Tachyon Swings

[Blinky]

So I finally got the first one hung. I was by myself and only had an hour so it's gonna need some adjusting. This is the first of two swings I was commissioned to make and hang for a customer. They were initially conceived as simple single line disc swings and evolved from there. Including the crown cleaning that goes with them, they ended up averaging about $525 each... the customer didn't bat an eye. My materials cost is about $300 total for both.

Here's the big picture of the setup, it's tall so it has huge potential range. That made the placement tricky, I went with a smaller limb than I wanted but it's still 5", strong and healthy. I had some Cobra left over from a cabling job so I cabled the swing limb to a much larger crotch above it. There is some slack in the cable to allow the limbs to still move independently. Not ideal but I'm winging this... there isn't much research on tree swing design out there.
http://www.arborcarolina.com/_Images/TachyonSwing_01.jpg

First thing I noticed was it twisted really easy... which could be fun but that wasn't the general idea of a seat swing so I'm going to spread the limb attachment points apart by about a foot. Here's a closer look at the attachment and cable...
http://www.arborcarolina.com/_Images/TachyonSwing_02.jpg

After a lot of looking the customer chose Tachyon for the line. They didn't want 3 strand and Tachyon was cheaper than your typical yacht line and I never offered solid braid as a choice... cuz I hate solid braid and I can't splice it. Closeups of the seat and stainless round ring attachments...
http://www.arborcarolina.com/_Images/TachyonSwing_03.jpg

http://www.arborcarolina.com/_Images/TachyonSwing_04.jpg

They wanted high end swings for their two college grad kids. I was happy to oblige, it's fun to do something esoteric every now and then as long as the pay is good.

The second swing is made up but it will hang from a transom style bridge between two trees and I haven't put it up yet. I'll followup with more pics when i do.

[NickfromWI]

Very schnazzy looking!

Did you coat the plank with anything? I know it's easy to replace, but better to urethane it so you don't have to deal with it later.

What's the velcro for?

love
nick

[Blinky]

Thanks. The plank is treated lumber and the customer said the kids could paint it if they had a mind to so I left it as is. The velcro was there to keep the clove hitches in place before I hung it... I just forgot to remove it.

[MasterBlaster]

Wider will be better, for sure!

[Blinky]

You think a foot wider would be enough?

[NickfromWI]

How wide is that thing? I made some that seemed perfect size. I'll have to see if I have the measurements around somewhere...

love
nick

[MasterBlaster]

Not the swing, the spot above where the ropes are tied.

Wider.

[pantheraba]

Beautiful work, Blinky...splice looks great.

[NickfromWI]

Okay, now I follow you guys. Yeah, push them apart 6" to a foot mo fo sho!

$525 sounds about right. Swings can get expensive fast.

How are they attached to the tree? I can barely see in the picture. I'm concerned about rubbing or girdling.

And you should go out 6 months and a year later to have a look at them...just to make sure they're doing alright.

love
nick

[squisher]

That's really cool! :)

[Frans]

I love it that this new high end rope is used for a swing

[Old Monkey]

Wouldn't it be better for the branch to put a couple of bolts in? That's the way I was told to do it so as not to girdle the branch.

[NickfromWI]

My preference is to bolt the tree, too.

[Blinky]

I decided not to bolt it because of the limb diameter. The way I sold it I'll be going back to inspect and adjust annually.

The tie-in points are have a 2" tubular webbing sleeve around the rope. It's tied off with a bowline.

[MasterBlaster]

I love it that this new high end rope is used for a swing


Trust me, the rope doesn't care. ;)

[gf beranek]

Nice job, Blinky. First rate all the way.

[Burnham]

Very nice, top end work.

[Bounce]

Freakin' awesome! I installed a rope swing at my Mom's house last year for my neice when she goes to visit. It was nowhere near as nice as this one (made from 3/4" 3 strand). Excellent work!

[Ace76]

My preference is to bolt the tree, too.

Do you just drill a hole through the branch and use an eye bolt?

[MasterBlaster]

Yep, pretty much.

[NickfromWI]

I'm happy using j-lags for swings because the loads on the anchor are sooooo low compared to what the j-lag can hold. I prefer the j-lags because it is a little less damage to the tree (only drilling a 3" deep hole rather than a through-hole.

love
nick

[Mr. Sir]

Fine looking swing there. Excellent work.

I love doing off-the-wall (or should I say off-the-limb?) jobs like that.

[Blinky]

I forgot about this thread. Here's the second one and the re-tie on the first one. The 2x12 is lagged to the left tree and just resting in the crotch of the right one. I was worried it would flex and wobble but it doesn't.

One thing I learned doing this, long rope make for less fun on a seat swing like these. You just can't get enough height without someone pushing you. I wanted to go with something single rope like a horizontal tire swing cuz they spin and stuff but I reckon these folks are just too sophisticated for that. It was an interesting job anyway and I have some Tachyon leftover to make lanyards.

http://www.arborcarolina.com/_Images/TachyonSwing2_3.jpg

http://www.arborcarolina.com/_Images/TachyonSwing2_2.jpg

http://www.arborcarolina.com/_Images/TachyonSwing2_1.jpg

http://www.arborcarolina.com/_Images/TachyonSwing2_4.jpg

[sotc]

shoot you could show them by using 1 leg, see what they think. i dont know how i missed this thread but its very cool, nice job!!

[NickfromWI]

Blinky- one concern (that won't matter for a few years) is that after the tree grows in diameter, the 2x12 will get pushed against the bolts to the point where the board will take on a "C" shape, then eventually split.

I'd make sure they were looking for that and ready to replace the board at the right time.

I've worked on a ropes course that used this setup for other things and they usually have to be replaced about every 8 years.

love
nick

[NickfromWI]

Blinky, looking closer at those pics, a little alarm is going off with having the rope tied directly to the wood. Did you round the edges over or anything like that? I would expect to see some wear at that point, even if the edges were rounded over well.

It might be worth updating the setup...maybe with a throughbolt or perhaps a piece of cable through the wood, connected to the rope below via a carabiner?

Just thinking out loud here...

love
nick

[Blinky]

The plan is to inspect and adjust them in a year and then bi-annually. The bolt holes are chamfered on both sides. The rope is so long there no movement there anyway.

[Wagnaw]

I love rope swings

[Jamin Mayer]

I haven't done a swing like that before. Nice job!

I have set up simple swings though. I basically tie a running bowline to the trunk and re-direct through a suitable lateral branch. The general public wouldn't even think of a re-direct to distribute load.

It bothers me when I see H.O.'s installing a rope swing on questionable limbs.

My attachment shows how simple my swings are.:(

[NickfromWI]

Jamin, you could also switch the running bowline to a HUGE bowline, so the tree always has room to grow. You could be even more tree friendly by running the bowline through a piece of 2" webbing to minimize even the minute (VERY minute) rope/tree rubbing.

Cool, simple idea, though!

love
nick

[Frans]

I wonder if 'Trex' would make a good seat for a swing. Seems like it would flex (which would be good) and not rot...

[rumination]

Trex, does actually rot because it has sawdust impregnated in it. I would use the fully recycled plastic lumber instead.

[THillMaine]

how about a few half hitches backing up that clove hitch in the first pic...

[Blinky]

how about a few half hitches backing up that clove hitch in the first pic...

Not sure I follow...

The very first pic was my first idea and it was a bad one; it's not a clove though (around the branch), it's a loop. I changed it the next day to a simple bowline.

The cloves on the round rigs don't need a backup, they're hitched to small diameter steel, they won't be moving anywhere as long as the load is balance between both legs.

Was that what you meant?

[will]

I thought a clove hitch was for mid line not terminal attachment?

[Blinky]

You can use it either way. Hitching to diameters larger than the rope should be backed up with half hitches when it's on a terminal end. I've seen it used rigging big wood but I stick to the running bowline.

[Frans]

Hitching to diameters larger than the rope should be backed up with half hitches when it's on a terminal end.

When do you rope down branches which are less than the diameter of your rope?
:lol:

[Blinky]

Hey man, I'm a pruning guy, I only cut little watersprouts... and hook up ridiculously expensive rope swings. :D

[will]

Nice work if you can get it!

[Ace76]

Not the swing, the spot above where the ropes are tied.

Wider.

Sorry to bring up an old thread. Why should it be wider, and exactly how wide is best? I am fixing to make a swing in my back yard, and I want to do it right the first time. I will be using 10mm PMI static rope and Eye bolts.

[Old Monkey]

I bet that a running bowline would still create an indent on a limb or trunk.

[NickfromWI]

Sorry to bring up an old thread. Why should it be wider, and exactly how wide is best? I am fixing to make a swing in my back yard, and I want to do it right the first time. I will be using 10mm PMI static rope and Eye bolts.

I think the two ropes should hang down plumb.

love
nick

[Blinky]

For short lengths the ropes can be plumb but if you make the overhead attachments wider, even if it's just a wee bit wider, it stabilizes the seat when it's swinging. Consider going the other way. If you made it narrower the seat would twist easily and generally suck for swinging high.

Definitely wider at the top, but it doesn't have to be much.

[Ace76]

Thanks!!!!

[Ace76]

I'm happy using j-lags for swings because the loads on the anchor are sooooo low compared to what the j-lag can hold. I prefer the j-lags because it is a little less damage to the tree (only drilling a 3" deep hole rather than a through-hole.

love
nick

Hey Nick, I am thinking about using the lags instead of bolts. I cant seem to find any bolts long enough to go through the branch. What length & diameter do you reccomend? I was thinking along the lines of 6" long and 3/8 or 1/2. I want to be sure it is strong enough for a 230 lb person to swing on it.

[NickfromWI]

I've installed swings with the 1/2" j lags that wesspur sells. I am sure the 3/8 would be plenty strong...but i stepped it up on size since it only increased the price by $2.00 for 4 swings.

Think about what forces steel cable connected to trees puts on those lags. 230 pounds bouncing and swinging below is nothing.

love
nick