Tire Swing

One of the things I loved growing up was swinging on our swing set. Now...let me explain. We didn't have an ordinary, run-of-the-mill swing set that you see at any home improvement store. No, our's was MUCH "less safe", and therefore MUCH more fun than any you could buy at a store.

My dad had made our swing set from treated 4x4's. It stood approximately 15 feet high at the center beam, and there were 4 swings on chains that hung down from that beam. The swings were made of 2x6's, and were about 15-20 inches wide each. The center beam was 20 feet long, so there was space in between each swing. We definitely got a LOT of use out of that swing set, and LOVED to swing on it.

All that being said, last summer I decided to put up a tire swing at my in-laws house. They have trees tall enough to put one in, and we go up there often enough to make it worth it. I talked to a tire shop in town and got a tire for free, and then got a length of rope that has a 700 lb. test strength and very little stretch.

I had to remove one branch from the tree to hang it on the branch I wanted, which is about 30-35 feet in the air. Having that long of a rope makes for an EXCELLENT swing path.

Even though my babies are still little, Hadley, the 19 month old, already enjoys it. It has also been used by many other kids that have been at their house and hopefully will last for a long time.

Here's a video of Hadley enjoying it.