Kids Swing, would this work?

[NoTrespassing]

I'd like to make a cheap swing for my 5 year old. I was thinking about sinking a 14 ft. 6"x 6" in the ground about 4 ft. deep in pea gravel. I'd then put a cross bar, probably a 4 x 4 at the top with some bracing and hang a swing from one side and a climbing rope from the other. Do you think the hole would wallow out when a 40-50 lb. kid was swinging on it?

If it didn't work I could repurpose the wood so the only thing lost would be time and energy.

Kevin

 

[tcreeley]

If that is a T you are thinking of- might collapse on the swing side unless you throw in angle brackets. Then you'd just have to worry about twist.
Good luck.

 

[rd_macgregor]

I think the swinging action would create wobble in the post over time. I used three tall 6X6 posts to make my kids' swingset (one post was the top bar) and these wobbled a bit. With my kids grown beyond that kind of swinging, it is now a grape arbor, and the outboard end of my clothesline.

 

[PJSprog]

I'm thinking the physics are not on your side with that design. Neat idea, though.

 

[MossRoad]

It sounds like a neat design, however, its going to want to tip the main post not only to one side but also twist it. Also, you're going to have to have the 4x4 out from the main post a bit so the kids don't hit the post with their hands of knuckles when they want to swing crazy instead of straight, so that's gonna put more weight hanging off the 4x4 with no counter balance. Use 6x6 on each end and a 4X8 for a cross beam. We've had one up for 21 years and its still sturdy.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

Yep. A T isn't going to last very long at all. Make that a couple of 6x6s and a crossbar and you'd be good. You can have the crossbar hang over one end for a climbing rope.

 

[PJSprog]

... and pea gravel will turn into a litter box if there are any outside cats around.

 

[EddieWalker]

I can't think of how you would attach the post on top so that it wouldn't work itself loose in a short amount of time. Even if you mounted the cross beam down several feet and braced it from the top, the forward/backwards forces would be extremely difficult to compensate for.

 

[NoTrespassing]

Thanks for the input everyone. I think I'll go the 2 post route as suggested, as soon as the snow quits flying that is.

Kevin

 

[CobyRupert]

 

[coralhead]

do not use "pea gravel" to set posts. The post will never be tight in the ground. Think how hard it would be to pack a box of marbles tightly. Use dense grade rock or concrete.

 

[rd_macgregor]

Yep. A T isn't going to last very long at all. Make that a couple of 6x6s and a crossbar and you'd be good. You can have the crossbar hang over one end for a climbing rope.

Mine is exactly like that. I added exterior grade plywood gussets to connect the top crosspiece to the uprights and it has been pretty sturdy for about 20 yrs.

 

[4get gto]

View attachment 502227

∆ Too funny !

 

[bcp]

Use a regular A-frames and beam design, but put the supports on skids, staked down with rebar stakes. Move it for different seasons and to repair the grass. When the kids outgrow it, shorten the legs, hang a bench, and put it on your front porch.

Bruce

 

[MIkeWard]

Use a regular A-frames and beam design
I built a swings for my grand kids last spring
the uprights were 12' treated 4x6 stained..... brackets were 3x3 angle bolted together
equilateral triangle is most stable format base but I went with 8' spread at leg bottom/
Rock solid and a long swing arc for kids

 

[MossRoad]

When our last child left for college we took down the two swings and put up a porch swing for me and the wife. :thumbsup:

 

[4570Man]

I think it would probably work but I would use concrete instead of pea gravel. The post on top would be the weak link and it could be reinforced to work. I probably wouldn't use a 4x4 though. I'd go 4x6 or 6x6. It's inevitable that someone heavier than 60 pounds is going to sit on it and I'd afraid of the 4x4 isn't strong enough after the elements get the better of it.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

No, it's not going to work. The twisting forces will be enormous. You could use a 10x10 and it wouldn't hold.

 

[4570Man]

No, it's not going to work. The twisting forces will be enormous. You could use a 10x10 and it wouldn't hold.

The 6x6 isn't the weak link. Assuming he uses concrete instead of pea gravel the weak link is the 4x4 at the top. That's fixable by building a metal bracket instead of using a 4x4.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

The weak link is the rotational forces. To make it work would require massive oversizing of the members, and the cost would be far greater than just building it right in the first place.