Contemplating Turtle Dog Stand Mods

[Acoupland]

I need a pair of hammock stands for transport, but my problem is that I drive a SMALL car with little trunk space. I've been looking at DIY stands, and I think that the Turtle Dog Stand has promise ... if I can get rid of the ridge beam.

I'm contemplating a system that would suspend the hammock from a decender ring suspended from each stand leg by Amsteel at a height of about 6 foot, and to compensate for the lack of rigidity on the ridgeline, I'd stake the stand out behind the third leg. This has a couple advantages, imo:

1. It's easier to transport (I could hinge the legs then brace them with a piece of angle iron when deployed)
2. It's more adjustable (I could use the stands individually as well)

Since this would be a car camping rig and weight wouldn't be an issue, I'm thinking about the requirements for the stake required to combat the sheer force exerted by a loaded hammock, which according to the Ultimate Hang app, should be about 160 pounds total for my setup. Would the corkscrew type dog tie-outs be sufficient to resist this force of about 100 pounds per stand (yes, I know--the geometry means that SOME of the force is countered by the front legs, but I tend to over-engineer all things)?

Has anybody tried this? Are there plans out there for this type of adaption?

Thanks a bunch!
Alison

[firemedic5586]

I'm contemplating doing the same as you.. This might be an option for your stakes. Once I start playing with my turtle dog that I have yet to make, that's the way I'm going to go... Probably 3 stake outs per side..

[FJRpilot]

I need a pair of hammock stands for transport, but my problem is that I drive a SMALL car with little trunk space. I've been looking at DIY stands, and I think that the Turtle Dog Stand has promise ... if I can get rid of the ridge beam.

I'm contemplating a system that would suspend the hammock from a decender ring suspended from each stand leg by Amsteel at a height of about 6 foot, and to compensate for the lack of rigidity on the ridgeline, I'd stake the stand out behind the third leg. This has a couple advantages, imo:

Since this would be a car camping rig and weight wouldn't be an issue, I'm thinking about the requirements for the stake required to combat the sheer force exerted by a loaded hammock, which according to the Ultimate Hang app, should be about 160 pounds total for my setup. Would the corkscrew type dog tie-outs be sufficient

Alison

I would suggest you consider two stakes on each side (think inverted "V" and since your car camping, I would use pieces of rebar. It would likely be easier then screwing the corkscrews into the ground.

[P-Dub]

I would suggest you consider two stakes on each side (think inverted "V" and since your car camping, I would use pieces of rebar. It would likely be easier then screwing the corkscrews into the ground.

Hmmm less resistance to pulling out in softish ground though...

[GadgetUK437]

Hmmm less resistance to pulling out in softish ground though...

round stock and screw are all gonna struggle with soft ground. In the soft stuff depth is your friend, which is where the rebar (and a big hammer) win out. Eighteen inches of rebar will find something solid down there.
Otherwise, for soft ground, you'll need more surface area. Angle iron can make some bomber vee-stakes.

[Acoupland]

Thanks! I'll be prototyping this weekend, and I'll post when done.

A.

[GadgetUK437]

One issue you have with backstaying tripods is stretch (yes, even Amsteel stretches!). When your weight goes on the hammock, it tensions the backstay(s) which stretch enough to make the back leg go light, or even lift off. It's not a major problem if your pair of front legs are bomber and have a healthy spread.
You can try to get some pre-tension into your stays, but that can lift the front pair of legs, which can be even more dodgy!

A different approach, to negate any lateral forces on the tripod, is use them not as a backstayed anchor point for your hammock suspension, but just as a deviation for much longer hammock suspension, which is anchored to the ground.
Let me clarify.
If you hang a deviation point from the head of each tripod, this can be(in an ideal world) a climbing rated pulley, but a good karabiner will suffice. You can then run your hammock suspension through that, and on to the anchor that you have driven into the dirt. That way, the tripods will not be subject to any sideways force, just straight down (which is what they are good at).

[Acoupland]

One issue you have with backstaying tripods is stretch (yes, even Amsteel stretches!). When your weight goes on the hammock, it tensions the backstay(s) which stretch enough to make the back leg go light, or even lift off. It's not a major problem if your pair of front legs are bomber and have a healthy spread.
You can try to get some pre-tension into your stays, but that can lift the front pair of legs, which can be even more dodgy!

A different approach, to negate any lateral forces on the tripod, is use them not as a backstayed anchor point for your hammock suspension, but just as a deviation for much longer hammock suspension, which is anchored to the ground.
Let me clarify.
If you hang a deviation point from the head of each tripod, this can be(in an ideal world) a climbing rated pulley, but a good karabiner will suffice. You can then run your hammock suspension through that, and on to the anchor that you have driven into the dirt. That way, the tripods will not be subject to any sideways force, just straight down (which is what they are good at).

Thank you very much for this insight. I'll be playing with this idea tonight and I'll see what I can come up with.

A.

[BigE94]

One issue you have with backstaying tripods is stretch (yes, even Amsteel stretches!). When your weight goes on the hammock, it tensions the backstay(s) which stretch enough to make the back leg go light, or even lift off. It's not a major problem if your pair of front legs are bomber and have a healthy spread.
You can try to get some pre-tension into your stays, but that can lift the front pair of legs, which can be even more dodgy!

A different approach, to negate any lateral forces on the tripod, is use them not as a backstayed anchor point for your hammock suspension, but just as a deviation for much longer hammock suspension, which is anchored to the ground.
Let me clarify.
If you hang a deviation point from the head of each tripod, this can be(in an ideal world) a climbing rated pulley, but a good karabiner will suffice. You can then run your hammock suspension through that, and on to the anchor that you have driven into the dirt. That way, the tripods will not be subject to any sideways force, just straight down (which is what they are good at).

Short of making a ridge pole in sections I'd say this idea is where it's at.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

[CorwinC]

One issue you have with backstaying tripods is stretch (yes, even Amsteel stretches!). When your weight goes on the hammock, it tensions the backstay(s) which stretch enough to make the back leg go light, or even lift off. It's not a major problem if your pair of front legs are bomber and have a healthy spread.
You can try to get some pre-tension into your stays, but that can lift the front pair of legs, which can be even more dodgy!

A different approach, to negate any lateral forces on the tripod, is use them not as a backstayed anchor point for your hammock suspension, but just as a deviation for much longer hammock suspension, which is anchored to the ground.
Let me clarify.
If you hang a deviation point from the head of each tripod, this can be(in an ideal world) a climbing rated pulley, but a good karabiner will suffice. You can then run your hammock suspension through that, and on to the anchor that you have driven into the dirt. That way, the tripods will not be subject to any sideways force, just straight down (which is what they are good at).

It's a good idea, but I wouldn't use a pulley because if the deviation point is able to slide, there are situations where the force vector will make the tripod tip over anyway. Remember, even though the earth anchor is pulling straight down, the hammock is still pulling sideways. On the other hand, if the vertical length can't change and is significantly shorter than the leg length it would be impossible to tip over without breaking something, a leg sinking in the ground, or unfastening something. I'm thinking a short whoopie sling from the ground anchor to the tripod and hook the hammock to the tripod (no chance of slipping). Even if the back leg(s) lifted up, they would just further tighten the vertical component and lock it more solidly.