Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Rope Swing

I have a acre+ size pond that is 18-20 feet in the deep end. The sides are very steep. The water is unusally clear. Even though my kids have a large swimming pool with a diving board, they would like me to install a rope swing on the edge of the pond. There are no trees close enough to the edge to do this. Does anyone have any ideas about building a structure to put a rope onto that would enable a person to swing out over the pond and then let go. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Maybe you could set two tall posts with a cross piece in between them at the top, or one post with a "hangman" top bar, and tie the rope to the top piece.

You've seen my pictures. Imagine a 600' zip lime all the way across. Tie it to big trees.

Check out one of these. Wet Willie Water Slides They had an ad in Pond Boss last year.

Thank you for the fast replies. My buddy and I are in the process of drawing up some plans for a wooden support for the swing. I'm really concerned because a few of the swimmers might weigh almost 250#. I like the idea of a "hangman" type of structure because it only has one pole, but I not sure how to anchor one large pole that has one arm at the top so it would be sturdy enough to support a 250# person swinging from a rope attatched to the end of the arm. I just don't know how much "toque" the swinging action would put on the pole and the arm
itself. I was hoping that someone in the group may have already tried to construct a rope swing on the bank of their pond. Thanks again and I will try to post pics of the completed rope swing, if it turns out.

Lance,
I have a swing on my dock. I built it before the pond filled and used large osage orange trees for the framework. Water is about 12' at the swing post. The strap hooked to the pole is 14' long. We run towards shore and that puts us into a nice loop that kind of arcs out over the pond.
Few more pics on home page.
http://home.earthlink.net/~zhkent/
None of pics are compressed yet, so apologies to dial up users.

Lance Workman - Wow, large kids @ 250# :p

Lance a couple of ideas. If you know some one who could weld you could make a hangman type thing from 4 inch pipe. That should hold any 250 pound kid.

Or you could set two 6x6 posts about 6 foot apart. Then connect those with another 6x6 at the top, with bracing. That way you could put your swing in the middle. This should be pretty strong also.

Donnie

Lance,
Some people have trouble holding on by their hands when they first take off. Water is around 5-6' where they jump off of dock, so no problem if they can't hold on.
One neice that was 7 splashed in a dozen times before she made it around.

Theo is gonna kill me, but I think that Lance has shown enough interest in human-active pond entertainment for me to release our latest project.
We have been using Theo's pond for field tests on a new design of human catapult. I came up with idea during a nightmare. Theo drew it up. It is constructed from numerous objects that Theo planned for structure. It appears dangerous, but Theo assures me that it is engineered to be perfectly safe. I believe him.
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Here we are after Theo has carefully explained all the built in safety devices. Mrs Gallus has volunteered her time by sewing together a tether vest that fits me perfectly. It is assembled from Theo's old fishing lure vest. I strap in; man was I excited!

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Theo methodically sets the counterweight and releases the trigger mechanism. Strangely, he still won't trust Mrs Gallus with the camera, so he deftly fires the catapult while still snapping off file photos.

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The head-rush is amazing. I'm tellin ya Lance, you will NEVER go back to that silly rope on a treelimb.

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The tether releases from the sling-hook, right on the money...no neck snap like the first model.

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About this time, I know we are onto something REALLY BIG! Also, about this time, I realize that Theo's pond is slightly smaller than planned. Kudos to Mrs Gallus for her foresight in strapping my arms to the vest like a strait-jacket. The design prevents my natural reaction to outstretch my arms, thus maximizing the fling distance (Theo says this is an aeronautical term; I believe him).

The first time I saw the Theopult demonstrated the flingee hit a landing net which acted like a tramopline and was sent sprawling. I am glad to see it has been moved to the pond.

For the last time, Brettski:

1) It's not a catapult, it's a trebuchet,

2) You did not break your leg, it's just a light sprain with a little femur poking out,

3) That local sales rep you brought with you DOES NOT look good in plaid.

Brettski - It is official, you also are tilted slightly into the fourth dimension, there happily with Theo, I presume. :p

Theo I am sure glad that since you are French or is it Chinese, you straightened old Brettski out.

Finally, the last type of catapult is a trebuchet, which used gravity or traction rather than tension or torsion to propel the throwing arm. A falling counterweight, or the effort of the one or more operators, pull down the bottom end of the arm and the projectile is thrown from a sling attached to a rope hanging from the top end of the arm, essentially like a sling attached to a giant see-saw. The counterweight was usually much heavier than the projectile. More modern trebuchets often replace the counterweight with industrial springs to create tension.

How is it that the French get to name things others invent?

It is believed that the first traction trebuchets were used in China as early as in the 5th century BC, descriptions of which can be found in the 5th century BC Mozi. Chinese counterweight trebuchets were called the Huihui Pao (回回砲) or Xiangyang Pao (襄陽砲). ("huihui" means Muslim) because they were first encountered in China at the siege cities of Fancheng and Xiangyang when the Mongol army, unable to capture the cities despite besieging the Song defenders for years, brought in two Persian engineers who built hinged counterweight trebuchets and soon reduced the cities to rubble and forcing the surrender of the garrison.

How, indeed? Fries, toast, bread, drains, horns, kissing - did the French actually invent any of these?

...Sunil gets their benefits

Brettsker is right. I almost quit my job until they started offering french benefits.

This means we get fries with our burgers for whichever meal falls within our shift. We are open 24 hours.

ROFLMAO!!!

It's beginning to smell a little bit like almonds...which is not good.

zhkent, please correct me if i'm wrong, but is that a large baby ruth bar hanging from the rope in yer picture?

D.I.E.D.
It's a baby Kaci.
Day two of a summer camp out, with light rain. Kaci and my daughter are 5th grade buds.

I always wondered if you were a "D'ya want fries wit' dat?" kind of person.

Man, I love to read that legal jargon!

burgermeister - Thanks, for the help, I thought that was history. Those legal guys are pretty darn treacherous.