In town I regularly passed
by a house with a web swing in their front yard. It was something I
had not seen before. It looked like the kids were having a great time using it.
I had been eyeing it for a few months and decided it would be a great gift for my daughter's second birthday.
It took a number of searches to find out more information about it on the net.
Searching swings can be a dangerous game and the wrong set of words can quickly end you up with some NSFW results!
Prior to starting I knew that I would not be able to mount an eye bolt or use a typical running bowline knot to put up the swing. The main reason is that I didn't want to climb the 30+ feet to the lowest suitable branch now or in the future if maintenance or removal would be required. Also I planned to mount the swing from a single attachment point because most of the branches on my tree were vertically oriented and I only had a couple suitable splits to choose from. It's really nice to be able to take the set-up down to inspect the ropes and hardware without much trouble.
Web Swing - Hardware Selection
Swing - Web Riderz
Although I liked the look of the big rectangular swing that had originally started the wheels spinning, research led me to a supposedly heavier duty round model that I eventually selected which was the Web Riderz Swing from M & M Sales Enterprises.
The Web Riderz is rated at 600lbs vs 250lbs for most of the other models.
Ropes - Sterling Rope Marine Rescue Line + 3" Tow Strap
Initially I planned to use tow straps to hang the swing. I figured what could be safer than a 20,000lb tow strap or two hanging the swing from the tree.
A trial of the strap I had on hand showed that aesthetically this solution was not going to work for me.
I decided I would go with a 6 foot short tow strap way up in the tree and come down off of it with some high end rope. This took another round of research as I delved into the different type of rope for climbing, towing, rescue, and other applications.
I had a hunch that a static rope would be a good fit for this application and I went on-line to one of my favorite rope companies to see what was available. The company, Sterling Rope (maker of universal camping use glo-cord), had a wide variety of options available. One stuck out to me which was 7/16" waterline. It had a number of qualities that appealed to me, it was a static low stretch rope used for marine and rescue with qualities such as abrasion and UV resistance with a 4450 pound weight rating. Plus the bonus is that they had it on clearance and I was able to get it at a very good price.
Hardware - 3/8" Stainless Steel Quick Links and Spinner
Hardware to connect everything up was the easiest part of the process.
I headed to the local Home Depot and bought the biggest stainless quick links they had, 3/8" rated at 3500 pounds each. The project required 6 of these.
I also picked up a 3/8" hot dipped galvanized swivel rated for 2200 pounds.
(Note: I will be upgrading the spinner in the future)
Install Process
I selected a horizontal looking branch about 30 feet off the ground that seemed to be bigger than the 8" diameter that my on-line research indicated was the standard for safety.
I tied a large metal washer to a long length of masonry line and spent the better part of an hour trying to get it around the branch.
Once I finally got it over I pulled up my ropes.
Failure! The branch which looked so nice and level from the ground actually had a downward pitch. I could tell that my swing set-up would eventually work it's way to the end of the branch and ultimately slide right off or break where the branch narrowed out at the end.
Disappointed, I looked for another suitable mounting position and settled on a split about 35 feet off the ground. I decided that I couldn't spend another hour trying to get the metal washer in the precise right place. I went out to the garage and got a softball and some painter's tape. I knew I could throw the softball with much higher accuracy if the line didn't affect the flight too much. I made a loop in the end of the line and put it over the softball. I then wrapped the whole thing up good with the painter's tape.
1-2-3! On my third try I had the line through the V split exactly where I wanted it.
Excited, I continued on putting up the next phase of the project the tow strap that I wanted to support the swing. I pulled up a 20 foot tow strap I had on hand and then used the quick links to join it to the ropes.
I did a bunch of research on which type of knot would be safest and most secure and ultimately settled on the Figure 8 Double Loop style. It was a process to learn how to make the loop and get the same distance on the two ropes to hand the swing.
Thanks to the Animated Knots by Grog website who's animation I much have watched dozens of times to get it right.
At the beginning I used the 20 foot tow strap and some rope I had laying around which was rated for 244 pounds. This was enough to support my 2 year old daughter but would never do for the bigger kids and adults I envisioned using the swing.
Aesthetically the 20 foot bright yellow tow strap was also ugly to my eyes.
I ordered the marine rescue line from Sterling Rope and got out a 6 foot tree saver tow strap to replace the 20 foot version.
After the upgraded rope came in, the swing was ready for business.
At this point I also added a secondary safety rope with a shorter section of the rescue line that provides redundancy for the tow strap. If for any reason the tow strap ever gave out this safety section would catch the branch with only a few inches of drop.
We now have a versatile fun swing that is great for all ages.
My 6 month old rides on his belly gripping the ropes and even the grandparents can ride holding multiple kids.
Thorough research in the build and numerous iterations through the process have me confident that this a fun and safe addition that will be a fixture in my yard for years to come.
Get all the parts you need for your very own web-swing right here:
r1 rinaic's Favorite Things - Web Swing Components
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