You can interest the younger generation in a trip to the country in different ways; one of these incentives is to equip an interesting playground. Build a house or slide from leftover lumber, and assemble a sandbox. And in order not to go beyond your vacation budget, make a swing from a tire with your own hands. It will turn out unusual, but the kids will like it. Moreover, a homemade tire swing allows for more freedom in games if you skillfully handle the attraction.
Even from a tire you can make a pretty decent swing
Types of tire swing designs
Homemade versions of children's attractions are always inferior to purchased models made of beautiful plastic in design and design. Swings made from wheel tires look simpler and even rougher than glossy Chinese rocking chairs, and their structure and decorative finishing are primarily designed for safety and the most brutal treatment by children, and certainly not for the successful sale of the product.
On the other hand, there is always an abundance of material and patterns; you can make a swing from old tires with your own hands even on every trip out of town. Moreover, manufacturing requires virtually no special skills other than common sense, physical strength and the ability to work with metalworking tools.
Most often, the model and design of a tire swing is chosen depending on the mobility and age of the children, these can be:
- A simple swing made from a vertically mounted tire on a chain or, more often, cord suspension;
- Swing with a seat - a nest for young children. The tire is often additionally trimmed with a cover to avoid abrasions on the children’s arms and legs;
- Complex two-tier swings and models with a specially shaped seat;
- Swing - pendulum.
It is clear that, in addition to the age of the children, it will be necessary to take into account the weight of the participants, the location and circumstances of the installation of the children's attraction. For example, it’s easy to make a swing from a tire on a rope with your own hands and install it on the nearest tree when going out into the forest for a picnic or when going fishing with the whole family. In other cases, the site and method of attaching the suspension must be carefully thought out and planned.
A hiking version of the swing can be made in a couple of minutes
Creative way
Available 2 tires or more, unlimited number of chains and ropes, cables, ropes. Wooden boards of various lengths, widths and thicknesses. Rings, brackets, the entire set of carpentry and plumbing tools.
Something to think about, isn't it? After all, there are hundreds and perhaps thousands of options for how you can arrange a swing using this abundance of materials and your own imagination.
With a creative approach to business, you can build an original swing that no one else will have.
Creativity has no boundaries, and many continue to invent new types of swings. Including those made from good old car tires.
A simple swing made from one tire
The simplest models are just a regular car tire suspended from a canvas strap or a regular old polypropylene fiber tow rope. The tire size must be at least 19”; smaller tires often have too little interior space.
The tire can be mounted horizontally on the suspension, and then you get a swing with a nested seat. The tire size in this case does not matter much.
Riding a dinosaur
To make a seat you will need a board, plastic or tire from which craftsmen cut horses or dinosaurs. Recently, parks often have swings and seats like a hammock, only in a smaller version.
By borrowing this idea, you can try out such a novelty in your garden.
Modern swings for the playground
Often you need to do more than just make a simple seat and hang it correctly under a canopy or on a tree branch. For most children familiar with modern children's attractions, this is often not enough. In this case, for the playground you have to make your own rope swing from a tire with an unusually shaped seat.
Polypropylene ropes give the suspension increased elasticity and allow you to swing on the swing in almost any direction. A carved cradle or even a tire chair provides an interesting design and safe use of the swing.
Advice! If you plan to build a full-fledged attraction with the ability to swing with a large amplitude, then it is best to make a swing from a tire with your own hands on chains.
This is not a whim or a desire to play it safe. For younger children 5-6 years old, you can make a rope swing with your own hands from a tire; the weight and load are small, so there will be no problems. A chain suspension is preferable for attractions designed for older children; it will ensure stabilization of the direction of movement and fastening strength even under the most extreme overloads. Whereas ropes and belts made of synthetic fibers can stretch and even delaminate.
Useful tips
A few useful tips will help you better arrange a playground for children, ensure safety, and find new ideas:
- If the cradle is intended for the smallest children, additional safety will be provided by removable crossbars installed on both sides and attached to the side shelves of the wheel.
- Painting the tire not only on the outside, but also on the inside will help get rid of the rubber smell as much as possible.
- Using several tires, a hanging children's swing from wheels can be designed in the form of a tractor, turtle, swan, or sea creature.
- From time to time, adults need to check the strength of the fastening. The ropes may fray due to unrolling.
- To prevent the child from staining his clothes, wipe the swing with a damp cloth before use.
It is advisable to put the swing in the barn for the winter. Tires are not afraid of frost, but ropes can rot. The chains will become covered with rust. In the spring, children's entertainment will not be put into place for long.
What tools and materials will be needed
It is clear that when making swings from car tires, you cannot use random materials of unknown origin. It is best to choose tires from old stocks; be sure to buy new chains or ropes with fasteners. And most importantly, before putting into operation the entire structure of the garden swing made of tires needs to be checked with your own hands several times, tested and loaded to the maximum to make sure that they are completely safe.
To work with tires, depending on the chosen model, you will need:
- A sharp knife with a very thin, preferably forged, fillet-type blade. You can use a carving knife for meat or fish;
- Sharpening stone or devices for sharpening the cutting edge;
- Liquid soap;
- Chalk pencil;
- Electric drill with a set of large diameter drills.
You can also cut the tire with a hand saw or jigsaw. It all depends on the size and design of the cradle. If you make a seat of a special shape from a swing tire, the amount of work will increase several times. In this case, to cut the tire, you can use scissors for cutting reinforcement or a regular grinder with a stone disc.
You can also cut with a regular hacksaw.
Construction
To build a wooden garden swing, it is enough to know how to handle carpentry tools. As a rule, their design is quite simple, so there is no need to calculate the load on it. It is important that the swing can withstand both the main and lateral loads that occur when the seat swings. The upper corners should be equipped with spacers, thanks to which the initial supports will be more durable.
To make wooden swings, you should use only bolted connections, since under the influence of dynamic loads they will sway and become loose, and no powerful self-tapping screw in such critical places can simply cope.
The technology for making a swing comes down to burying two wooden pillars to a depth of 100 cm, on top of which a horizontal pipe is laid. For this design, it is attached directly to the seat. If the swing is under a canopy, then, as a rule, they choose the simplest, easiest to assemble.
It is also important that garden wood is polished as it is very easy for a splinter to sink into unfinished wood. As for hanging, you can use rope or hang it from chains. The bench can be equipped with a backrest, which will provide additional protection while swinging. But swing designs can be very different.
Ergonomics, comfort, convenience, simplicity of design, functionality and safety - all this is typical for wooden garden swings. The photo shows a variety of models. This means that choosing a design to suit the style of your summer cottage will be quite simple.
Which tires are best to use?
To make a children's attraction, you can use old worn-out 15-20" tires for winter driving and always with a synthetic cord. These tires are much softer and require less effort to cut. The more the tread is worn, the better. This only increases the level of comfort.
For your information! It is strictly forbidden to use tires with metal cord. The wire often breaks inside the rubber and comes out as thin metal needles.
If possible, it is best to use high-profile tires produced in the European Union. These tires do not contain special softeners or oil-based chemical additives. They do not delaminate even during long-term storage in the open sun and do not sweat out soot and lubricants.
How to cut a tire for a swing
The procedure for manually cutting a tire requires quite a lot of physical effort. It is difficult to cut rubber 5-10 mm thick by hand even with a very sharp knife. Cutting a tire with a jigsaw is even more difficult. Rubber is difficult to cut, and the cord gathers and clogs the tool’s slide.
A simple cut on the tire can be made with a sharp knife moistened with soapy water.
Therefore, when making hanging swings from tires, two technological methods are used:
- A hole is drilled in the side, the size of which allows you to insert a knife blade. The knife is moistened with liquid soap or castor oil and, pressing one of the edges, a short cut is made. When cutting, force is applied when the blade moves toward itself;
- They cut with a grinder and a stone cutting wheel. The disc must penetrate into the thickness of the tire no more than 8 mm, otherwise the tool may break. The second pass cuts through the tire; if desired, the second cut can be made with a knife.
For your information! If you use a grinder to cut a tire onto a swing seat, then it is best to choose a place far from the house. When cutting, a huge amount of toxic smoke and soot is generated; if the disc overheats, the tire can catch fire.
True, cutting a tire with a grinder takes only 5-7 minutes, while manually cutting blanks from tires onto a swing for a playground will take at least an hour and a half.
Principles of building a swing
You should never compromise when it comes to safety. Even if the height from which you can fall if a branch breaks or a rope breaks is small, no one needs bruises and fractures, frights and abrasions, especially children.
The main principles that must be observed when constructing a swing are reliability and safety.
If you decide to place the swing on your summer cottage, you will have to take care of constructing a stable suspension. One of the options is a diagram (photo 1).
And here it is appropriate to move on to the technical side of the matter. Despite the simplicity of the swing design, you can’t do it without skillful men’s hands, a set of plumbing tools and the right eye.
And we need to start with inventory. We will base our design of future swings on what materials are available.
What is the best place to make a swing?
There are two proven ways to make a children's attraction. In the first case, the swing can be hung under a canopy near the house. To attach ropes or chains, it is enough to lay an additional 90x90 mm beam or a steel pipe with a diameter of at least 70 mm.
The second way is to hang a swing tire seat with ropes on a horizontal section or a thick branch of an old tree. It could be walnut, acacia, oak, maple. Poplar or fruit trees are not suitable for installing a swing; the wood is too weak.
In any case, the place for a children's attraction should be level, without holes or humps, and clearly visible from the windows of a dacha or a resting place for adults.
How to make a simple swing from a tire with your own hands
The most affordable option, which you can make yourself, is a simple swing from a large-diameter tire suspended vertically. You don’t even have to drill the sidewalls to secure the hangers with bolts, but simply tie the wheel at the top with several loops of polypropylene or polyamide rope and secure it to a branch or crossbar of the canopy.
The best solution would be to use large diameter tires. For example, 17” tires have an internal diameter of at least 50 cm, which is enough to seat one child.
In this case, it is better to secure the tire using eye bolts, which have a mounting ring instead of a hex head. It is enough to make one hole for a vertical seat or four for a horizontal one, screw in the fasteners, hang the seat, and your DIY tire swing is almost ready. You can decorate the seat or add an additional soft cushion.
Wooden swing with fabric
If a traditional swing is what you really need, this platform swing is what you need.
They are covered with handmade fabric and are ideal for the garden.
Your little ones will have a lot of fun with this.
And this is a very, very simple swing to assemble.
Plus, you don't need to build a frame for this. You can simply hang them on a tree.
This is also a great way to use up leftover fabric.
How to make a swing cradle from a tire with your own hands
If it is possible to use large tires, at least “22”, then you can try to build a more complex version of a swing with cradles. Such attractions are made for playgrounds where several children can play at the same time.
The following step-by-step instructions will help you make a tire swing for at least four children
First of all, you need to make a frame for the swing. To do this, two vertical metal pipe posts with a diameter of 70 mm are concreted into the ground. At a level of 150-170 cm, a horizontal crossbar with a diameter of at least 90 mm is placed on the racks, it is welded to the supports and additionally reinforced with pieces of reinforcement.
A swing cradle can be made from a truck tire. You just need to cut the tire into two equal halves, drill holes along the edges for sealing the ropes and hang the cradle on the crossbar. The rigidity of the seat is enough for a small child to climb inside entirely with his legs.
Bassinet option for little ones
Hanging option
The most favorite swing for most children is the hanging swing, on which they can swing for a very long time. The first step is to choose a place where the swing will be located. Take into account the distance necessary so that the child can swing freely and nothing restricts this process. A step-by-step description will help you make such a swing.
You will need:
- old tire;
- 4 eye bolts or 4 U bolts;
- 6 nuts;
- metal chain, rope or strong rope;
- prepared support for a swing;
- drill.
The tire on the swing will be positioned horizontally. Therefore, in its side part you need to make holes with a drill and attach four bolts.
We thread rope or chain links into the loops. We strengthen it well. Determine the length of the rope or chain. It depends on the height of the support and the height of the child. It is necessary to take into account that children will have to climb on it themselves.
We hang the swing from the support. The crossbar must have fastenings with loops attached. We thread chains or ropes through the loops and secure them well. The hanging swing is ready.
The tire can be used to form different seats and make the swing more comfortable and interesting. For example, weave and secure the straps on top. Then the child will not fall into the hole in the tire. Or cut the side part of half the tire and bend the whole part, and this will form a comfortable seat with a backrest. A great idea would be to cut a horse out of a tire. The photo below clearly shows how to do this.
Related article: DIY cardboard cake with wishes: MK with templates
How to make a swing nest from a tire with your own hands
For teenagers and older fans of children's attractions, it is recommended to make a swing with a horizontal tire arrangement. But this solution has one significant drawback - the mounting hole for the disk is very large, and it is not very comfortable to sit on such a seat.
Therefore, the tire is most often designed in the form of a nest. To do this, holes are drilled on the sidewalls of the tire, but only on one side, in four groups of four.
The next step is to thread the rope with a stitch through the holes. It turns out to be a sewing zigzag.
Next, without cutting the rope, we thread it through the holes in the transverse direction. In this case, the cord should intersect the previously laid stitches in a “braided wave”. The result is a woven base on which you can lay a soft rug or pillow.
The ropes are tied in a knot at the holes to prevent deformation of the wicker part of the seat, and are suspended from the crossbar with a regular loop.
Swing in the form of a tent
A swing in the form of a tent will have to not only be installed, but also sewn - this gives you the opportunity to show your imagination and come up with your own, the most incredible options.
In order to make such a swing you will need a diagram. It's not that difficult to do:
- Draw a cross on paper.
- The vertical line is the length, the horizontal line is the width. The depth of the hammock tent will depend on the length of the lower leg of the cross.
- We outline the cross in the manner of a pear - with weights at the bottom.
Relaxation swings are made from simple materials. You will need:
- thick fabric;
- sewing machine;
- metal hoop;
- metal ring/carabiner.
Let's get down to business:
- You have a pattern - apply it with one side to the selected fabric, trace it with chalk. Repeat the procedure for the other side.
- You sew the two resulting parts together using a machine or by hand.
- It is necessary to process the cut of the hole - this is done using an overlocker. You can also fold the edge of the cut and sew half a centimeter on a machine.
- It would be nice to make a pillow for the bottom - it will be more comfortable.
- We install the metal hoop in the lower part so that the fabric is fixed on it.
- We secure the hammock by the tail by threading it through the ring (you can also use a carabiner).
For outdoor swings, it is preferable to use non-staining, water-resistant fabric.
How to make a swing chair from a tire with your own hands
Children are especially delighted with non-standard shaped seats. For example, they can be made in the form of an impromptu humpbacked horse, as in the photo.
It is not difficult to make similar swings for children from tires, but their practical value is small, and they are often used as an element of landscape design.
A swing with a chair-shaped seat will be much more comfortable. To make a similar design, you will need one 175/70 winter tire, a sharp knife, soap, an electric drill and a rope.
Initially, we will apply markings, mark two sections of 20 cm and 30 cm on the sidewall, separated by a small cutout. These will be the seat and back of the chair, respectively. An additional cutout between them is needed so that the seat of the swing can freely deform under the weight of the person sitting.
The remains of the sidewalls must be cut out with a knife, periodically wetting the blade with liquid soap.
After trimming the tread and sidewalls, the chair frame will remain, as in the photo. You just need to unfold and hang the seat on polypropylene ropes.
You can make an almost real chair, just cut off part of the sidewall and wrap the protector tape “behind the back”
How to make a swing pendulum from a tire with your own hands
Balanced models have always been considered the safest for children; moreover, they are easy to hide in the garden at the end of the day, and do not need to be untied or covered with film when it rains.
The simplest version of a swing - a pendulum - is half a wheel, with a wooden board laid on top. The tire is cut into two parts, one half is slightly shortened, trimmed and placed inside the other. This will provide the necessary rigidity of the support.
Next, two pieces of timber or thick boards are driven inside the cut tire along the edges. Improvised plugs are bolted to the sidewalls of the tires. The next step is to cut out a board - a seat; it can be made for a swing from thick plywood. Immediately cut in a pair of soft handles; they can be made from rope or a water hose.
The wooden top of the swing is attached to the rubber base using metal brackets and screws. It’s easy to make a swing balancer from tires with your own hands in advance in the garage or in a home workshop, and upon arrival at the dacha you can simply assemble the structure from a prepared set of parts.
Children at the dacha
What could be better than a swing in the yard? If you have some free space on your patio or garden so the whole family can enjoy the great outdoors in such a large space. And children will have a place where they can spend their free time in active games. And adults will have a pleasant and relaxing time, enjoying the rays of the sun or enjoying the night under the starry sky.
A hanging outdoor swing is not a cheap investment, but you can make it more affordable by building it yourself and using leftover materials.
You can look for pallets and some of the wood will be completely free. The estimated time for any such project will depend on your desires, but on average 6-9 hours are calculated.
Often, in order to bring a child to the dacha, it is necessary to properly motivate him by the fact that he will find something to do there. Swimming in the pool, playing in the sandbox, helping with watering and weeding. This is not a complete list of common children's activities at the dacha. But by thinking about how to swing and putting the idea into practice, you can significantly diversify your child’s leisure time. They love to pry, often distracting us from relaxing or working in the country. The fact is that children often want variety, easily switch from one activity to another, and demand attention from themselves. By building a wooden or metal swing on your site, you can forget about the children bothering you for a long time.
How to fix a tire swing with your own hands
There are two ways to hang a finished seat or chair. If the swing structure is suspended from a metal pipe or crossbar, then it is best to use a chain hanger with U-shaped threaded brackets.
Polypropylene ropes on metal are usually suspended using a sliding method. This means that during the swinging of the seat, the rope loop rotates on the crossbar simultaneously with the movement of the suspension. The upper part of the loop must be covered with thick leather or polyurethane tape to reduce wear on the fibers.
If the swing is suspended on a tree branch or a wooden floor beam, then the suspension loop, no matter metal or polypropylene, is fixed “tightly” using an additional strapping made of hemp or jute rope.
Safety rules for children when using swings
Recreational swings are dangerous, and this is worth remembering. In order to avoid injury, it is necessary to properly prepare the child and provide instructions.
First, make sure your child is in good health. If you have a headache, it is not recommended to ride. Please also pay attention to the following rules:
- Do not exceed the load standards that are intended for attractions. In other words, if the design is designed for one person, you should not try to ride with three people. Not only can this damage the structure, but it will also significantly increase the risk of injury.
- You should not sit on the swing from a running start - it may not withstand such a load on the body and break. Again, not only the body, but also the person who will be riding may suffer.
- If the swing is not intended for standing up, then this is not necessary. It is also not recommended to jump on them.
- If the swing is not designed for a wide swing amplitude, you should not conduct experiments to determine this amplitude physically.
Recommendations
One of the disadvantages of tire swings is the weak durability of the rubber. The tire gradually ages and releases microdust, which remains on the hands and clothes of children. Therefore, after completing the work, the finished chair or seat must be washed with soapy water and thoroughly dried in the shade for several days.
Before installation, the tire must be painted with any plastic paint; acrylic and furniture varnishes are not suitable; it is best to use polyurethane or latex paints and varnishes; they do not slip, are practically not subject to abrasion and do not collect dust.
