Trailer Hitch Hammock Mount

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BPD53

Guest
I received my hammock hitch mount the other day. I am heading out for a decent trip over the next few days. I plan on writing a short review of the mount when I return. I was impressed when I opened the box and my initial test and fitment went well. I am embarrassed how lacking I am in technology skills but I will attempt to get and upload some pictures as well.

One thing I can say so far is the customer service has been excellent. I composed an email to Mclean Metal Works regarding an issue and I had a response the same day.
 

Chili

Explorer
Interested to hear how you like it!

Can you (or the OP) measure the distance from carabiner to caribiner, when deployed?
 

tribeof5

Adventurer
Great product

We bought 2 of these before we headed out on a five week road trip with our family of 7 this summer. They are great. We had one in the front hitch, and placed the other in the rear hitch each time we unhooked the trailer. So convenient to be able to hang your hammock, Eno in our case, any where you want to. We had them both deployed at a bike park in Frisco Colorado while our 5 boys were there riding for the day. It was perfect for my wife and I to relax in the hammocks between our laps around the course. The kids, they never need break! Lol. Thanks for creating such a great product.
 
B

BPD53

Guest
Interested to hear how you like it!

Can you (or the OP) measure the distance from carabiner to caribiner, when deployed?

I will get you some measurements after work. I gotta clean it up anyway.

I will post a review later too. There are things I like and a couple I don't.
 

mcskibadee1

Adventurer
Looks like a great product, I see it is available for sale in your sig. Hopefully I pull the trigger and can give a review!
 

McLean

New member
Thanks all! This is exactly the feedback I was hoping for!

Interested to hear how you like it!

Can you (or the OP) measure the distance from carabiner to caribiner, when deployed?

It is about 113.5"

Any bags for the mount for when it is not installed?

I don't have anything as of yet. Everything has weather/corrosion resistant coatings so a bag isn't necessary, but definitely couldn't hurt especially if it is outside all the time. I have a bunch of customers that leave theirs in the hitch 24/7 with no corrosion issues.

We bought 2 of these before we headed out on a five week road trip with our family of 7 this summer. They are great. We had one in the front hitch, and placed the other in the rear hitch each time we unhooked the trailer. So convenient to be able to hang your hammock, Eno in our case, any where you want to. We had them both deployed at a bike park in Frisco Colorado while our 5 boys were there riding for the day. It was perfect for my wife and I to relax in the hammocks between our laps around the course. The kids, they never need break! Lol. Thanks for creating such a great product.

Awesome! This is great to hear. Thank you for sharing.

I will get you some measurements after work. I gotta clean it up anyway.

I will post a review later too. There are things I like and a couple I don't.

Thanks! I look forward to hearing your feedback. FYI- I have been working on a solution for those sticking pins you mentioned. I plan to ship out some new parts to you shortly.

Looks like a great product, I see it is available for sale in your sig. Hopefully I pull the trigger and can give a review!

Thanks for the kind words. We would love that!
 
B

BPD53

Guest
I got back yesterday from a three day WV trip. We covered a pretty deverse cross section of terrain. I used my hammock hitch mount and wanted to share my experience.

Short Version: I like the hitch mounted hammock

Here you get an idea if my particular setup. I am utilizing a front hitch I fabricated on my brush guard.

IMG_0614.jpg

I was impressed with the quality finish they used and think it will be durable. The hardware appears to be quality as well. The design is great. I love the fact that it is compact. It's built like a tank and that is reflected in the weight. Mine is just over 45 pounds measured with a cheap bathroom scale.

IMG_0613.jpg

I was alittle disappointed in the need for bungee cord. I originally thought it was stupid looking given the cost of the mount. I must admit that the bungee cord that was provided at an additional charge was very nice and worked great. I found myself saying "If it's stupid and it works, it ain't stupid". The arms never made a sound during the trip. I cannot say that for the mount itself. The "head" wobbles.

IMG_0616.jpg

The above photo shows the insert mounting hole. I wish the insert had more holes to allow users to get better approach/departure angles while using the mount in the hitch. I used a black marker to mark where I am going to add another hole to make it as close to the bumper as possible. I would add at least 3 more holes very close together to give people more options. My vehicle doesn't ride very high so I need every inch I can get sometimes. You can also see where my homemade anti wobble bolt damaged the finish on the insert tube. It wasn't damaged when I received it in the mail.

I had previously added the anti wobble bolt to my hitch and I am glad that I did. The hitch insert tube fit well, but it needed the anti wobble bolt. The "head" of the mount is made to adjust so it still made noise. The noise was a clunk sound more than a rattle. I noticed it a lot but I think I can fix it.

IMG_0610.jpg

I use a Clark NX 170 hammock and I had already modified the suspension to utilize carabiners. I wasn't able to use a rain fly when I assembled the overhead hammock poles. The design of the hitch mount could not account for every possible hammock, but I was still sad. You can see how the poles hold the hammock up too high to mount a rain fly to the hitch mount arms.

IMG_0609.jpg

I think if you had almost any other hammock a rain fly would work. The picture below shows my hammock without the poles to simulate a "typical" hammock without overhead support poles. You can see how the hammock sits low enough to pitch a tarp if you ran a ridge line between the extension arms.

IMG_0607.jpg

You can see in the above photo there is a black plastic hole plug in the extension arm cover plate. The hole plug needs to be replaced with a rivnut in my opinion. I think a threaded insert would allow the use of some type of rain fly extension poles or other accessories. I plan on adding rivnuts to the holes and fabricating a way to mount my rain fly.

IMG_0611.jpg

The extension arms utilize a simple detent pin to "lock" them in place while in use. I initially had an issue with the detent not engaging, but slowing the rate I pulled the arm into the lock position helped. If the detent doesn't lock you'll end up pulling the arm all the way out and thinking "what the heck". I notified Mclean about the issue I had and he assured my it was probably just an abundance of powdercoat on the holes causing the issue. He actually commented he was sending me out new parts earlier in this thread.

IMG_0615.jpg

The Mclean design used in the above picture shows the pin used to adjust the head of the mount into two different positions. You can essentially tailor the height of your hammock to accommodate various hitch heights. I needed the low position the first night and the high position the second night due to terrain inconsistencies. I loved this feature and had originally thought it was unnecessary. You simply pull the pin and swivel the head to the other position. The fact that the head articulated is the reason it made the clunk sound while driving. The head needs play in it so it can be adjusted. I plan on shimming mine to make the tolerances tighter.

IMG_0612.jpg

The above pictured bolt head came with a very nice looking plastic cover designed to provide a finished look. It lasted about 5 hours before it fell off. The cover was a nice touch, but it's only a memory now. The bolt head isn't bad looking but it used to look better with the cover. Oh well I guess.






Ok. Now for the best part. When you hook up your hammock it takes literally 10 seconds. I love the fact that is provides a consistent distance every time. I no longer have to "setup" my hammock. It is always the same distance and angle etc....

I weigh roughly 180 pounds and never felt unsafe in the hammock. I was pleased to discover that it made ZERO noise while I was hanging. I was concerned that it would, but it never made a creak or groan all night.

My buddy who weighs approx 265ish tried out the mount and he told me it worked, but he was worried. I believe the mount has a 300 pound weight rating, but my buddy was nervous. The mount showed minimal flex, but I trust my friends opinion. I never felt worried at all myself, but an extra one hundred pounds makes a difference.

I really like the mount, but the issues I had are minor in the scheme of things. I am satisfied with the purchase I think because of my desire to hammock camp. At this moment I think Mclean has the most compact and durable hitch mounted hammock design on the market. I was somewhat surprised at the price being $400.00 and time will tell if I will get my money's worth.

My highest rating goes to Mclean Metal Works customer service. I placed several emails prior to my purchase and received quick and accurate responses. I placed other emails after my purchase and received the same results. I believe they are passionate about their product and will be willing to help me if I have issues in the future. Like I said before, only time will tell.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

McLean

New member
BPD53- thank you for the detailed and honest review. I will try and address some of your concerns/comments without getting too far into the nuts and bolt of it (literally!)

The bungee cord- we recommend the bungee for rough terrain travel. It's definitely not required, just a preventative measure to keep the coatings in good shape and helps minimize rattling. Most of the time you'll be fine without it. Also, I would recommend running the bungee under the mount so that the arms are pulled tight against the rubber bumpers on the frame. This should help with rattling too. (this is a good reminder that I should include a photo and some brief instructions with the bungee- thanks!)

Anti-rattle hitch- I like your solution! I don't think we had these on the site when you ordered, but we recently added some anti-rattle type hitch pins to our website.

Weight limit- I totally understand that it is unsettling when a bigger guy first gets in a Hammock Mount. The 300lb weight limit includes a safety factor and has been tested well above this weight.

Thank you for all your comments and suggestions. I take them into consideration as I continue to tweak and improve the design.

I will be sending you some improved spring buttons for you to try out and a new bolt cap.

-Chris
 

thefishhawk

Adventurer
You should actually be good for an 11' hammock on this if you don't use a suspension. 83% give or take is your target ridgeline length percentage of the total length for optimal hang. So for an 11'er, you are looking at 110", if the span of this is 113.5", you could just biner your continuous loops straight to it without a suspension and hypothetically be good to go or at least be in the ballpark for a comfortable hang.
 
B

BPD53

Guest
BPD53- thank you for the detailed and honest review. I will try and address some of your concerns/comments without getting too far into the nuts and bolt of it (literally!)

The bungee cord- we recommend the bungee for rough terrain travel. It's definitely not required, just a preventative measure to keep the coatings in good shape and helps minimize rattling. Most of the time you'll be fine without it. Also, I would recommend running the bungee under the mount so that the arms are pulled tight against the rubber bumpers on the frame. This should help with rattling too. (this is a good reminder that I should include a photo and some brief instructions with the bungee- thanks!)

Anti-rattle hitch- I like your solution! I don't think we had these on the site when you ordered, but we recently added some anti-rattle type hitch pins to our website.

Weight limit- I totally understand that it is unsettling when a bigger guy first gets in a Hammock Mount. The 300lb weight limit includes a safety factor and has been tested well above this weight.

Thank you for all your comments and suggestions. I take them into consideration as I continue to tweak and improve the design.

I will be sending you some improved spring buttons for you to try out and a new bolt cap.

-Chris

Thank you sir. I really like your design.

I have tried in vein to find a one man hard shell roof top tent for years.

I like the speed of the hard shell roof top tent but hated the weight. Your hammock mount is the best alternative I have found.

The mount is faster than any roof top tent and roughly 1/3 the weight. I love hanging my hammock anyway so it was a win win!

When you add up the money I have tied up in the hammock and mount I am actually in the roof top tent (soft sided) ballpark. You gotta pay to play when it comes to quality gear sometimes.

I am still sourcing some stainless rivnuts for the arm caps and will post my rain fly solution when I come up with a design that works.

Thank you again for your great customer service.
 

cactusjk

Explorer
Thanks for the great info. I was thinking a bag for storing inside when towing my teardrop and once unhitched I can install it in the hitch.
Thanks all! This is exactly the feedback I was hoping for!



It is about 113.5"



I don't have anything as of yet. Everything has weather/corrosion resistant coatings so a bag isn't necessary, but definitely couldn't hurt especially if it is outside all the time. I have a bunch of customers that leave theirs in the hitch 24/7 with no corrosion issues.



Awesome! This is great to hear. Thank you for sharing.



Thanks! I look forward to hearing your feedback. FYI- I have been working on a solution for those sticking pins you mentioned. I plan to ship out some new parts to you shortly.



Thanks for the kind words. We would love that!
 
B

BPD53

Guest
I have roughly 15 nights in my hammock using the hitch mount. I am truly satisfied with the product. The customer service continues to be excellent as well. Mclean sent me the replacement/upgraded parts as promised.

I made a set of rainfly extension poles (pictured below) out of 3/8" threaded rod (18") wrapped in some extra fuel hose I had laying around.

I added a rivnut to the endplates on the extension arms to attach the rainfly poles too. All together I just have a few dollars in the rainfly poles because it was made out of scrap.

I have found that the hammock mount needs some type of reflective markers because they are easy to walk into at night when the arms are extended. I plan on adding a couple pieces of reflective tape to mine.

I drilled a new hitch pin hole to pull the hammock mount closer to my truck. I didn't like how much approach angle that the mount ate.

I just returned last week from a 500+ mile trip and the mount was flawless. My hammock setup time is just a matter of seconds. I tailored my rainfly attachment points and I can have the rainfly completely setup in roughly 3 minutes including staking out the guylines.

I will post some more pictures of my setup after I wrap up my vacation later this month. I just wanted to bring an update to my review.
 

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