After several butt busters I got the angle right here. Prior to getting it right it would pull the large screw stake out of the ground. This stand angle puts less pressure on the stake side, so it's not going anywhere now.
Materials were just laying around in the shed. I will post more pics when I dial it in more and put up the tarp. The hammock is the half-wit with bug net surgically removed. I use it in winter or just messing.
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Under the right circumstances I use something similar. Think of the two poles replaced with a Toyota Tacoma pickup's ladder rack.
I’ve found that the most common failure case with similar systems is ground anchors pulling out. So having 2 ground anchors roughly doubles the reliability. And if you have 2 ground anchors, then a second rigid leg is sort of redundant, 3 points only required for stability. A single large strut is simpler and stronger than 2 of the same total weight/material/shape, and works better on slopes.
I suppose you could go even steeper on the bipod and end up with, like, half a tensahedron stand. Do you have a line between the stake and the base of the legs to stop them sliding away?
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Yeah, the two times the stake came out of the ground, I had the bi-pod more upright. It seemed to be pulling more upward on the stake. I then angled the stand more like what I think the Tensa4 has.
No line other than the one out the back to a large screw stake. The same stakes the Tensa4 comes with. I do have a strap from one leg to the other so I keep them the same distance ever setup. Basically I want to keep it as simple as possible, so it's not a pain to setup each time.
Soil conditions change, I found out the hard way as my jumbo stake (2’ long, 1/2” rebar) went flying past my head. The only reason it didn’t hit me was my backside was on the ground...
Rain etc will change how well the stake holds, use caution.
Last edited by gargoyle; 04-22-2020 at 15:41.
Ambulo tua ambulo.
Today I switched the head to the opposite side. This works better to get the right lay for me and puts the ridge line at a good tension. The angle of the stand looks off but that is an optical illusion perhaps due to using the wide angle lens.
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Thank-you for sharing this. I've been using one of those screw in dog tie out stakes for sandy ground. I lived in the 'Low Country' (Summerville) for 8 years in the 70's and 80's. I still camp at Edisto Beach or Hunting Island when I'm in the area and drive around Charleston/Summerville. I can't get over how much the area has grown.
Enjoying the simple things in life -
Own less, live more.
It still looks to me like a big mousetrap. I say this as someone who survived my DIY Tensahedron stand collapsing several times, but I survived because the 10' fence rails landed beyond my hammock. Yours, not so much. That might be a good reason to use the single post and double tie-down that latherdome suggested. If only one stake came out or even one before the other, it should, could, might, maybe ... throw the post enough to one side that you'd get away with a broken wrist or less. Just trying to look on the bright side. (Not sure about the trajectory of that flying stake, though.)
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