Hammock Stand from 14 gage slotted angle iron.

[Acoupland]

In my quest to construct a hammock stand that fits in my trunk, I think I finally have a winner. After four attempts of making a turtle dog stand with legs that fold (and break), I decided to try good old fashioned steel, and instead of a tripod stand, I decided to go with a bipod stand. For each stand, I used two 48" lengths of 14 gage slotted angle iron and two 36" lengths of 14 gage slotted angle iron, then I bolted them together to form 72" lengths, bolted the two supports together (and suspended a ring to pass the suspension through), attached a guide / ridge line through the top holes in the stands, and passed the supports to brace it to the rear through the same holes. I also used some amsteel to form spread limiters (and loops to stake the legs in place). For the stakes to the rear of the stand, I opted for 12" spikes, as all they have to do is hold the stand upright (the vertical force is supported by the steel, not the line, and the hammock suspension is directed into the ground and deflected by the bipods.

Everything is held in place with 1/4 x 1" machine screws, and I used wing nuts and washers on all connection points. The hammock is suspended from 16" corkscrew type ground anchors, and the marlinspike hitch came in handy when my whoopies were too short . The entire thing will fold down into two 48" stands that will fit in my trunk.

Here are photos! Enjoy!

[mcbpdx]

Nice work.
Are the bottoms of the stand resting on the 2x4 (to prevent sinking), or... Are there other stakes used other than the corkscrews?
How does it work with a tarp?


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[Rekoob]

Hey, not bad at all. Glad it's working out for you.

I like the 48" pack-to-go size.

[Acoupland]

The bottoms of the stands are on 1x4's to prevent sinking. I staked out the spread limiters at the base of the angle irons (I used standard tent stakes here) and the back line (using the 12" garden stake) to stabilize everything, and I threaded my tarp through the eyes (with the hammock) and attached them to the corkscrew anchors. The spread I used was about 15 foot, so my 12' Kelty works just fine. I did have to tighten everything up after about an hour of stress-testing, but given the nature of the beast, that's to be expected.

[Scoutmaster1056]

Looks nice! You could bolt another section of the angle iron across the bottom which would prevent it from sinking and keep the two legs from spreading, basically making a triangle. This is just an idea.

[Tigger]

The whole thing is a very good design, I guess there will be tweaks as time progresses and it would be good if you kept this post up to date,
I built a similar thing but incorporated the ground anchors into the frame supports, the hammock also is part of the structure, although it works it's fiddly to errect.

I like the way yours can be erected and then the hammock added after ( yours can even be left erected without the need for the hammock )

Good job and thanks for sharing

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[CorwinC]

In my experience, those punched holes can have really sharp edges. A few moments with a small file may be in order. At any rate, keep an eye on your ropes/cordage.

Well done.

[travelfeet]

In my experience, those punched holes can have really sharp edges. A few moments with a small file may be in order. At any rate, keep an eye on your ropes/cordage.

Well done.

I have the same thought. running a line over an edge (even if its filed smooth) makes it an almost guaranteed failure point. You likely have lots of extra load capacity in those lines, but long term I suggest finding a method of spreading the load at those edges. Perhaps a nylon grommet if such a thing exists... I've used split polyurethane tubing as an edge guard in similar applications. I can't speak to its actual effect, but I know it's better than bare metal...

[Acoupland]

I went camping with this this past weekend, and this thing is solid as a rock. The angle iron had no flex--not even in the joined sections. I did file the sharp edges of the top holes, and I think the next "mod" I make to this stand is to put a few layers of duck tape on those holes to further dull the edge. However, once the stand settled in and I reset it after the initial nap test, there was very little motion in the stand, and when I inspected the lines during teardown, I didn't notice any fraying at all. I do expect those lines to fray over time, though, and when they do, they can be changed out / shortened / fixed.

Thanks for your suggestions!

[oldgringo]

If you use an eye bolt and eye nut as your "hinge", it will take those sharp edges out of play, and allow you to clip things together with biners. Less fiddle.