Swing sets

This board seems to have people with kids hanging out so maybe I can get an answer to this question. Yes I have looked on the net to no avail. (my search skills are limited)

A friend that is moving across country gave us a metal swing set. I just had to disassemble and get it out of their yard. My question is how do I find proper installation instructions? It had a couple of flimsy sheet metal clamps attached to 1-foot long metal screws driven into the ground. I took those with me, but I would think it would need them on all corners, not just two. Seems like the clamps would be a hazard also sticking out like they do. I'm not paranoid, just careful. I have the scars to show for not growing up in the safetycrat society and don’t want my daughter to have scars of her own, not to mention liability if one of her friends gets hurt. .

BEST: dig four holes 8-12" deep. Sit swingset in holes, fill with quickrete. That should hold it.

NOT-AS-GOOD: straps/stakes at all four corners

Even-less-good, but OK in a pinch: straps/stakes on two (diagonal corners). That will hold it for most use, but it's just adequate.

What we all lived through: No stakes/cementing at all. Never could tip one, but I tried.

Tim Baxter wrote: What we all lived through: No stakes/cementing at all. Never could tip one, but I tried.

Ah, memories... we used to "walk" my neighbor's swingset across their back yard by synchronizing our swinging just so.

Margie

I managed to tip mine. I still have the scars. I used cement footings for my kids swing set.

This is a small set, maybe 6-7 fet tall. Might be too short if I sink it in sack/quick/concrete. I have to make some measurements. I do have about 20 cubic yards of wood chips to put down as a surface. The local electric company and tree services will drop as much as I want for free.

Even at 7 foot, you can probably easily drop it 6 inches or so. Remember, kids are short, and it's going to settle into the ground some anyway.

I'd pour the four concrete footings so that the top was level with grade. I'd plan on at least two bags of ready mix and use cardboard wine boxes as forms. 1' sq should be enough but slightly bigger won't hurt.

I'd cast in place two vertical steel straps for each of the four legs and through-bolt the swingset legs. Minimize sharp hardware and wrap what you can't avoid.

Total cost under $10 and all items available at your local hardware.

8" deep is not enough.

I'd go 12"- 18" as a minimum, maybe a lot more in freeze areas.

Imbed the metal poles about 8".

How many swings? even a small set can have 3- 60 lb kids timing their swings to be fairly significant at the end of the stroke.

It's easy to make the legs longer. Just slip a scrap of pipe of a slightly larger diameter over the leg, and run a bolt through them.

How old is the set? Metal sets are a bit dated. Look hard for rust, worn bolts, worn chains, and especially pinch points.

bludroptop wrote: ...cardboard wine boxes as forms... Total cost under $10 and all items available at your local hardware.

You forgot to add the $7.00 for each box of wine.

Sorry had to do it.

I cut up my kids' swingset to fix my Sidekick I had. Am I a bad dad or a good GRMer???

just don't go overboard

From Fortress

Lets see

1. I dont drink wine from a box. But I can improvise and I have 5 bags of crete already from building the house.

2. My daughter is bigger than all her friends and most of their siblings so I will extend the legas for enough height.

3. The set is less than a year old, I disassembled it in less than 10 min.

4. A 12 pack of beer is about 9 bucks in these parts. (thats the improvosation from point #1)

5. Cutting up the swing for the side kick is cool if the kids enjoy jumping mud pudles in the Side kick.

6. I am in the middle of 5 acres of dense forest with Grandma and Grandpa on one side and notheing for about a mile on the other. The swingmahal wouldnt be an issue except I am too cheap to build it.

Thanks for the advise, I now have a plan.

Why do my bullet points all come up as #1?

A swingset frame and a comealong makes a pretty decent engine hoist.

That's all I've got..

NYG95GA wrote: A swingset frame and a comealong makes a pretty decent engine hoist. That's all I've got..

With the thin walled mild steel tubing in this thing I wouldnt even think of trying that.

Oh, it's been done. Not that I have any direct knowledge or anything................

OT, but how about make a swing set from roll cage material?

I have tipped a swing set. It wasn't very hard, but I was 26 at the time.

Wally wrote: I have tipped a swing set. It wasn't very hard, but I was 26 at the time.

That made me laugh.

Joey