Hello everyone,
New to the forum here and am looking at doing a turtledog style hammock stand for camping. I'm right at 300lbs and am a little concerned about the 2x2 design and was wondering if anyone has used different materials or how sturdy is the 2x2 design. Thank you for your time and consideration...any tips and/or advice is much appreciated
I'm going to copy and paste some info down below here. The point is worried be not my friend.
Here is a link to a place you can find the formulas you need to proof everything in detail if you wish. Here is raw data for 2 x 4 supports below.
https://learnaboutstructures.com/Com...ams-and-Frames
How much weight can a 2×4 support vertically?
Here, you may presume that no wind is present or that it is not as solid. A 2×4 of at least 8 feet will accommodate a minimum of 1,000 pounds vertically while there is no heavy wind. E.g., if the load is square, such calculations would hold. It is strongly recommended, however, that the content 2×4 not be pushed to the maximum. You will need braces or support objects to be used to protect the 2x4s whenever possible.
How much weight can a 2×4 hold or support horizontally?
You have to remember the load position for this issue. Is the load even or a point load; e.g., if the load is 40 pounds, a 2×4 of 10 feet will be up to a height of 1,000 feet on the flip side, where the same 2×4 10 feet long has a load of 400 pounds, the amount of bending does not exceed 500 feet limit?
我宁愿在山上。
Last edited by rmcrow2; 01-12-2022 at 13:34.
Have no fear. In addition to the math mentioned above, here's a personal attestation.
I'm the same weight as you and my DIY 2x2 Turtledog holds me just fine. I've never even been worried about it. It is much more likely that my hammock or straps or my knots(!) will fail before the stand does. I built it in 2016 and have used it a few dozen times. No issues at all.
For my stand I ripped 2x4s in half on a table saw and used the gate hinge at the top and chain-link top rail in two sections as the ridge pole. I've not read the TurtleDog thread in quite some time so I'm not sure what the state-of-the-art is over there these days.
As an aside, I've also hung in one-tree style from a 1" Osage Orange hiking stick (https://www.lennyscanes.com/osage-or...walking-stick/). Now this is a little more precarious and does have some slight bow to it under my load (as it were). But with good anchors I've not had an issue in a few hangs around the yard. This is just an example of it being OK to hang from MUCH less than a TurtleDog.
All that said, always hang over grass or something soft. I sit down much more gingerly when hanging from columns on my concrete patio than I do in the TurtleDog in the yard. I've mis-tied a becket hitch too many times to trust myself on the initial loading.
tifillingim, because you mentioned sitting more gingerly when hanging from columns on your patio, I’m guessing/hoping you’ve watched “what can go wrong” YouTube videos and are aware of the risks. Columns are usually put in with the idea that they will endure a downward (compression) force, not a sideways (shear) pull. At 15• - admittedly quite shallow - 300 lbs in the hammock gives about 600lbs of sideways force.
I apologize if you’ve already been through the physics and know your structure is safe for you. It’s just when I hear/read about columns and hammocks it triggers my “see something, say something” instincts.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
Yep. I have definitely seen that video. These are 6x6 posts concreted into the dirt with the patio poured around them with ceiling joists between them overhead. I feel pretty good with this setup. Thanks for the concern, though.Originally Posted by cougarmeat
What do they say in Texas, “That dog will hunt!” In the ground, with concrete, and ceiling joists … stronger than some trees, I’ll tell you what.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
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