Backyard hammock stand - need advice

[Mogollon Monster]

My new house doesn't have any trees to hang a hammock from. I am going to build a permanent hammock stand out of treated lumber. I have several hammocks of various lengths. My question is: What is the ideal distance inbetween "trees?" I'm thinking 15 feet but I'd like to get your inpout before I pour the concrete in the hole.

Thanks

[pgibson]

If it were me I would probably go ahead and set the posts at 16-18 foot. 15 is enough but I would want to be sure that I have room to walk around easily when walking in around the ends of the hammock/tarp. Only need to reach up a little higher to get the angles right.

[wbJohn]

My 6X6 poles are 15 feet apart and I can hang in my 12 foot hammock with a 12 foot hex tarp no problem.

[P1Scubbs]

I would also say 16 to 18 and if you bury the 6x6 about 3 1/2 feet you dont need concrete so if you change your mknd its "easy" to take out.

[OlTrailDog]

my stand ridge pole is 4 four foot sections for 16 feet. I can get away with 12 feet (3 sections) by attaching near the ends and raising or lowing the ridge pole depending on if it is a GE or HT 90*. I would recommend the 16 feet as it is always possible to tweak along the pole length or raising or lowering the ridge pole to accommodate the hammock you are using.

The ridge pole is an alternative item and it is also possible to adjust the hang up or down the poles that are 16 feet apart. In a nutshell it depends

[bkrgi]

6x6x12' four feet in the ground (no concrete unless your soil does not pack well) and 16 feet apart

[cougarmeat]

If possible, go with the longer suggested distances already posted. The shorter distance might be fine for a gathered end hammock, but someday you might what to try a bridge hammock and they usually take another foot or two between supports.

[dkurfiss]

At my FL place I had to set a pole. Used a 6x6 set to 4' deep in concrete. Distance to the only decent tree in my yard is 18' +/-. It has worked well for all my hammocks including my 12' one.

[Just Bill]

My new house doesn't have any trees to hang a hammock from. I am going to build a permanent hammock stand out of treated lumber. I have several hammocks of various lengths. My question is: What is the ideal distance inbetween "trees?" I'm thinking 15 feet but I'd like to get your inpout before I pour the concrete in the hole.

Thanks

I try to be both efficient and lazy when possible... Lumber comes in 12' or 16' sections so assuming you're adding a strong back/arbor/ or some other cross members I'd go with that.
Though keep in mind you may want the actual centerline of your post to change to fit the lumber... 6x6 posts you'd want them 15'6" CL to CL so the 16' members could reach the ends of the posts.
That would give you 15' "clear" between posts which is good for 99% of the time.

The Ridgerunner is about the biggest minimum span distance I can think of... around 14' if you bypass the suspension and clipped it right to an eyebolt.
The luxury can pitch about 11'6" minimum distance if needed, but I recommend 12' clear.

On the short side... about the smallest stuff I can think of is a shortie/UL or a 90* (Amok/Hammock tent) but even those are about 8'. Provided you use 12' posts (4' in the ground, 8' out) then you should have enough elevation at 15' on your posts that those are possible to hang too.

[TominMN]

If you're not doing a top piece, consider splaying the post outward. Don't use concrete. It definitely shortens the life of the post whether it's treated or not. Pack the hole around the post with gravel. That will allow moisture to drain rather than having the post in direct contact with concrete which is notorious for holding moisture.

The general rule for a fence post is half as much in the ground as above ground, e.g. an 8' privacy fence uses 12' poles. Hammocks put a lot more stress on posts than fences. So a) go deeper, b) tilt them out, or c) use a top piece to stabilize them.