IMO you made a good call, AS! This group is among the best I've ever seen when it comes to keeping egos and avarice at bay while playing off each others' ideas.Originally Posted by angrysparrow
Open source hangware?
You and the other mods do a great job here - many thanks for your efforts!
- Frawg
{generic tagline}
Alrighty, then.... here's one side:
This constrictor section is about 12" long, 'braked' by a rolling hitch. The drip loop is 'secured' with a highwayman's hitch. Note the whoopie sling ridge line.
And here's the whole thing:
(sorry for the dark exposure; dark clouds overhead & storm brewing)
I screwed up and made the right side constrictor section too short and forgot to leave a tail for the rolling hitch brake.It barely held me, but would lower me (gently) to the ground when the wind gusted. I've since replaced it.
Have to remember that inserting the static line enlarges the constrictor diameter and shortens its length, so you have to pre-compensate by cutting the line some amount longer than the finished bury length would otherwise indicate.
My target bury length for the constrictor is now 14" with 7/64 Amsteel.
I'm still getting everything in one sock on this...
- Frawg
{generic tagline}
Frawg, thanks. That looks like the setup I'm looking to replicate: toggled webbing around the tree, static line from toggle to the constrictor, constrictor portion of the hitch connected to the hammock. I'm still pondering how to attach the constrictor to the hammock. Will follow-up on that once I decide.
"Every minute outside ... is a good minute!" -> Calvin & Hobbes, 8/1/1993
ZA, judging from the discussion that has been generated from the first post in this thread, you have significantly contributed to the improvement of hammock suspension systems. Thanks so much for the post. Recently, I have been looking at how to lighten my suspension system, and you provided the solution.
"Every minute outside ... is a good minute!" -> Calvin & Hobbes, 8/1/1993
Happy to help, amac!
I should mention that the constrictors I've made with this new AmSteel (my hands are now blue!) are a bit short. I got too agressive with constrictor sizing, and now get occasional burps of line slippage. 12 inches is too chancy, so I'll definitely make new ones with a 14 inch bury.
Incidentally, I hung in some fairly heavy rain a short while ago and the drip loops worked just fine.
- Frawg
{generic tagline}
I created a UCR for my WBBB, tonight. Took no more than an hour (disclaimer: I practiced inserting the bury for over an hour last night). I used 7/64 Amsteel Blue. I marked an 18" section for the constrictor portion. With the bury inside, the constrictor reduced to ~15". I did a quick test hang in the basement. No slip, did not use a safety half hitch on the constrictor. I hope to do an overnight next weekend. I'm now curious why some folks prefer the whoopie sling. With the UCR, I can shorten the length all the way, it seems that the whoopie can only shorten to half its length. Don't get me wrong, I think both of these two new suspension systems are a significant advance for the hanging community.
"Every minute outside ... is a good minute!" -> Calvin & Hobbes, 8/1/1993
That's great to hear, amac!
I'm in the UCR camp with you, but I can see valid reasons for preferring the whoopie sling. Mainly, I believe the whoopie sling is more stable under dynamic loading conditions; it helps that both ends of its bury are under tension. With my hammock flopping in a strong breeze, unloaded, I find that the UCR constrictor can work a bit loose at the unloaded end. I always double check things before I climb in, something that probably wouldn't be necessary with the whoopie sling. Some would consider the UCR 'finicky' like that.I'm now curious why some folks prefer the whoopie sling. With the UCR, I can shorten the length all the way, it seems that the whoopie can only shorten to half its length.
There are probably other reasons, but I'll let the whoopies articulate them.
I look forward to hearing more about how your setup works for you.
- Frawg
{generic tagline}
The whoopie sling can shorten to the length of the adjustable bury + the length of the eye splice bury + the fixed eye length, i.e., you can shorten to the length of the 2 splices + the fixed eye length
If you use a UCR with 2 eye splices and 1 adjustable bury, then you can shorten to the length of the 3 splices + the length of the 2 fixed eyes. The adjustable bury will be longer than the adjustable bury on the whoopie. From your's and Frawg experience, it seems that the adjustable bury on the UCR is approximately twice as long as the whoopie adjustable bury.
The UCR will have a longer shortest length. It will have a longer greatest length for an equal amount of rope.
The whoopie will have a shorter shortest length. It will have a shorter greatest length for an equal amount of rope.
The UCR doesn't work for our Bridges because the minimum tree span would be approximately 17'. By the time you add up the 2 eye splices and the longer adjustable bury for each end, the shortest length of the UCR is just too long to be practical for us.That's great to hear, amac!
I'm in the UCR camp with you, but I can see valid reasons for preferring the whoopie sling. Mainly, I believe the whoopie sling is more stable under dynamic loading conditions; it helps that both ends of its bury are under tension. With my hammock flopping in a strong breeze, unloaded, I find that the UCR constrictor can work a bit loose at the unloaded end. I always double check things before I climb in, something that probably wouldn't be necessary with the whoopie sling. Some would consider the UCR 'finicky' like that.
There are probably other reasons, but I'll let the whoopies articulate them.
I look forward to hearing more about how your setup works for you.
Also, I really didn't like the way the adjustable bury is loaded on only one end. The gripping action is too unpredictable. TeeDee and I were experimenting and found that we could actually loosen the UCR constrictor section with it under full load, i.e., the heavier of the two of us in the hammock. When this happens, you are going to hit the ground, either slowly or fast depending on how loose the constrictor section is made. It takes very little to loosen the constrictor section under load. The force has to be applied just right, but it can be done and Murphy's Law states that it will happen and when it can cause the most damage.
This cannot happen with the whoopie constrictor section under load.
I hear you, but it just hasn't happend to me. (yet?Also, I really didn't like the way the adjustable bury is loaded on only one end. The gripping action is too unpredictable. TeeDee and I were experimenting and found that we could actually loosen the UCR constrictor section with it under full load, i.e., the heavier of the two of us in the hammock. When this happens, you are going to hit the ground, either slowly or fast depending on how loose the constrictor section is made. It takes very little to loosen the constrictor section under load. The force has to be applied just right, but it can be done and Murphy's Law states that it will happen and when it can cause the most damage.
This cannot happen with the whoopie constrictor section under load.) Anyway, that's why I added the rolling hitch -- to ensure that some small amount of contact remains.
In testing it I've deliberately set things loose and then bounced to induce slippage. What happens is that you get a hiccup as the constrictor begins to slide, but then grabs tight again as more of the constrictor segment engages.
Like I said, I double check my suspension every time I climb in. Time will tell if Murphy gets me, I guess.
- Frawg
{generic tagline}
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