Who knows tents?

[Disco Duck]

I have a DR120 tent I am trying to set up. I need to use an Xtrasun reflector, 6" Can Fan, and Can 33 filter in it. The filter was the lightest filter I could find, but the tent still can't support this weight. This stuff weighs 71.5 lbs and the tent only supports 69 lbs... I got close.

I am confused because you'd think the tent would be designed to support the weight of the minimal things you need to use in it. Are my only choices mounting the fan outside the tent somewhere (don't have a place, that's why I got a tent) or finding some type of expensive hospital IV stand to hang it from inside the tent?

Is there some standard modification people do to strengthen the tent so it can support the weight? Lots of people are using tents, there has to be some way to make this work. I really don't want to drill holes in the wall outside the tent, that's why I got a tent.

 

[Rob1]

i know sway strenthens his tents with a chain from the ceiling and says it works great hit him up or look for his thread about "tent city" i think its in...

 

[Green81]

yea chain from a ceiling, I remember that thread.

 

[JAHGYDI]

can you slide some wooden dowels inside the metal tubing? ive done it with an old tent set up i had.

 

[hailo]

Not my pic.....but hes got a lot of weight


Here is the link to full thread...

 

[Disco Duck]

Ok... I read the whole Tent City thread, and then just the pictures of the other with all the wood frames to hold things. Obviously the tents just can't hold even the minimal 3 things you need them too and you have to find other ways to hold at least 1 thing up. Man, I would of HAPPILY paid an extra $50 for the tent if it could hold just 80 lbs, and it would be so cheap and simple for them to design it to hold 100. This really is a serious design flaw.

So I think I either need to find some kind of stand to hang the fan from, or mount it on the wall outside.

Or... In the Tent City pictures he has the filter on the floor. I currently have mine on a stool that puts it at about exactly mid level in the tent. Does anyone with experience with tents know if it is OK to just have the filter on a stool, or does it have to be high up in the hotter air? There are pictures of how I currently have it on page 4 of this thread...



My problem would be solved if the stool works.

 

[JAHGYDI]

can you slide some wooden dowels inside the metal tubing? ive done it with an old tent set up i had.

like i said

 

[pel929]

i have the grow lab 4'9"x4'9" tent and got a radiant 6" hood, inline fan and phreseh filter 4"x12"..

 

[Disco Duck]

like i said

Wooden dowels. Yes, I was thinking of that too. Since I am only 2.5 lbs over wooden dowels in the vertical bars and then taping them with aluminum tape would probably strengthen it enough... but I'd rather not be just barely supporting the weight like that. I think it's a better idea to not hang one thing from it. It should come with 4 more horizontal bars for the center frame. That alone would probably let it hold 100 lbs, it's the stacked vertical bars that make it weak.

I'm hoping just being on the stool will be OK if anyone knows. I've seen several pictures of good setups with the filter just on the floor, but am wondering if they can do that because they have AC or something. It the stool doesn't work I think I will hang the fan outside the tent (but I'll have to buy some more ducting to do that:-(

 

[DazedNconfussed]

I like the dowel rod idea, I am sure it will support more then you think.....if that isnt good enough just go buy some 2x4's and build a simple support frame....Another idea, suspend the fan from support cables attached to the 4 corners of the tent. then its only 20lbs on each corner pole.

 

[Pandaman]

^^ +1 ^^

I have a GrowLab GL120. It's the same size as your tent. GrowLab says that it can hold 100lbs, but I've never even got close to that... Seems unstable.

For added support I bought 2" x 8' dowels from the Depot. I think it was like $16 for 4 of them. I then cut them to the height of my tent and cut a " V " in each end. Be sure to account for the change in length. The metal bars should fit in the " V " cut you made in the dowels. Cut right, it wedges into the top and bottom horizontal support bars.

This has a few advantages;
The walls of the tent will not "Suck-In" as much when you have Negative Pressure.
The horizontal cross bars have more support along the borders.
You have excellent places to Clip your oscillating fans.

I have an emergency chain attached to the horizontal border-bars at the top of the tent if my YoYo's fail. Chains are good for piece of mind at least.

Hope this helps. Can upload pics as well.

Peace

 

[RMCG]

"No Holes Bar" from Best Coast Growers.

Just add a 2x4.

 

[Disco Duck]

Hey, Pandaman, I like your solution. So you center those between the existing corner poles and bascially have 8 poles holding up the roof instead of 4. Being only 2.5 lbs over the rated weight that seems like overkill which is exactly what it seems like this tent needs to actually hold 71.5 lbs long term.

This is definately the way to go, thanks Panda.

 

[Pandaman]

Hey, Pandaman, I like your solution. So you center those between the existing corner poles and bascially have 8 poles holding up the roof instead of 4. Being only 2.5 lbs over the rated weight that seems like overkill which is exactly what it seems like this tent needs to actually hold 71.5 lbs long term.

This is definately the way to go, thanks Panda.

Anytime, fellow Tent Grower.

Another option for you that follows more of the dowel suggestion...
You could get some PVC pipe that fits "Over" the bar. That way, the weight would be distributed more evenly across the entire length of the bar. I no longer need to worry about weight cause I've switched to LED but I see my 6" Magnum and I know how much stress it must put on the bar.

Peace

 

[purpleberry]

I had a 5x10 tent, I put ply wood walls on each end and ran a few 2x4s across the top, cheap and easy. I then could hang xxxl hoods, and a big filter from the roof, and on the end walls put fans, ballasts, ect. Its a pain trying hang stuff from tubes. You need wood to screw into.

 

[Tex]

While talking about tents, I hate my secret jardin. I love my silver series hydrohut tho, so much better construction and better frame. Secret jardin is junk imho, had to tape the frame together from coming apart... .blah

 

[Xceptional]

if your worried go buy a 10' piece of 1" pvc and cut it to legnth and make a support beam for the pole you will be hanging your fan/filter combo from. i'm sure that support bean that cost you $3 will increase the weight capacity by much more then you need and you will only loose a few inches of floor space. this is of course only doable if the support beam does not get in the way of the light.

 

[Xceptional]

oh nevermind Pandaman answered with the same idea mine in theory and his applied and his sounds even better! i have a HomeBox XL but it only has a 400w MH in it for moms/veg and no filter so i never had weight issues.

 

[Sway]

thought i would chime in...

the secret jardins are junk compared to the hydrohuts. although secret jardin has stepped up its game in recent years, the frame is their major flaw.

i have a can150 filter hanging in my 10x10 tent, its not on the floor, those were older pictures when i was still setting up the tent. its not hanging from the tent frame though, its hanging from the outside roof studs and the chains simply pierce through the tent and hold the filter as high as possible in the tent. you dont want your exhaust sitting on the floor, you need it up high where the heat is.

the frames are meant to hold a couple lights and some really small fans without extra support. you dont want to do the whole wood stand thing because that kills your floor space and would make actually working in the tent a pain in the ass.

the best way to support a tent so it can hold 500lbs plus is to support it the way i did with a chain to hold the center of the roof up. you can also chain opposing corners and be able to put a swing set in there if you wanted. this way it doesnt take up any floor space, and enables me to run 6 1000w lights and use the whole 100square feet of the tent for canopy.

 

[burnedout]

when you say use a chain, I assume you mean screwed into a ceiling joist directly abouv the center of the tent? is so, how do you attach it to the tent? cut a slit in the fabric and retape?