4x4's breaking?

[oldgringo]

If you use eye bolts, your weight will try to bend the posts.

On the other hand if you attach your hammock to suspension on a crossbar on top of the 4x4s, your weight is transfered vertically on them as if trying to sink them rather than bend them.

Hope that makes sense!

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Not exactly. No matter where you hang it, the force will have a horizontal and a vertical component. Vectors, yanno? The cross beam is the key to hammock bliss.

[oldgringo]

So I built a 4 post hammock stand with support beams across the top and someone responded that they've heard of members having 4x4's break on them....so now I'm worried! Has anyone had this happen to them? I figured a 4x4 would have a very high breaking point, not a few hundred pounds.
here is my original post with the pic of the stand
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...-hammock-stand

Should I add more cross beams for support? I'd hate for a post to break and kill someone

I once watched in stunned disbelief as a 5x5 I tossed off of a flatbed snapped in two. It happens.

[gunner76]

I had two 4x4 post break and I was using straps. Luckily the ground broke my fall

I now use hammock trees

[Brad32825]

I had two 4x4 post break and I was using straps. Luckily the ground broke my fall

I now use hammock trees

Unfortunately, there are no hammock trees in my yard, so either build a stand or find another way to chill...in other words, don't bother with hammocks at all

[jms53]

Not exactly. No matter where you hang it, the force will have a horizontal and a vertical component. Vectors, yanno? The cross beam is the key to hammock bliss.

If your crossbeam lies on top of the pillars it will absorb most of the horizontal component which tries to shrink it.

It is true the horizontal component doesn't disappear but it becommes the amount of shrinking produced by your crossbeam. You can further reduce this by putting an extra crossbeam at the top of the vertical posts flush with the ends, to counteract the inwards bending motion.

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[bkrgi]

The only thing I can add to add strength is to triangulate the 2x6's on top or double them up and tie them together. The only way IMO that the 4x4 can break is if the 2x6 flexes in the middle enough so eliminating any flex creates strength....beyond that it would take a lot of force to start breaking your set up....just don't hang on a diagonal haha

[gunner76]

Unfortunately, there are no hammock trees in my yard, so either build a stand or find another way to chill...in other words, don't bother with hammocks at all

Of course you don't have any, you have to plant them . Hammock trees are what I call the 12 ft long 8" diameter pier pilings I planted in my back yard. I can hang up to 9 hammocks at one time.

[Brad32825]

Of course you don't have any, you have to plant them . Hammock trees are what I call the 12 ft long 8" diameter pier pilings I planted in my back yard. I can hang up to 9 hammocks at one time.

That's awesome!

[gunner76]

The hammock trees surround a pecan tree that gets a lot of use. After about 5 years of use you can not tell that I hang any hammocks from it. I use 1" straps.