Guess what I was up to today? (pic heavy)

[tim_n]

Well? You need more clues? How about we skip back a bit?

Dig a hole...



3ft down...



Add a post...



You might need some postcrete.



Getting much more obvious...



hammocks!

Going to add a couple of 45' supports as well... But it seems to hold up ok anyway!

[Outdoordude]

Nice. So your going hammocking in your garden. I like it. Will your garden become your bedroom.

[British Red]

Nice work - I'd definitely put in bracing supports though as well as postcrete - remember than the postcrete should not extend to the tip of the post of course!

I hauled a 4x4 post (concreted in) the other day - with just a wire strainer

[tim_n]

Hang on red... Why not the tip of the post? Forgot to mention they're in 3ft deep!

Oh well...

Yes some 45' posts coming tomorrow

And what's a wire strainer?

[resnikov]

That's cool, going to have to talk to SWMBO about this for my garden.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2

[Biker]

And what's a wire strainer?

I think you're thinking of one of these:



Whereas I think Red's referring to one of these:


I'm ready to stand corrected. But if anyone can pull a 4x4 post out with a tea strainer I'm betting it'd be British Red.

[British Red]

Hang on red... Why not the tip of the post? Forgot to mention they're in 3ft deep!

Oh well...

Yes some 45' posts coming tomorrow

And what's a wire strainer?

If you leave the tip of the post through the concrete, water drains away - if not you can create a damp sump and the post rots.

These are wire strainers





You hook one end to a post and clamp the wire to the other end and crank the handle like a jack - it hauls the wire tight before attaching. Or you can clamp wire at both ends for splicing a damaged wire etc. The bits on top are wire clamps - the levers below open and close them. You can hook one clamp round an end fence post and clamp the wire coming to it into the other end and then tighten. You have a loose "tail" to staple and secure to the corner post (if that makes any sense?)

Red

[SiWhite]

I spent most of the day flat on my back in my garden hammock. I am laid up with a thick cold, which offers some excuse for such wonton idleness...

Good effort on the post holes - that auger looks like hard work. My hammock post is strained to an anchor, as opposed to being braced on the inside. Could be a trip hazard I suppose - mine is buried in a border so it's not an issue.

[Biker]

PS Nice set up for your hammock by the way.

[tim_n]

Thanks biker... Yes a tea strainer was the first thing to mind!

Ah well red! I did have one with the wood below, but the 2nd my mate lifted and I suspect the concrete set under it!

It's tanalised so it should be ok for a few years!

[tim_n]

Good effort on the post holes - that auger looks like hard work

Actually it was really easy - two hours to bore four posts - two 3 ft ones and two 1.5ft ones!

[British Red]

Thanks biker... Yes a tea strainer was the first thing to mind!

Ah well red! I did have one with the wood below, but the 2nd my mate lifted and I suspect the concrete set under it!

It's tantalised so it should be ok for a few years!

It'll probably be fine tim - just a tip a much more experience guy passed on to me when I had some rotten ones - most didn't rot I hasten to add!. I suspect the problem with them pulling out sideways under force is that the earth around the post isn't all that solid - especially here where it can waterlog. I put too much strain on a wire and just pulled the post over - concrete and all

3' is a goodly depth to sink so yours are probably rock solid!

Have you thought of putting long eyebolts through the posts like these?


Eye Bolt Strainer by British Red, on Flickr

Dead cheap to buy and would make sticking the hammock up as fast as clipping on a carabiner!

[tim_n]

thats exactly what I'd thought attachment wise. It was a hammock forums suggestion I go 3ft. one foot down is solid london clay - so two feet at the base is the best solid heavy clay that I could wish for next to bed rock.

[British Red]

Normal rule of thumb is to bury one third of the post - I'd say you've done that easily! Hand augering two foot of clay is a good achievement. Better than using post hole diggers though!

Very impressed with your equipment though - I think I see a drain spade there as well as a 6" auger?

Red

[tim_n]

Did some reinforcement. The auger was on hire yesterday, to be honest we did it in small chunks about 3-4" at a time. The ground is so wet it was really easy. I did have a 2nd pair of hands.

Took another decking post and did a 45' cut on it. Buried it about 1ft into the ground with a postcrete shoe. All done.



Concrete hadn't even set!

[tim_n]

Used they eye bolts as suggested by British Red and added some decent size washers to spread the load! You can see marks from my custom WBBB amsteel whoopie slings. Currently got a dd camping hooked up.

The nut and washer gives enough to grip and hold both hammocks if you're careful. Need a couple of karabiners ASAP!

[Dannytsg]

Nice work there, i wish i had the room to do that!

[British Red]

That looks the business Tim - nice job!

[Shambling Shaman]

Sound Job there... Its my next project

[tim_n]

Many thanks. After I'd finished however my wife popped out and said "oh I thought you were going to run it down by the path"

Well, I did offer to dig up the 3ft foundations, but I think my tone may have put her off further suggestions.

[woodpoet]

Hi Tim. Brilliant idea. The picture of your cat is the twin of our cat. Hope your wife is ok.

[spandit]

That's a TW hammock, isn't it? My wife doesn't want a gurt big post sunk into the lawn, which is why I went with a temporary support but it causes problems as it moves when you put tension on the rope. Held up OK when I slept in it, though

[Stew]

Put another set of eye bolts at the top and she can use it for the washing too. Multifunctional!

Very jealous mate.

[tim_n]

Good idea about the washing!

I'm going to make a temporary one as well - wife has her own hammock as well!

What's a TW? Black one pictured is a custom jobbie from ukhammocks

[Stew]

Due to a post on BB.

I did think about putting up a permanent one, unfortunately the landlord might not be quite so keen

Yeah, might be a problem!

Although saying that, my brain has just started ticking (duck for cover!)........how about a removable permanent pole?


Sink a tube into the ground (plastic, metal, whatever) then your hammock pole can slot into it when in use, then be removed when you want it out of the way.
That's what I have my rotary airer and it makes it a lot easier to mow the lawn if I take it out.

I'm now thinking this might actually work as an idea for me! there's not a hope in hell of me having a permanent set-up in my garden and we used to have a hammock stand before - got in the way all the time, and that was a bigger garden. I like knots and pioneering but wouldn't trust my kids not to 'muck' up a system like in your picture. Two poles that can live in the roof of my garage would be a lot easier....

Hhhmmm.......

[Stew]

How's it holding up Tim?

[tim_n]

Pretty good! I've not had a chance to spend a night in it yet but may still do so just for fun!