From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Ham Lake, Minnesota

Curious what is the maximum weight someone has lifted using the 4x4x16 timber tripod design? Hoping to get some responses to see how much stress these things have taken. Thanks.

9/14/2022 10:29:36 AM

Western NY

1971. Keep it as tall as you can and still s

9/14/2022 12:01:49 PM

Western NY

.... squeeze between the legs.

9/14/2022 12:02:12 PM

Western PA

I have only lifted around 1700 with mine, but I know a certain grower that lives north of me has lifted over 2100# pumpkins with his. I would think 2500# is certainly safe. Remember, you divide the total weight by 3,and the taller you keep the tripod, the more weight it can handle. I get mine as tall as I can, so that the fenders of my trailer will just fit inside.
If you have one or more legs that have a bad bow in them ( several inches), that may be a concern.

Disclaimer, I am not an engineer.

I did some research on the web a few years back, wondering the same question you ask. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how much a tripod can handle.

9/14/2022 12:11:05 PM

Marion,IN

Alex, I asked that question a few years ago. One guy said he got up to 4,000 pounds on his on his lifting set-up. He said he ran out of weights to lift so that is why he stopped at that weight. I think if you stay under 2 tons you should be alright. Good luck to you, Mark G.

9/14/2022 12:14:43 PM

Walla Walla Wa.

I've lifted a 1000 with 2x4s,it all depends on how it's put together at the top, I welded up a cap so all the weight is compression.

9/14/2022 1:40:24 PM

Greenbrier Valley, WV

I believe Scott Baywatch lifted his 2376# behemoth on a 4x4 tripod.

9/14/2022 3:42:01 PM

Grittyville, WA

*Bayuk is what he means... ^

9/14/2022 4:44:09 PM

Western NY

no, Chris changed his name to Baywatch. I believe it's legally binding at this point.

9/14/2022 8:23:10 PM

On a cliff in the desert

I would recommend pipe instead of wood. Every knot in the wood is a potential point of failure when lifting a heavy pumpkin. Good Luck finding 4X4x14 feet wood with no knots in the wood.

9/14/2022 9:11:28 PM

Deer Park WA

I wood raise it very slowly and be prepared to run for your life if you heark cracking noises! We use 1-1/4 inch sched 40 pipe to avoid "soiling" episodes.... 1803# so far o. The custom Handy tripod and ring. Hoping for a new PB this year

9/15/2022 12:05:21 AM

Eugene,OR

I’ve seen a 2000 pounder lifter with a tripod like this with pressure treated wood that was probably 10 years old. It worked…but I thought it was pretty sketchy.

9/15/2022 12:07:53 AM

Columbia, Kentucky

Lol yes I lifted 1883# with nerviousness . I then had to lift my 2376# BAYUK! Lol but my friends can call be baywatch or the Hoff works too. I added 2x6x8' to the top 2/3 of each leg of the treated 4x4 16' just to be safe. With that said I am upgrading to metal legs for next year.

9/15/2022 9:08:39 AM

Grittyville, WA

I agree with wile coyote Id probably lay the wood horizontal and "balance beam" test it with my own weight or something. Tight grain, perfectly straight, small knots preferable over large ones. I can imagine someone twisting an ankle doing an impromptu safety test like this though, the cure might be worse than the disease. (Maybe just sit on it rather than use it as a balance beam!) I have a metal tripod that if the day comes that I overload it, I hope will bend rather than snap. I agree good douglas fir 4x4s will hold a heck of lot of weight, but I've also seen what they sell at the hardware stores these days and it can be sketchy. Over in the treated 4x6's I saw some very nice pieces of old growth douglas fir mixed in with the rest, pieces that could probably hold a freight train.

9/15/2022 11:32:26 AM

Lodi, California

A 4x4 post is supposed to be able to support several thousand pounds vertically at about that length. Multiply by 3, I think we're still a ways off from breaking them.

9/16/2022 2:28:30 AM

Syracuse, NY

The middle of anything is the weakest point, aside from any defects; Adding tri-directional support for inward AND outward flexing prevention above any possible height needed for the pumpkin/truck, etc. should add plenty of mind-at-ease, IMHO. eg

9/16/2022 9:49:27 AM

Stanwood, Washington

Assuming the wood is sound and not cracked or rotten it would be close to impossible to have a 4 x 4 wood tripod leg break from lifting a pumpkin . A 14 foot pressure treated douglas fir #2 4x4 has an axial compression capacity of 2339 pounds. With three of them in a tripod, not even the Patons could break a tripod's legs. If there were any failure it would come in the connections at the top.

9/20/2022 11:53:03 AM