Adults may perceive their own suburban area in different ways, but for their children, the dacha is exclusively a place to relax. It is unusual, beautiful and interesting, you can walk a lot on the street, but if there is nothing special to do, the kids will quickly get bored of being here, and they will start to be capricious and want to go home. To distract them and keep them occupied with something interesting, it is worth equipping the territory - the best for this purpose are street children's double swing for a summer residence.
Construction types
Although each of the readers, at the very mention of the name, probably already imagined the appearance of this structure, in fact it is not at all excluded that it was presented in different ways. Although such an attraction is very simple, there can be quite a few approaches to its creation, and each of them is not without its own advantages. Perhaps, each of the options should be considered in more detail.
Two separate hanging swings
This design looks the same as one single design, just here two independent seats are attached to the crossbar. The structure consists of a frame that vaguely resembles a football goal (although it is better to specially reinforce the “barbells” with an A-shaped strut) and a crossbar resting on them. The entire product can be made by hand, or purchased, or combined from purchased and homemade parts.
The seats can be integrated with the suspension, or can be easily removed for maintenance or replacement. In general, a single swing is good because provide the possibility of simultaneous skiing with different set parameters - for example, the elder wants to roll out harder, and the younger - safety is more important.
Connected hanging swing
If we talk about the frame, then here it is completely similar to the previous version, with the only difference that the place for both kids swings at the same time. This problem can be solved in two ways - either by making the seat in the form of a wider bench, which can accommodate two, sitting side by side, or by placing single seats opposite each other, connecting them with a common foot area.
Although such a swing is much heavier, with a certain strength, even one child can ride it successfully; at the same time, they are great at teaching teamwork to achieve a common goal.
Swing duets
This type of design is the simplest, requires the least amount of materials, but at the same time it is designed only for children of a relatively small age, and even then - provided that they weigh approximately the same. Such a balancer looks like a small central support in the form of a pin, on which a long board is attached in its middle.
The seats are located on opposite edges of the board - alternately pushing off the ground, the children soar upward, lowering their partner. On this design option it is absolutely impossible to ride alone, but on the other hand, it maximizes the development of skills of mutual assistance.
Materials
The selection of materials for the swing is carried out based on such parameters as cost, their durability, ability to withstand planned loads, as well as aesthetics of appearance. In general, four groups of different materials can be distinguished:
- Wood. With proper treatment, the tree can easily withstand continuous operation in outdoor conditions for several years, and also leads in the category of attractiveness that has already become classic. An additional plus of a swing made of wood is that you don't have to buy this material, but use old boards or logs, which are in almost any private household; in some cases, the material can even be specially prepared independently. Another thing is that it is still better not to make the structure of wood alone, at least in places reinforcing the joints with metal.
- Metal. Like wood, metal does not withstand outdoor conditions very well, but mankind has come up with enough varnishes and paints to protect metal products from destruction. It is the metal swing that can be rightly called the most durable and durable option, so the choice in favor of this material should be made when the swing is chosen with a margin, for many years to come. Another thing is that in such a situation it is necessary to calculate the maximum load especially carefully, since children grow up, sway more and more, and in a couple of years the load on the mounts can grow several times.
A metal product will be the most expensive of all options, and ideally at least the seat itself should be made of a different material, such as wood.
- Plastic... This material for making swings can be safely called the rarest - attractions from it are rarely made due to the fact that even the best samples are still inferior in strength to the two previous options. Plastic swings are unlikely to be made at home - you can only buy them, and although they are not that expensive, this option will last, at best, for several years. At the same time, there is still one factor that makes consumers sometimes turn their gaze in this direction, because it is plastic models that have the most striking appearance.
The low weight support and very bright colors make this material commonly used for compact, small attractions with tiny seats, primarily intended for preschoolers' recreation.
- Materials at hand. In fact, in suburban conditions, such a phenomenon as the design of children's attractions with their own hands is very common. To achieve this goal, items may be useful for which it seemed that there was no longer any use, and if something had to be bought, then only in small quantities and at minimal cost. A swing made of wood can be completely constructed with your own hands, but often the owners try not to replace the labor of factory machines on their own, but to make the most of what is already ready.
In particular, homemade hanging swings often have no support at all made by human hands - as such, a solid tree is used with a thick, reliable branch located low enough with a fairly horizontal position.
As a suspension, you can use both an ordinary thick rope and more durable metal chains - depending on the type of seat, as well as what is already available. As for the seat itself, here you can use both a solid board of a suitable size (with a special preliminary creation of reliable grooves for suspension), and an old skate, car tires, and much more.
Some parents prefer to purchase factory seats for homemade swings, to keep children safe while riding or just to make the process more convenient and comfortable - this is also an acceptable option, but you should think in advance whether the prefabricated structure will turn out to be sufficiently stable and reliable.
The cost
When installing attractions, the financial side of the issue plays an important role. The cheapest will, of course, be self-assembly from scrap materials - so you can not spend money at all if you already have all the components, or you can buy the same ropes or chains for several hundred rubles.
Cheap plastic seating can cost the same; wooden and metal benches will cost thousands.
As for the finished structures, it all depends on the material and size, but it is worth focusing on an amount of several thousand rubles, close to five-digit values. Keep in mind that for factory products, the price also depends on the brand: the more famous, the more expensive.
How to make a swing from a tree with your own hands, see below.
