Dedicated motorcycle one-tree hang setup

[Snaps]

It seems like you have it positioned in opposite direction, but perhaps I'm confused. I can't imagine that spreader bar working for you if it isn't being pulled almost directly along its axis, "straight down" so to speak. So wouldn't the angle have to be about 30-deg from ground (perhaps 33 to 35) towards front of bike and you hang off the back?

The photo with the spreader bar illustrates only that the tip will keep the bar in place on the plate; it’s not meant to show an angle I think will work for hanging. But from where I’m sitting, yes, it’ll be crucial that all of the force applied to that bar is along its axis (in compression), so for that reason I think it’ll have to be perpendicular to the plate and not at some other angle to it… i.e., the two guy lines and the hammock suspension shouldn’t be pulling it in any one direction so that the force is applied straight down along the bar.

The other concern, then, is the Beetle Buckle. They work great in tension, but by doing this my hammock CL will be pulling at a 30°-ish angle down from the tip of the bar.

I think Joe’s suggestion of using stout aluminum tubing is ideal; if I can, I’ll do it in two sections: an upper with pins or some other accommodation for my hammock suspension (maybe on a descender ring?) and a tarp ridgeline at the upper end, and a threaded stud at the lower end; and a lower, with a tapped hole to accept the stud at the upper end and… some kind of interface at the bottom to mate up with the bike at that 1-1/4” hole in the luggage plate. A hastily-whittled block of hardwood could work.

[joe_guilbeau]

There is 1" or less of space between the luggage plate and the subframe where I was thinking I'd put a small base to support plate and the lower end of the bar.

Second... I want a little give at the bottom, I think. If my guy lines weren't exactly where they needed to be relative to the hammock suspension or each other, that bolt would have quite a bit of torque applied to it, plenty to bend the plate, strip the bolt, etc. A ball & socket might be a better idea, but I'm probably not putting that much effort in.

I think I'm just going to try it with what I've got the next chance I get. Worst case, I'll need to get a new spreader bar.

Sounds like it is doable, you can search Amazon to get your poles if things go south with your spreader bars.

Here is an example:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0BWY...f84a36f27&th=1

[Snaps]

Thanks for the link! I actually found some raw materials on zoro.com, and I'm formulating a plan using sch80 aluminum pipe (with either a pipe or solid rod riding inside it) and a few hitch pins. If I pull this together I'll post up what I end up with.

[cougarmeat]

Snaps, I'd imagine those stress ratings are PURE compression. Sometimes, depending on the angle, that might not always be the case. But when sourced from a supplier like QuestOutfitter, it can be a pretty inexpensive experiment - assuming there are no additional medical expenses that go along with it.

[Snaps]

Snaps, I'd imagine those stress ratings are PURE compression. Sometimes, depending on the angle, that might not always be the case. But when sourced from a supplier like QuestOutfitter, it can be a pretty inexpensive experiment…

Ohh, great vendor suggestion… it’s nice seeing input from forum names I remember from years past! Yeah, the idea would be to set it up to direct all forces to compression of the pole, where it’s strongest. I’ve put together an idea of how to fab something from a length of SCH80 pipe (outer) and SCH40 pipe (inner), but I like the idea of buying something lighter-duty off the shelf that will pack down smaller and still work. Checking out the .742 pole hardware…

Aside from the weight/bulk/strength pros and cons of fabricating something is that my pipe plan includes a tarp extension. I can’t think of a way to do a tarp extension using a spreader bar or tent pole.

…assuming there are no additional medical expenses that go along with it.

Yeah… there is that to consider… along with vehicle damage and fabric snags & tears…

[joe_guilbeau]

Aside from the weight/bulk/strength pros and cons of fabricating something is that my pipe plan includes a tarp extension. I can’t think of a way to do a tarp extension using a spreader bar or tent pole.

Easy-peasy... aluminum pipe and a pipe bender.

Just slide the bent pipe into the top, and a safety coupling pin of the right size.

https://www.amazon.com/Safety-Couple...AaApEaEALw_wcB

or

Svelte-mode would be the kayak paddle styled spring loaded button.

[Snaps]

Ahhh, there’s the rub… I don’t want any bends for portability’s sake. And then, if I’m still using tent poles, how/where do I attach my hammock suspension? I’ll want to connect it to an end somewhere.

i think it’s moot, anyway, because I’ve decided on trying aluminum pipe. I think I can pack it all down inside a single piece of 1” nom SCH80 pipe <18” long. I hit a snag with the luggage plate, but I’m working through that and will post up later on.

[joe_guilbeau]

I've had my GS1100EX since 1981, two engine later and about 150,000 miles of commuting to work every day for 30 years.

I'll throw out one last image and will look forward to your final solution!

angle hole in pipe for Easton Aluminum Tarp pole.jpg

[Snaps]

I've ordered parts. Including a luggage plate. My old one I found wasn't going to work for a variety of reasons, and I think this one will be better for a bunch more:

duhXaPq.png

(for some reason, I was able to upload this one differently from the others so hopefully you can see it)

This plate is about 21" front-to-back, to give you some sense of scale. I'm considering making two fixed 7/64" amsteel dogbones with toggles on the one end, then looping them through the slots marked in red. Then I'll select the hole in the green area that will give me the desired pole angle (straight up?) with both ends of the dogbone hooked onto the top of the pole.

Originally, I'd wanted to try to keep the guy lines short but opted to run them to the engine bars because the margin for error (angle/length) with short guy lines gets small quickly, and the tension on the lines as their anchors approach the base of the pole increases, probably exponentially. If it's not obvious, I'm not doing any math here. However, with this luggage plate having 10 holes between the bolts spaced closely together I should gain enough flexibility with the pole placement so that I can get the guy lines where I want them, even if they're fixed-length pieces of rope. For the toggles... maybe tarp ball-ties? Hopefully something I can fit inside the pole when stashed.

I should have all the parts by next week.

EDIT: Instead of toggles... maybe I just make regular dogbones and larks head them in the slots as guy lines. Lighter & more compact.

There's going to be an immense amount of pressure concentrated on that plate. But it's 1/4" aluminum and if I keep the pole base within the bounds of the four mounting holes, the strength of the bike's subframe and the plate should be more than adequate to hold the pole.

[Crazytown3]

I really interested to see how this turns out. If it works, you may have a brand new "thing" there.