I'm looking at buying a 5x5 tent but want something that will will support my DIY 3x4 light which is fairly heavy. I know the gorilla tents are advertised as being able to support 300+ pounds. No other tent company really gives any weight their tent can support. I'd like to know what people's tents are able to hold up.
Grow tent supporting weight
- Thread starter toast88
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saintmetalhead
Well-Known Member
Usually, about 110lb is what most advertise, I've seen people actually hang off gorilla tent frames(DONT DO THIS) but honestly unless you plan on suspending all of your gear and a million fans more then you need you won't tickle the threshold for the weight cap of most tents.
jerry-joe
Active Member
I own a 5 x5. Got it off Amazon. It's not a gorilla. I think Viparspectra. It has three cross members for the ceiling. Two are OK but not a strong as the single big bar that goes across the top. I have my inline duct fan on the lighter weight ones and the light to the big bar. My light is 25 lbs. I'd be willing to go to 50-60 maybe but that's it. The manufacturer says it'll hold 110. I hope that helped. Heres a link tot he tent.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BXW12D9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
Hell ya. The Gorilla is on my list. I wouldn't want to try and flower in the cheap light leaking tents I have already, lol. They are great for veg, but I don't trust them for flowering. I do have a totally pitch black closet that I flower in now, but still want the Gorilla.
Renfro
Well-Known Member
The Gorilla HD is the only tent I have ever owned so personally I have no idea how bad it gets with the light leaks. I have seen friends tents but not inspecting them for leaks. The people I have known who flower in cheaper tents did not have intense grow lighting outside the tent. I have heard that the leaks are not enough to cause an issue but I suspect those testimonials come from those who are lacking intense lighting outside the tent.
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
Just make sure where you attach isn't putting all the weight in the middle of the cross bars. Keep the hang point nearer the joins and no problem.
I've got 8 - T-12 4' tubes mounted on a sheet of 1/2 plywood with the ballasts on the back. I recently cut a steel bed frame up to get some thin-wall angle iron to bolt a brace down the back of the plywood cause it was getting so swaybacked that the tubes could easily fall out. Weighs a good 40 pounds. Made that thing 18 years ago and now use it to get the wife's tomatoes going early. She did 50 in solo cups but put them out too early and lost 30 to frost.
The sides fold in on that DIY tent for storage and there is that angle iron running the length of the top on each side to spread the weight from the lights hanging from chains. Didn't trust the 2x2s to hold up over time.
Only had 6 until a couple years ago then finally added the last two. Each pair has a quick connect jack on it's power wire so I can run 2, 4, 6 or all 8 but that's 320W so might as well use a 400w MH by then. Wife likes it tho.
I've got 8 - T-12 4' tubes mounted on a sheet of 1/2 plywood with the ballasts on the back. I recently cut a steel bed frame up to get some thin-wall angle iron to bolt a brace down the back of the plywood cause it was getting so swaybacked that the tubes could easily fall out. Weighs a good 40 pounds. Made that thing 18 years ago and now use it to get the wife's tomatoes going early. She did 50 in solo cups but put them out too early and lost 30 to frost.
The sides fold in on that DIY tent for storage and there is that angle iron running the length of the top on each side to spread the weight from the lights hanging from chains. Didn't trust the 2x2s to hold up over time.
Only had 6 until a couple years ago then finally added the last two. Each pair has a quick connect jack on it's power wire so I can run 2, 4, 6 or all 8 but that's 320W so might as well use a 400w MH by then. Wife likes it tho.
OGEvilgenius
Well-Known Member
All tents are shit. I wouldn't trust them to do anything. Build a proper room.
Renfro
Well-Known Member
I disagree. As one prone to building a "proper room" I have found that running a tent in my veg room allows me to have a space to test new strains without interfering with my flowering rooms.
OGEvilgenius
Well-Known Member
I haven't used one that stood up to all the wear and tear. Gorillas had issues with the interior material coming apart as well as seems. Most of them do. Some are just flimsy. I prefer to test strains outdoors as it shows more qualities (light dep).
CptTripps
Well-Known Member
I built a "proper room" and still put a tent in it. Lets me have my workbench in there for trimming and other stuff, a smaller tent for drying/curing, and helps keep the smell contained/vented outside the house. Tents are relatively cheap. The VivoSun 4X8 that I have now is plenty fine for what I'm doing. If it breaks down in a year or two, I'll buy another. They also sell the fabric only, as that's the only part that could really "go bad" on a tent. The metal poles are metal poles.
OP: Did you really build a 300lb light!?! Mine is rated at 220lb. (image attached) I'm 160lb, and I don't think I'd try doing chin-ups on it every day, but it seems plenty sturdy to me.
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saintmetalhead
Well-Known Member
I also find it easier to play god on a smaller scale, humidity, heat, etc. helps consolidate a lot of these issues.
Nice light! Are you also hanging your fan and filter above the light?
Flatrate
Well-Known Member
Currently just a filter is inside the tent above the light, fan is on top of the tent.
Renfro
Well-Known Member
Makes it cheaper for sure, not sure about easier as it's difficult to stuff a portable AC and dehu in there so you end up having to condition the room the tent is in.
Powertech
Well-Known Member
My flower tent has more holes than a porn star convention, I just wrapped in in black plastic, works great.
I am about to get a new tent, but only so i can flower twice as much at a time
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
Both the A/C and dehuey along with a humidifier should be outside the tent for best efficiency and a steadier state of the environment inside the tent.
Tents seem way too restrictive to me even with nothing but plants in them. I wouldn't want one for my main growing but like I think you mentioned before it's handy to have a light-tight place for all those little experiments so I'm thinking of getting a 4x4' to put in the spare bedroom i'm using for a veg space now. Flowering downstairs in the grow room.
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saintmetalhead
Well-Known Member
That is totally true, im lucky i have a heat pump /w an electric furnace so it makes controlling temps easy for me. my air transfer is pretty decent. but yeah i like tents , they have their place but rooms CAN be better if done correctly and cleaned A LOT lol