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  1. #1
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    Backyard Pile Driver Hang

    Our mesolithic antecedents had a good building method that I started using for kayak racks in my back yard.
    Using a "Metal Fence Post Driver" (a 3" steel tube with a weighted end and two handles used to drive metal fence posts.) I'd been using it on Home Depot 2x3s.
    To hang my hammock, I thought to use a 10' 2x4.
    It worked great. I think it could be done with Home Depot 2x3s, about $2 each, and the Fence Post Driver...one of your neighbors probably has one you can mooch. Cheapest kayak stand, well, after all those free trees.

    I had to hack the 2x4 down to fit the pile drive tube. I also hoped to drive it deeper into the ground.
    Today I tried it out. It worked well. My backyard is hardpan-desert dirt that when it dries out leaves salts --basically it's dirt aspiring to be concrete. I wasn't able to drive the posts even 24" One I think is about 18" the other 22". The angles in the design are 20 degrees, They worked out as 25 degrees and 15 degrees.
    The ends are really flexible-- you'd hardly believe they're regular 2x4s. They wiggle a lot, but they don't do any work where it meets the ground. I think they enhance the hang.
    The basic concept of driving a pile is that kinetic energy is critical, so yank the driver down hard. And drive the post until it won't go any farther.

    Will up N down
    Backyard Hang.pdf
    PileDrivenPost.jpg
    IMG_1928.jpg

  2. #2
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    Oh the over all photo-Driven Posts Hang.jpg

  3. #3
    Phantom Grappler's Avatar
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  4. #4

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    Of course, this may work for you but I can only see using this method for a temporary stand for a night or two. In the places where I have lived, ground moisture, termites, frost heaving, etc would make short work of that untreated 2x4. Pounding soft wood through rocky soil can shred the ends, creating even more paths for moisture to enter the wood. The only thing I see making it work for even a short term is the cable and ground stake that appears to be optional in the design. I've used them in the past as temporary fence posts with the only loading being some chicken wire and an occasional goose bumping into it. Still after a winter they were rotted enough to need replacing.

    Add to the environmental factors, the tendency for unsupported 2x lumber to twist and bend as they dry. Think of how much time is wasted each year standing in front of the 2x4s at Home Depot searching for uncracked pieces that aren't all bent and twisted before you even get them home.

    Where you live, perhaps the wood will never see moisture, microbes or insects but it still won't help the fact that a 2x4 unsupported at the top offers little in the way of lateral resistance. Our Mesolithic antecedents would have used a stout round pole in case a saber-tooth tiger or a child leaned against it sideways.

    I would run from a hammock supported by two Home Depot 2x3s and never let a child near it.

    Why not just use a steel pipe and drive it in with the post driver?

    Sorry, but I don't see this working for me.

    Wayne
    Last edited by Muddy Creek; 12-18-2017 at 08:59.

  5. #5
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    Very nicely diagramed. Pressure treated lumber would negate the rot concerns, at least for a number of years. I don't think I want to attempt driving a 2-by into my yard though.

  6. #6
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    Thanks for the comments. Let's revisit this in a year, or two, especially after a spend a few nights in it. One of the 2x4s did go in off axis. Doesn't seem to be a problem. It's neat the way they wiggle at the top. I'd say try this for a bird feeder or something, it's a fun technique. I inadvertently cropped my kayak stand out of one of the photos. I'll include it here. It's a driven 2x3.

    Low res. I need to extend the post beam so when I'm blindly swinging a kayak I can just bump into the post. It's hard to see but there are webbing slings.

    kayakStand.jpg

  7. #7
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    Interesting concept. Gotta say you're braver than I am. That being said, I don't really understand the rationale of using a fence post driver instead of a post hole digger. A post hole digger would allow you to easily and safely install a more appropriate 4x4 or 6x6 post into a properly prepped hole that has several inches of pea gravel for drainage at the bottom. I'd recommend a post that's naturally rot resistant or treated, and I'd recommend treating the part that's buried with a termite barrier.
    Just your average kayak-paddlin', fish-stalkin', gun-totin', hammock-hangin' Critical Care Paramedic

  8. #8
    Senior Member MikekiM's Avatar
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    Cool idea.. But I seen palm trees in the background, and really dry soil.. Nice for you!
    I am in the middle of the NE winter and those 2x4 would be dust by spring..
    Yes, my pack weighs 70lbs, but it's all light weight gear....
    Bob's brother-in-law

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