I reckon it will more be questions of the condition of & how well anchored is the post? I doubt a person or two in a hammock so attached will snap a good condition 4x4 fencepost, but start it leaning /uproot because of barely adequate foundations? - yes highly likely imho.
A friend wants to use a tree in her garden (about 7? diameter) and an existing 4?*4? fencepost to support her hammock.
I think the tree will be okay but I have grave doubts about the wisdom of using the fence post. Now the angle of pull will be at about 45 degrees to the fence so it?s not going to pull it straight over but my gut feeling is that this isn?t a good idea.
What would be ?adequate? dimensions for a post to support one end of a hammock. My friend doesn?t weigh much but I think it ought to be over specced to cope with occasional abuse by offspring.
Tim
I'd be more inclined to put a rope around the bottom of the fence post and interpose an A-frame (I use a couple of stout branches roped together) to provide the lift. This works with bits of hedge that provide a secure anchor at ground level but would never manage support at hammock height. Or you could add a diagonal brace to the fence post. Having said that I've just ordered a hammock with a tubular steel stand as a more flexible option - much easier to place it wherever you want without having to find tie-down points.
That?s a good idea. Ta.
Not possible without ruining the look of the new fence.
But then you either have to store or look at a slowly rusting frame all the time. ;-)
Tim
For wire fencing, you would normally take a diagonal brace down to the ground on the tension side. If not, a lot will depend on the ground, and how deep the post goes. In general the problem with tension applied to an unbraced post is that the bending moment at ground level adds tensile stresses to one side, and this is where rot will attack preferrentially.
My horse paddock has a "wavy" boundary along a stream, so that quite a few posts have a net force perpendicular to the fence line, and it is noticeable that these do not last so long. Also, in one long-ish snowy winter I attached haynets to half a dozen posts (also applying a similar bending moment). I had to replace them all in the next year or two.
And of course you say the tree is OK but exactly how is it going to be attached. You don't want to damage the tree and in a gale some fruit trees do break away and fall over so really be careful. In any case as its a hammock I envisage more than one case of falling out onto the ground since they are not the most stable of things to get into and out of or indeed very good for the back generally. Brian
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