Dragon fruit trellis crown stress test update (forum)

sternus1 starts with ...
A stress test of the dragon fruit crown design, for anybody considering building this.

Basically I laid 10 metres of fire hose, two cinderblocks, a 6ft iron crowbat, two 5 foot galvanised fencing posts, and an aluminum chair on top/through it to demonstrate how the tension and counterbalancing works and how much weight it can handle.

I will be posting an updated version using concrete posts. This should last 25 years, at least.








Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1

Time: 23rd July 2014 6:52am

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About the Author sternus1
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Markmelb says...
Interesting new species - looks like it will flower this summer to me :) ps - is it that rare black flowering one?

Time: 23rd July 2014 8:07am

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About the Author Markmelb
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sternus1 says...
It's probably the only cultivar I won't inadvertently kill.

Time: 23rd July 2014 8:32am

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Markmelb says...
I covered mine with that frost cloth last night but only got down to 4.5C so no frosts yet for my area of Melb - dont want to bring the red fruit one inside if i can help it ;) Sternus - try sand bags like they use to test plane wings??? It looks well over engineered for something that wont fly.

Time: 23rd July 2014 8:39am

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sternus1 says...
The line used is stainless and rated for 300kg. However, the way it disperses weight based on tension raises its load bearing capacity considerably. There's nothing in it that is vulnerable to the elements, apart from the post. Assuming you have a hand swager and a spare bike tyre rim, it costs about 15$ to build one of these, and it won't warp/rot/bend/ decay and pop screws or fixtures like wood crowns.It can all be done with a pair of wire snips, doesn't require any sophisticated tooling at all.

Maybe I should send the whole thing into a modern art gallery, name it 'Triumph of the ordinary' and sell it for several thousand dollars.

I'm just kidding on the dragon killing comment, I've never killed one. It's virtually impossible here in the subtropics.



Time: 23rd July 2014 8:54am

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Original Post was last edited: 23rd July 2014 8:54am

About the Author sternus1
Australia
#UserID: 8314
Posts: 1318
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