammock and modifications next weekend (Aug 23-24). We reduced Ben's pack weight slightly, going from a Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock 35 oz with spreader bars (but no straps) to a new DIY bridge with whoopies 20 oz.

    Ben also went for the 0.625" tent pole (cut to 3 3/16") + end plug adapters for the spike end of his Ergo poles.

    Re: the Flick locks. We'll use those, sans reinforcement with dowels. I trust the flick locks, especially after using Leki poles with the twist locks. ("lock" exaggerates what they do--maybe rename them twist slips) A properly adjusted Flick lock has never slipped while I used them.

  6. #6
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    I found the cork starting to abrade where the straps rubbing on the cork were starting to abrade. You should keep a close watch there. If you see problems then you might want to add a thin pad between the amsteel & cork. Something like a bicycle inner tube should add minimal weight.

  7. #7
    Senior Member WV's Avatar
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    Neatly done. As you have engineered a nice system using poles that you like, you don't need alternatives, but if you ever decide to try poles with more bend to the handles take a look at Pacer Poles and Grizz's elegant strap system to keep the forces in line with the shaft. I tried it with 1/2" webbing and it works for me, too.

  8. #8
    Senior Member zukiguy's Avatar
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    I did a little experiment today trying to simply larks head a loop of cord in the right spot on the grip. I did a bunch of bouncing in the bridge watching the poles to see if they were potentially buckling or having other problem.

    The poles held up fine but the grip, not so much. I wrapped the cork in some old webbing to protect it from the small diameter cord. It held great and didn't leave a gouge in the cork. However, the strain pulled the cork away from the cap. When I finished there was a gap between the cork and cap of maybe 1/64".

    I have a ridgerunner and since it has the aluminum hardware connecting the triangles to the body I'm not sure how I'll work a "J" hook setup. At the end of the day, maybe I'll just have to break down and pick up some carbon fiber poles.

  9. #9
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    Update: Catastrophic Failure

    I've been using my BD poles as spreaders with these hooks for several months while toying with bridge hammock designs. The hammock uses 3/8 solid webbing (vs. cord) along the sides. I simply tacked on a second piece of webbing to form a pocket where I wanted the spreader to hook on.
    IMGP5580.JPG

    Yesterday I increased the pole length at the shoulders -- which of course increases the force in the pole. This overloaded the hook, causing it to un-bend itself at the hammock end. Luckily there was no damage to the hammock (or me). I simply found out what it's like to be in a bridge hammock without a spreader. It did take a few minutes to find the hook after it flew off to the other side of the room!
    IMGP5582.JPG

    I'm pretty sure the webbing put force much closer to the end of the hook, causing it to unbend.
    These hooks might work better with cord, where the force is concentrated right down at the bottom of the bend. But a stronger material might be needed. For now, I'm putting this concept aside as I work on other things.

  10. #10
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    BD Pole Hooks - Version 2

    The original version:
    IMGP6077.JPG

    The problem (it unfolds):
    IMGP6079.JPG

    The solution (fold it inward instead of outward):
    IMGP6080.JPG

    I've spent 10 or 20 nights on the new version and they're working great.

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