Tensa 4 hack for Big Guy Bridge.

[BillyBob58]

I didn't throw them out

Carrying them is more weight and bulk, though. for a home or car camping solution, you're right, they could come in handy. I could see using them if I were using counter weights rather than stakes or even in a hotel room.

In your pics, you have a ridge line, probably as part of your hammock. I have read some where to not use a RL with a bridge on the Tensa. I can't figure out how that works. Just a WBRR triangle apex looped over one bar, then connect the other hammock suspension apex to the other end hammock stand apex? tried that yesterday and not only is it tough to do, it pulled the hammock too tight. I now have some 2X4 connectors to keep the feet a couple of feet apart, gonna try again soon.

[wbJohn]

In your pics, you have a ridge line, probably as part of your hammock. I have read some where to not use a RL with a bridge on the Tensa. I can't figure out how that works. Just a WBRR triangle apex looped over one bar, then connect the other hammock suspension apex to the other end hammock stand apex? tried that yesterday and not only is it tough to do, it pulled the hammock too tight. I now have some 2X4 connectors to keep the feet a couple of feet apart, gonna try again soon.

I hadn't heard not using a ridgeline. There are actually two ridgelines there: the hammock ridgeline and the tensa ridgeline. I set up the stand with the tensa ridgeline and then attach the hammock. The Big Guy Bridge has a structural ridgeline.

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[greyhound352]

Just a WBRR triangle apex looped over one bar, then connect the other hammock suspension apex to the other end hammock stand apex? tried that yesterday and not only is it tough to do, it pulled the hammock too tight.

Could you use a dogbone for an extension on one or both ends to connect the bridge suspension to the pole? Maybe 2 different length dogbones, 16 inch & 24 inch.

[Just Bill]

At some point- Cheryl will likely put up some instructions and further information.

To Senior Billy of the Bob's points: I think splitting the stand would allow you to place the stand to the edges of a solid surface (outdoors).
If you had a patio or deck a bit bigger than otherwise made sense to use, you could slide each half of the stand close enough (or use longer guylines) to reach soil or an eyebolt anchor placed into the rimboard of the deck to anchor the stand. As Greyhound is thinking: You could put the appropriate RL on the stand itself, then add a dogbone, loop, or whoopie sling to each end to the hammock in much the same way you would on a tree.

I suspect your 'ridgeline-less' thoughts came from watching Shug or others use the ridgerunner with the stand.
On all my bridges, I include and severely encourage use of an Adjustable Structural Ridgeline with the bridge. While you can hang them without a ridgeline, just like a gathered end, you have many advantages when using a RL.

You can use the ARL of the bridge or the stand interchangeably in certain setups but for John I'd imagine it is easier to simply keep the ARL with the bridge for now. As folks get more familiar with using the two pieces of gear together I suspect the setup can be simplified somewhat but like most things... do what works first and then trim from there.

I think many of those who Kayak or Motorcycle camp will really like this option not just for the Big Guy, but for any hammock.

I think it also presents a really neat option for car camping: By splitting the stand and pairing it with your vehicle (ideally a roof rack, less than ideally a door frame) you could hang two hammocks off the one stand.

Todd showed elsewhere- the 'one tree, two hammocks' mode. I don't see any reason this couldn't be the 'one vehicle, two hammock' mode too. At $300+ per stand... it's a bit expensive to back up each member of your family for that car camping trip to the state park where you may not get a hammock friendly site. But if your vehicle allows it; one stand could back up two hammocks when needed, so that is a big advantage to the Tensa4 compared to other stands IMO.

I don't dislike the Tato stand per say, but it is bulkier, heavier, and harder to handle. It does the job and works great with the Big Guy Bridge.
If I needed a stand for a deck, patio, or other surface I would go with that one for a bridge.
But for maximum versatility the Tensa4 is a much better stand all around and in a pinch (hotel, hard surface, etc) it would be easier to back up the bridge with a compact gathered end I didn't mind using since the Tensa4 can be used easily with that for an evening if needed.

Cheryl was able to personally use the Luxury Bridge in 'standard' mode, but for larger folks I suspect they would run into the troubles reported (banging/tangling the wide head spreader).

But bottom line- the split stand solves the problem a bit cleaner than John's innovative PVC pipe option... but as a bonus we have John's PVC pipe solution to reference now too. So chicken dinners all around!

[wbJohn]

At some point- Cheryl will likely put up some instructions and further information.

To Senior Billy of the Bob's points: I think splitting the stand would allow you to place the stand to the edges of a solid surface (outdoors).
If you had a patio or deck a bit bigger than otherwise made sense to use, you could slide each half of the stand close enough (or use longer guylines) to reach soil or an eyebolt anchor placed into the rimboard of the deck to anchor the stand. As Greyhound is thinking: You could put the appropriate RL on the stand itself, then add a dogbone, loop, or whoopie sling to each end to the hammock in much the same way you would on a tree.

I suspect your 'ridgeline-less' thoughts came from watching Shug or others use the ridgerunner with the stand.
On all my bridges, I include and severely encourage use of an Adjustable Structural Ridgeline with the bridge. While you can hang them without a ridgeline, just like a gathered end, you have many advantages when using a RL.

You can use the ARL of the bridge or the stand interchangeably in certain setups but for John I'd imagine it is easier to simply keep the ARL with the bridge for now. As folks get more familiar with using the two pieces of gear together I suspect the setup can be simplified somewhat but like most things... do what works first and then trim from there.

I think many of those who Kayak or Motorcycle camp will really like this option not just for the Big Guy, but for any hammock.

I think it also presents a really neat option for car camping: By splitting the stand and pairing it with your vehicle (ideally a roof rack, less than ideally a door frame) you could hang two hammocks off the one stand.

Todd showed elsewhere- the 'one tree, two hammocks' mode. I don't see any reason this couldn't be the 'one vehicle, two hammock' mode too. At $300+ per stand... it's a bit expensive to back up each member of your family for that car camping trip to the state park where you may not get a hammock friendly site. But if your vehicle allows it; one stand could back up two hammocks when needed, so that is a big advantage to the Tensa4 compared to other stands IMO.

I don't dislike the Tato stand per say, but it is bulkier, heavier, and harder to handle. It does the job and works great with the Big Guy Bridge.
If I needed a stand for a deck, patio, or other surface I would go with that one for a bridge.
But for maximum versatility the Tensa4 is a much better stand all around and in a pinch (hotel, hard surface, etc) it would be easier to back up the bridge with a compact gathered end I didn't mind using since the Tensa4 can be used easily with that for an evening if needed.

Cheryl was able to personally use the Luxury Bridge in 'standard' mode, but for larger folks I suspect they would run into the troubles reported (banging/tangling the wide head spreader).

But bottom line- the split stand solves the problem a bit cleaner than John's innovative PVC pipe option... but as a bonus we have John's PVC pipe solution to reference now too. So chicken dinners all around!

I tried the "split" solution recently and it worked fine. The only extra stuff I had to carry was a couple of UCRs that I made up for the purpose and the extra baseline that I had made for the PVC pipe solution. It was a bit more cumbersome to set up as the bases could easily come out of alignment but it all worked out. I think I'm more likely to find a single tree than none on my kayaking adventures (other than some islands on the ocean) so I may have lightened my load, too.

[BillyBob58]

Thanks for the insight, Bill. found where I got the concept of no RL. in addition to Shug. From the Tensa 4 Users Guide:
"Bridge, spreader-bar, or other tight-pitch hammocks
Set the base to only about 3-4’ (1M) so the poles clear any spreader bars underneath, and
the apexes spread wide and low. Omit stand ridgeline." Not sure why that is recommended, though. Since the JRB and WB bridges don't come with their own RL(of course, one can be added)

[Just Bill]

Thanks for the insight, Bill. found where I got the concept of no RL. in addition to Shug. From the Tensa 4 Users Guide:
"Bridge, spreader-bar, or other tight-pitch hammocks
Set the base to only about 3-4’ (1M) so the poles clear any spreader bars underneath, and
the apexes spread wide and low. Omit stand ridgeline." Not sure why that is recommended, though. Since the JRB and WB bridges don't come with their own RL(of course, one can be added)

Don't quote me- but I'd guess the RL that comes with the stand isn't quite long enough to work with the RR?
A 12' GE only has a roughly 10' RL and I believe that was about the max size they planned with the stand.

Speculation on my part but seems reasonable enough?

Either way...
As far as I know (roughly speaking and ignoring any suspension components past the apex)
The RR takes up the most space (13-15')
The Banyon is a bit shorter from what I hear.
The JRB can be pitched a bit shorter than either.

The Luxury and Big Guy have an ARL of 11'3-11'9"
The Happy Medium has an ARL of 9'4-9'10"

I will probably pick up a Tensa soon enough, but realistically won't play with it anytime soon to be honest. Just too backed up on the dayjob and sewing.

[BillyBob58]

Don't quote me- but I'd guess the RL that comes with the stand isn't quite long enough to work with the RR?
A 12' GE only has a roughly 10' RL and I believe that was about the max size they planned with the stand.

Speculation on my part but seems reasonable enough?

Either way...
As far as I know (roughly speaking and ignoring any suspension components past the apex)
The RR takes up the most space (13-15')
The Banyon is a bit shorter from what I hear.
The JRB can be pitched a bit shorter than either.

The Luxury and Big Guy have an ARL of 11'3-11'9"
The Happy Medium has an ARL of 9'4-9'10"

I will probably pick up a Tensa soon enough, but realistically won't play with it anytime soon to be honest. Just too backed up on the dayjob and sewing.

I agree. Sounds plenty reasonable. By RL, they meant THEIR RL which comes with their stand. When I tried it with my RR, using no RL seemed to pull my hammock too tight. However, light bulb just went off in my brain, maybe that was because I was using several pounds of counter weight? I don't know, still think if the stand was balanced with no counterweight, and no hammock or stand RL, it would pull the hammock too tight. I think next time I try it I will add a RL to the hammock from hammock triangle apex to apex. Or make sure to have a long RL on the stand.

My original JRBs are several feet shorter in the RLs than the WBRR. The JRB James River is, i think, 11 ft 3" recommended distance between triangle apexes. As you said, I think the WBRR is a bit over 13 ft apex to apex, plus any suspension needed. Though some don't use suspension with this stand, just placing the triangles over a pole..

Sadly, I had no luck with the extenders on my smooth patio surface. It kind of sort of worked, but was too prone to twist, even though I had cordage connecting both ends of the 2X4 lt to rt.. Might work better if I rigged a way to bolt the 2X4s I used(holes drilled for the lashing to go thru) tighter to the legs- I only attached with lashing. I'm sure it would work fine out in my grass.

[Just Bill]

I agree. Sounds plenty reasonable. By RL, they meant THEIR RL which comes with their stand. When I tried it with my RR, using no RL seemed to pull my hammock too tight. However, light bulb just went off in my brain, maybe that was because I was using several pounds of counter weight? I don't know, still think if the stand was balanced with no counterweight, and no hammock or stand RL, it would pull the hammock too tight. I think next time I try it I will add a RL to the hammock from hammock triangle apex to apex. Or make sure to have a long RL on the stand.

My original JRBs are several feet shorter in the RLs than the WBRR. The JRB James River is, i think, 11 ft 3" recommended distance between triangle apexes. As you said, I think the WBRR is a bit over 13 ft apex to apex, plus any suspension needed. Though some don't use suspension with this stand, just placing the triangles over a pole..

Sadly, I had no luck with the extenders on my smooth patio surface. It kind of sort of worked, but was too prone to twist, even though I had cordage connecting both ends of the 2X4 lt to rt.. Might work better if I rigged a way to bolt the 2X4s I used(holes drilled for the lashing to go thru) tighter to the legs- I only attached with lashing. I'm sure it would work fine out in my grass.

I suspect drilling holes through the extenders will help, if you look back on John's posts you'll see that's how he did it with the PVC.
That direct connection and pressure/counter pressure would reduce the twist- I'd think making up a soft shackle or button knot with toggle to replicate the include pole to pole connections (or ordering more from Tensa) would be better than lashing.

Adding a little course sandpaper or dense foam (like a yoga mat scrap) to the 2x edge in contact with the patio might provide that little bit of extra friction you need on the smooth concrete.

My limited understanding of the Tensa (and Tensegrity in general)-
All the counterweight does is keep the stand in place as you load it. Since the whole thing works via balancing tension and compression; without you in it (load applied) then it remains a bit unstable because you're missing a key load in the equation.

Point being- if the hammock looks a little too tight prior to entry... that might be about right.
The counter weight helps keep the stand pried apart (tensioning the bridge).
When the real load (you) is applied to the stand you're pulling the stand apexes towards each other- which should drop the bridge down.


The RL will help define the geometry of the stand. Just like with a hammock it will give you a consistent setup. No matter how much counterweight you apply- the ridgeline would resist it.
Without the RL- you're effectively turning your bridge into the RL as the counterweight tries to pry it apart.

FWIW- as discussed elsewhere- I suspect if you tried doing a RL on the ridgerunner from apex to apex- you'll probably find it is very low relative to the bridge itself. Basically it will whack you in the shoulder and you'll have to duck under it. So I would suggest you put the RL on the stand itself, then hang the bridge from there. That's probably a better location for the stand regardless, but it will put the elevation of the RL high enough that you should clear it when entering the bridge better.

On my bridges- the ARL is already designed to be at a higher elevation- so it is easier/more natural to simply use the ARL of the bridge as the RL of the stand since they both occupy the same space.
With the RR the stand RL and the bridge RL are not at the same elevation when viewed from the side.

[BillyBob58]

Thanks, Bill!