Zip Line
Zip lines allow you to quickly slide from one location to a lower location. They are great additions to treehouses as long as the users are old enough to hang on. Handle bars from an old bike can be used in place of the ski handle; both work well because they are easy to hang on to.
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danger level
- negligible
- moderate
- high
- do not do this
tools
- D. Utility knife
materials
- A. Nylon or poly rope
- B. Ski rope handle
- C. Pully (appropriately rated)
how-to
- After scoping out where you want your zip line to go, cut the rope to length, leaving plenty of extra for tying knots. Melting the cut ends with a flame keeps the rope from unraveling. Make sure that both the rope and the pulley are rated to handle the type of loads you will put on them.
- Attach the handle to the pulley. This is the trickiest part because of the varying designs of pulleys. You may be able to just tie both ends of the ski handle to the pulley, or you may have to devise something using some extra hardware.
- Loop the pulley onto the rope and tie up the rope at the start and finish, making it as taunt as possible. Tie your knots well but make sure you can adjust one end because the rope may stretch out with use.
- Tie a scrap piece of rope to the handle bar for the purpose of pulling it from the end of the line to the beginning.
- Once you’re confident in the integrity of your setup, hang on tight and give it a try. Make sure you plan the ending; you don’t want to be going too fast when you come to that second tree.
Jan 4, 2007 | 2:39 pm
Mike wrote:
i also recommend to prevent slamming into a tree, placing a beam between two trees. By using a looped ended bolt(not sure of exact name) you can secure the cable or rope to the beam. a 4×4 beam is best due to its strength. to secure the beam to the trees use an 8″ bolt if available.
Jan 30, 2007 | 2:58 am
Tony wrote:
The rope should be checked before each go.
Jan 31, 2007 | 9:49 am
Doug wrote:
This should be labled how I broke my leg when I was much younger. Check the rope each time.
Jan 31, 2007 | 1:38 pm
Bob Dobbs wrote:
I know this sounds like a lot of fun, but SERIOUS testing should be done before sending a person down the zip line.
The rope is going to stretch and create slack, so you’ll need to re-tighten the rope.
Landing area is VERY important! You smack into a tree and you’re in for a WORLD OF PAIN!
Find a way to send down a big bag of approximatly weighted sand to judge the speed. The degree of decline is proportionately related to the rate of acceleration. Decline of rope line too steep, acceleration rate to fast for successful bail out.
DON’T have this too high off the ground, if you lose your grip landing could be VERY painful. You may also twist while decending so take that into account.
We used to make these when we were kids, but we ended up using cable, but the hard part is getting it taught enough.
Jan 31, 2007 | 2:18 pm
Innocent Bystander wrote:
Much bigger versions of these are used in the Army for Airborne training. You jump out of a 34′ tower and slide down to a berm. To safely stop travel, a rope is strung perpendicular to the zip line, just below the pully. Leave some slack in it so that it slows you down and doesn’t snap you off. It was fun to zip down the cable then swing up in the air at the end of the ride.
Feb 1, 2007 | 12:13 am
Anonymous wrote:
If you want to be able to slow down, go to a welders supply store and get a couple pair of cheap welders gloves. If you have the strength to let go of the handle for a second you can grab the rope (behind the pulley) and use the friction of the glove to slow you to a stop. Tighter grip = better brakes. Keep in mind that eventually the gloves will start to burn through, though a good half-inch thick pair of rawhide gloves should last a fair while. Also, use half-inch diameter steel braided cable. It’s more expensive than rope, but There aren’t many living humans who could break it by suspending themselves from it.
If you have the money, get a fall harness from the welders shop as well, or wherever else you can find a good one. Hook it to the pulley and you’ll be able to sit down, and let the harness do the work, nowhere near as high a risk of falling off. Will also increase aforementioned braking ability.
Feb 1, 2007 | 4:58 pm
Knucklebuster wrote:
This is a great thing if you have a summer camp on a lake. Put it up over the water and you’ll make lots of friends!
Feb 4, 2007 | 1:33 am
matt wrote:
Add say….an old and hopefully cheap bike brake to this somehow and i will give you extra cool points…and save the children points
Feb 23, 2007 | 3:04 am
Zaphod wrote:
Saw an article in National Geograpic where some girl in South America (If I remember right) had to use something like this to cross a canyon using a couple of cables (one each direction) to get to school each day. (Yeah, little 6 year old girl flying across a 500 foot canyon, 1000 feet in the air! My cajones aren’t even that big!)
For a brake, she had a curved wooden stick, which as far as I could tell, was placed in front of the pulley on top the cable to slow her speed. If you try this out, please do it on a safer, saner test run, and report your results.
Feb 27, 2007 | 8:30 pm
Kamil wrote:
Hey! This thing is really cool! I made it and i go on it every day. It’s great!
Mar 6, 2007 | 9:17 am
Gregory wrote:
If you want your rope to be as taut as can be, soak it in water before rigging it up. The water will cause the rope to expand and it will then be possible to be stretch it more. When it dries, it will shrink and tighten a bit, giving you a more rigid line.
Mar 6, 2007 | 9:55 am
SC Scouter wrote:
Looking at building one of these out over a small pond for an Eagle Scout project. Has anybody developed a suitable means of returning the line? Simply pulling the handles back to the beginning point may prove to be ineffective. Thoughts? Ideas?
Mar 7, 2007 | 9:08 am
Anonymous wrote:
Tie a long rope to the end of it and tie it someplace where it won’t interfere
Mar 8, 2007 | 11:34 pm
don wrote:
Don’t cheap out on the lives of any and all riders-forgo rope for the steel cable. as far as returning the trolly, how about a fishing rod and reel?
The real question is slope to speed. How much fall over what travel will produce what speeds? Any one? Anyone?
Mar 13, 2007 | 5:20 pm
Thornnn wrote:
Using a hand Winch Or if you gots money an electric winch does a great job for tightening both rope and cable, But remember if you use rope you will still have to constantly check your line and periodically re tighten it. Also for Brakes if you use cable a pair of channel locks work great if you need to slow down.
Mar 13, 2007 | 10:18 pm
MCR lvr wrote:
why not just put bike brakes on the handle bars of the zip line on have the brakes that stop a wheel of the bike by squeezing it tighten it up enuf th squeeze the rope or cablei the braks tho i would make a slot for the rope or cable so it doesent slide out…
souds like a good idea to me
Mar 14, 2007 | 9:55 am
Anonymous wrote:
if want a good way to take up slack in the rope around one tree loop around a ratchet strap similar to whats used on lorry’s for cargo then used the hooks to loop into a tied loop on the rope. hope this helps
Mar 14, 2007 | 2:10 pm
Me wrote:
The biker brake idea would have to be modified to work. they are made for stopping a steel disc from turning, so you’d have to make a curved pad of sorts and attach it where the regular brake pads are. then you’d have the job of trying to mount this on the plley in such a fashion that it would have enough of a solid base to stop whoever was flying down the thing. This kind of rigging would only be good for people using cable, so rope zipliners would have to find alternate means of stopping.
Mar 15, 2007 | 6:46 pm
Zip Line Builder wrote:
This whole idea is crazy and extreemly dangerous call someoen who know what they are doing before you or some you know gets hurt. There are industry standards for the insallation of Zip Lines and if you do not follow them and someone gets hurt you will be screwd.
Mar 16, 2007 | 11:02 am
thinkbolt wrote:
Yes, the danger IS high! A friend of mine did this in high school with a pulley wheel that wasn’t robust enough for his weight. He fell 15 or 20 feet from the middle of the line when the pulley stopped suddenly and he lost his grip. It was a BAD fall, and it happened much too fast for him or anyone else to do anything about it. He didn’t break any bones, but he was in bad shape for days. He was LUCKY.
Mar 17, 2007 | 8:49 am
feel good wrote:
I have a 100 foot zip line in my yard for my kids.
1 Use a steel cable. Nylon stretches way too much and nylon and polypropylene both wear.
2 I use a pair of bolts secured to the line 10 feet from the end. The bolts stop the pulley and the kids swing a bit, but it stops them from hitting the tree at the other end.
3 I used flexible piping to protect the trees from the cable.
4 Most kids will fall at the very start of the zip line. The most common reason is that their arms are not stretched or their is slack in the rope to the handle bar. When they jump of the platform they then drop a bit and don’t have the strength to hang on when the slack is taken out.
Mar 18, 2007 | 2:09 pm
Scout man wrote:
thats a good idea to use the bolts to stop the pulley but if you are using rope you can put a figure-eight stopper knot about 10 feet from the end, if you don’t know what that is google it
Mar 18, 2007 | 7:52 pm
Anonymous wrote:
Does anybody have a genius idea on what to do if you only have one tree? I only want it about 6 feet above the ground for kids.
Mar 20, 2007 | 7:03 pm
cody wrote:
buy three 4×4s one 5ft two 10ft.dig two 4ft deep holes 5ft apart.put one 10ft 4×4 in each hole fill the rest of each hole with cement.nall the 5ft 4×4 on top of the two 10ft ones and tye the rope in the middle of the 5ft 4×4.it also works for a swings frame
Mar 21, 2007 | 7:56 pm
Da Freek wrote:
One good way to slow down is to have slack rope or Steal cable. what i mean is that when your coming down it you have rope (or cable) tied to an object higher than where you want to end. so having alot of room for slowing down would help.
Mar 22, 2007 | 1:24 pm
Anonymous wrote:
my neighbor welded four pulleys in a row for extra strength ——–oooo——–
Mar 24, 2007 | 4:08 pm
Jared wrote:
I first made a zipline on my treefort as a “fire escape” with just a rope, and a curved part of an old metal lawn mower handel. I had no way of stopping so sometimes when I didnt let go in time I would smack into the tree.
Mar 26, 2007 | 2:27 pm
Grettle wrote:
Why not use POLYETHYLENE (not polypropylene) rope instead of steel? The navy uses it to trolley things from ship to ship because it’s less maintenance and about the same stretch as steel. Maybe less. It is stonger than steel for the diameter and less dangerous than steel if it breaks. Steel acts like a spring when tensioned and when broken will snap back at you. The stonger polyethylene ropes have breaking points about 20,000lbs at only a 3/8 diameter.
Apr 1, 2007 | 4:03 pm
Piku wrote:
As someone who used to run zip lines for a living I can say the rope method will give its rider a nice trip to hospital. It’ll either stretch and you’ll drop to the ground, or it’ll melt.
Use steel cable and don’t set the angle too steep, then test it with a big heavy weight to see what happens. How you stop is left as an exercise for the reader ;-)
Give consideration about how the rider will reach the ground when they’re done too. Swinging six foot in the air at the end of a zipline loses its appeal after five minutes while a ladder is fetched…
Oh, and use the proper equipment - A climbing company called Petzl make pulleys designed for this. And make a foot-loop in the bit you hold onto since a sudden stop (imagine something tanglign in the pulley - twigs, leaves, HAIR) will most likely eject the rider.
Oh, and ignore the stuff about steel snapping and whipping around. It’s not going to since you won’t tension it that tightly.
To do this safely requires an appreciation of vector forces, basic abseiling/rock climbing/rope access/caving techniques and someone stupid enough to be the test pilot.
Apr 4, 2007 | 1:55 pm
Stumpworthy wrote:
We had a zip line at summer camp when I was a kid..
We got to ride it once per year as a reward for good behavior.
Our zipline was made of steel cabling it was over three hundred feet long
At the end of the zipline there was a fail safe “Stopping Block” Which was made of 2 sturdy blocks of wood bolted together sandwich style around the cable when a fat guy would go down and hit the stopping blocks it would slide with the pulley instead of stopping instantly
When the stopping block slid too close to the tree we used a pole with a hook at the end to drag it further away from the tree
it is much more fun to have a climbing harness so you could put your arms out and fly
Apr 7, 2007 | 7:29 pm
PErson wrote:
for better results use 1000 pound cable, and if you have access to a welder, weld a peice of pipe directly to a ball joint, and from the ball joint to the pully
Apr 9, 2007 | 9:21 am
pumpkin wrote:
I just made a 60′ zip line in the back yard for the kids and it works great. I used 3/8″ steel cable attached to three trees with beefy eye-bolts (one uphill and two downhill with a bail-out Y at the end for safety exit). I built the pully mechanism with a garage-door sheave (weather resistant???), various metal straps, bolts and some strong-plastic playhouse handles joined together.
I tensioned and graded it so my 4yo boy and 5yo girl are never more than 2′ off the ground and go a max of ~6-7 mph. I lift them up to grab the handles and run down to catch them at the end–when they get the hang of it, I’ll let them drop by themselves and will eventually build a launch-platform but I’d prefer to help out for now ;)
The whole thing cost $100 at Lowes Home Improvement and took about 2-1/2 hours to assemble. The weakest link is the eye bolts…I bent one open testing it myself at 185-lb. Everything is rated at 600-lb+ but when you deal with dividing weight by the sine of a small angle, you can quickly eat up some serious strength of materials. By having a bail-out Y at the bottom, you have two sine divisions — one because the weight of the rider perpendicular to the wire (acting on the Y-bolt at the tree) and another because of the Y itself).
100-lb rider, 20-deg angle caused by slack in line, 20-deg angle from Y in tree (don’t forget to divide by 2 because there are two supporting eye bolts in each direction:
[100/(2 sin 20)] / (2 sin 20) = 214 lb static load (dynamic bouncing could easily double that!)
If you decrease the angles to 10-deg, a 100-lb static load would put 829-lbs on the end of they Y cables attached to the tree!!!
Apr 15, 2007 | 2:54 pm
ksarah wrote:
have a zipline in backyard 150 ft for about 8 yrs. used steel cable and it’s attached to a “comealong” at end/bottom to keep it taught. starts in my tree house. use two sets of petzl pulleys that are attached to a piece of treated lumber. eyebolt attaches a big dowel handle. have a 4 ft rope kids grab to pull, or sling it back to top. btw, pulleys from lowes don’t last long on steel cable
Apr 15, 2007 | 8:06 pm
crazy wrote:
if i have a treehouse about 300ft away from a lake and i want to end up dropping into the lake, how do i build the other end (not the treehouse) so that it goes out 30 feet into the lake. Its about ten foot deep there and extremely muddy.
Apr 16, 2007 | 5:55 pm
marshall wrote:
Can’t get it tight enough!
I am trying to construct an 85′ zip line over my pool. I have the cable suspended 10 feet high, between two 4×4’s and anchored to the ground on either end and a cable come-a-long prividing tension. I can easily pull the cable to the ground in the middle. — is 10′ high on either end too low to start with?
Apr 17, 2007 | 6:04 pm
KO wrote:
I have constructed a 300 foot zip line out of 3/8 stainless steel cable. I use tandam Petzl pulleys with a climbing harness. I have had problems with the stopping part of the line. I have used old tires as a cushion and have had little success. The “jolt” can be quite dangerous. I have thought of using a bungie to catch the pulley at the lower end to help slow down the movement and then have a net on a bungie to “catch” or “cradle” the person. I have not tried it yet but I think it would work. Any other ideas on a braking system??
Apr 19, 2007 | 3:03 pm
Still In Pain wrote:
Zip Lines are endless fun but I rode one six years ago without checking the parts. A quick link wasn’t completely closed and it snapped and dropped me hard. Fractured vertebrae REALLY HURT! and the damage has permanently cramped my formerly carefree healthy life. PLEASE DON’T TAKE CHANCES WITH ZIP LINES! USE THE BEST PARTS YOU CAN AFFORD AND ALWAYS CHECK THEM BEFORE USE. Think how you will feel if your negligence permanently fucks up someone you love. Well, no one ever listens to this sort of whiny advice, so I’ll go rest my back.
Apr 23, 2007 | 10:50 am
Ah, the good old days wrote:
Best zipline I ever used was about a football field in length. I can’t provide the specs as this was quite some time ago and I was smaller then. They used cable and climbing harnesses. I prefer the harness method btw. It’s safer and you can flip yourself upside down and what not. Anyways, the braking mechanism was a wooden block similar to one mentioned above except it had bungie cords bolted to its sides and the other end of the bungies was bolted to some thick wooden posts that had concrete footings. The interior of the box was lined with something to prevent wear on it or the cable but I do not know what or how. As you came down you would hit it and it would swing you upwards but only enough to be fun. Not enough for whiplash. Still don’t be like me and hit it upside down. This is about as soft a landing as you could want considering the length of the line and the velocity of its riders. Also, taking braking out of the hands of the kids is a good thing cause smacking the ground because they didn’t brake enough isn’t going to increase their IQs
Apr 23, 2007 | 10:53 am
Ah, the good old days wrote:
Gah! My diagram is ruined! Well just pretend that the appropriate spaces are there ;) It looks like a triangle. Anyone riding the zipline passes through it.
Apr 24, 2007 | 12:41 pm
how to get it tight wrote:
I’m in the middle of assembling a 210′ zipline. I read that the proper slope equals out to being 6″ of height difference for every 10′ of length. In other words 5′ of height difference for 100′ and so on.
I’m using 3/8″ steel cable with a com a long and can’t for the life of me get enough tension on the cable to keep the rider in the air. I realize that There will be slack but right know I’m nearly 15′ high at my starting point and still with my weight 170lbs it want keep me off the ground. I don’t have a winch and my com a long is pushed to the max what can I try now? Please help me.
Apr 24, 2007 | 1:56 pm
how to get it tight wrote:
ok I got it I just had to put a little more into it. Also a previous poster was correct the pulley’s from lowes suck it’s called a block and costs about $30. Creates way to much friction I’ll have to cough up the extra money for a nice job specific pulley and harness as it is so high now(about 16′).
Apr 25, 2007 | 3:27 pm
Outdoor Fun Store wrote:
For Gods sake dont use rope unless you are an experienced climber.
Plastic ANYTHING is never a good idea when your dealing with a zipline.
For tensioning you need to try whats called a “turnbuckle” but youll need a large one. Local hardware stores wont carry one with enough length to do you any good. Cable wenches (come alongs) are intended for intermittent use only. They will fail if left under load like that all the time.
Zipline over water - You will need to consult your local fish and game department to verify its ok to place one over water that is public (ie you dont own all the land around said water). Crossing waterways (creeks, rivers) is a bad idea, as they are under government ownership (typically federal).
May 2, 2007 | 2:45 pm
building a zip wrote:
I do not want to use the usual harness. I am looking into somethign similar to a nylon bosuns chair. I have found a couple. but would love to use something similar to the seat harness I see in many commercial setups or hang glider seats. any ideas where to find one to purchase?
May 5, 2007 | 1:59 pm
chris hartle wrote:
haha these ruled my childhood. we built them from tree house to tree all over our woods when i was 15. although we used cable wire and old sets of bicycle handlebars instead. tons of fun!
May 5, 2007 | 2:03 pm
chris hartle wrote:
and to get them tight we used turnbuckles which you can find at any local hardware store. i mean come on, we figured it out before we could drive a car! they are still stringing from tree to tree in the woods back home, and usable if it weren’t for the rusted pulleys.
i highly recommend the cable wire/turnbuckle combo. there will be absolutely no slack and you’ll get a lot more zip!
May 5, 2007 | 5:06 pm
Zippy from North Idaho wrote:
Be carefull of under sized turnbuckles or cheap come-alongs and dont send your kids down something too steep or too high a fall isnt impossible. Good luck
May 6, 2007 | 9:08 am
ManiacJ wrote:
Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if you attach a basket or something to it and sent packages down it? Or you could build a network of these and have something to use when your brother is hogging the phone.
May 8, 2007 | 11:48 am
NewZipper wrote:
I have read every reply and it seems a combo of bungee cord and a bottom tie-off at a 4X4 between two trees, eliminating the center, is the best feasible method for stopping my pending 150′ zip line on cable with Petzl Pulley. Where does one buy strong, thick, bulk bungee cord?
May 8, 2007 | 1:19 pm
Nevermore wrote:
Im aware of a few reasonable stopping procedures.
1) A giant net to crash into at the end (bigtime injury possibilities here I dont reccommend this one)
2) “gravity brake” which is just extra slack in the line so it makes more of a “U” shape, you go much faster on the launch but as you get past halfway you start to slow down as your going back up the other side of the “U”
3) Impact brake, as mentioned above the bungie cords are an impact type brake, they would usually be attached to a braking block and strung to either side of the flight path. The trolley would hit the block and begin to stretch out the bungies untill you loose all your momentum. Ive found bungie type systems to be fraught with maintainence issues. I prefer to use a tire brake (which is nothing more then a small tire with holes drilled through it) and hold it in place with some extra clamps behind the tire. The trolley hits this and stops, the rider swings up and back down (thus dropping all the momentum).
I dont like the “slingshot” method of bridging 2 trees with a piece of dimensional lumber. That one lil piece of lumber is not only taking lots of load, but if you are actually hitting the hardware with your trolley your gonna trash it and risk breaking the lumber. Besides a 4×4 just plain isnt strong enough to take the kinds of load that a zip line gives.
Just my $.02
May 14, 2007 | 12:01 pm
Mark wrote:
Works brilliantly, my advise off past experience is to tie a large knot in the rope before the end so the pulley hits the knot and stops rather than you hitting the tree. Washing line works well if your light enough, if your heaveyer steel cable works a treet, about 10mm. I used 2 climbing pulleys and a shopping trolley as a basket. Also to stop it i tied a second rope to the back which had some elasticated propeties to slow you to a stop rather than slamming into the rocks. (never use scrap rope). An exelent way to test them is to send it with whatever scrap metal/bottles of water you can load it with. You want it to be 1.5 times the heaviest users wieght.
May 17, 2007 | 6:56 pm
Scotty2Hotty wrote:
Me and my freinds biult a zipline out of 100ft docking line rope. We tied it high in a tree at the top of a hill and to another at the bottom. Its at least 30 fthigh at its highest point. All of the pulleys we have bought did not fit on the rope because its too thick. is it better to have the zipline rope as tight as possilbe or leave it a little loose so we dont goo too fast into a tree?
May 17, 2007 | 7:00 pm
Scotty2Hotty wrote:
The stopping method we are trying is pretty safe. We plan to tie 2 long bungie cords horizontally from a tree on each side. Once the rider comes down, they will encounter the 2 bungees and it will absorb the impact, wont hurt, and will stop ur momentum not to slowly, but not too sudden.ANy body think this is a good idea?
May 20, 2007 | 5:04 pm
B4B wrote:
Do NOT use poly rope. Someone mentioned before how the Navy uses it for zip lines. While that’s true, it’s NOT because it doesn’t stretch, it’s because IT DOES STRETCH!!! Can you picture two ships heaving about the open sea on 30′ swells connected by a single line that doesn’t have “give” to it?
Use steel cable. Stainless for durability (expensive) but galvanized is pretty durable and much cheaper, and is readily available
May 26, 2007 | 11:36 pm
Flier wrote:
KO Rig the system so that the last part of the ride is back uphill. This means a high starting point and a large droop in the cable but it works better than any other system.
May 27, 2007 | 5:51 pm
Anonymous wrote:
plastic covered cable or bare metal cable?
May 29, 2007 | 10:02 am
hay wrote:
plastic covered cable
May 30, 2007 | 7:19 am
AmOfOhio wrote:
My husband built a 260 foot long zipline across our 2 acre pond.
It works great except when an adult person drops off the zipline into the water,the handle bar flips up and the rope we have attatched to the pulley to pull it back ,gets all tangled up on the 3/8″cable.
When our kids go off of it, its ok because there’s not much weight on the line. But when an adult goes off,the bar flys up and over the cable entangling the rope thats attached to pull it back.
Any ideas to prevent this?
May 30, 2007 | 9:01 am
Anonymous wrote:
I have a similar setup only the kids hold a rope with a knot on the end. The retrieve line is tied to the knot also and is allowed to drag in the water behind the person. When they let go, the weight of the return rope keeps everything below the cable. I also had to tighten the cable to reduce bounce. Works great now!
May 30, 2007 | 12:50 pm
AmOfOhio wrote:
We did similar to ours for the kids only tied a ski rope for them to hold onto and attached another rope to the ski rope that drags in the water for retreiving it back.
But the bar on the pulley for adults has to much bounce and flips over th cable at times and gets tangled.
We tightened the cable which helped alot,but heavier people still make it flip up and tangle.
May 30, 2007 | 12:50 pm
Spud wrote:
I’m working in a fairly large (but finite) back yard. Can I sink an anchor into the ground or will it cut off too much of the run? I guess I’d put a stopper about where the shortest kid can touch the ground.
Also, I was going to run the high end over a tripod A-frame built of 4×4s and use a pulley at the top so that the zip line can also anchor the frame/fulcrum. My kids are small, but I was hoping to give it a try too. Anyone know the math to figure this out? I was going to build this all but maybe buy a zip kit pulley/handle system or like a marine-grade pulley online.
Any help would be appreciated.
btw, re the question above: when I was a young scout I wrestled with the age-old question of how you run a zipline into a lake or river if you don’t have access to the other side. I think it boils down to a chicken and egg issue.
Jun 1, 2007 | 12:06 pm
Michael wrote:
AmOfOhio or anyone who runs a zip over a pond:
How did you anchor the bottom end of the line? We are trying to decide if we want to anchor to a post on the high on the opposite side of the pond, ground level on the opposite side of the pond, or just below water level somewhere near the opposite side. This would solve our stopping issues, and the rider would either let go before they hit the stopping point, or would being to drag in the water.
Any thoughts? Any other tips before we implement our line?
Thanks
Jun 2, 2007 | 10:11 pm
AmOfOhio wrote:
My husband concreted steel posts into the ground.
The cable is attatched to each post.
He fabricated steps and a platform to climb up and stand on.
He also made a bar to hold onto for adults.
We use a ski rope and ski handle for the kids so they can tak off from the ground and not up high on the platform.
Jun 2, 2007 | 10:13 pm
AmOfOhio wrote:
Oh forgot, we don’t have anything to stop the zipline because our pond is 2 acres and theres no way you can make it clear across. We barley make it half way across the pond and have to drop.
But a quarry we used to swim at used a piece of a tire as a stopper.
Jun 3, 2007 | 10:25 am
idi wrote:
there is a tunnel from our celler into the garden. is there anyway i can make the cable turn round into the room (there’s no door).
Jun 8, 2007 | 12:04 pm
danam wrote:
working on a 350′ line (3/16 cable)through woods, with a 60 foot drop in elevation across the line. we are attempting a stopping mechanism of putting a metal pipe over the wire with plastic tubing inside for protection and a metal front plate for the trolley to hit. the trolley being 1/3″ steel, custom built will withstand the hit. then we’re attaching two garage door springs to the pipe and to two side trees. anybody know if this would stop too abruptly? we’re working on tightening it and raising it up higher this weekend and then testing.
Jun 10, 2007 | 9:12 am
matt wrote:
how much does a 35 foot steel cable cost with a pulley that can withstand up to 200 pounds
Jun 10, 2007 | 4:53 pm
tamsmiff wrote:
AmOfOhio, instead of rope, use a bar between the pulley and handle - no entanglement
Jun 12, 2007 | 1:32 pm
Michael, not a lawyer! wrote:
It is unlikely that something with as obvious liability issues as zip line will be allowed to put up on public property, especially by an amateur.
Two ways to go about it.. legally - talk to land steward (city/county/state/federal). None of these entities will probably be too excited about helping. Though you may be able to look for a grant or something to cover the cost of professional installation and any changes to the insurance policy on the property.
The other route is to install it, and pretend like you found it. This means you can’t get as much praise for being the one to add such a fun toy, but also makes it less likely that you are sued if somebody uses the zip line and gets hurt. [Note that I am not recommending this route, at least officially].
Jun 12, 2007 | 1:59 pm
Michael, not a lawyer! wrote:
matt -
the weight of the rider is not the only weight to be concerned about. There are vector forces at work on each end of the zip line. That said, a 1/4″ steel cable has a breaking strength upwards of 5,000 lbs, and shouldn’t set you back more than $50. (A 100ft reel was $70 at the local hardware store). A good Petzl trolley will cost about $70.
Jun 18, 2007 | 9:07 am
K wrote:
I have seen a zip line over a pond use a second trolly for retrieval. The second trolly has a long light line attached all the way back at the launching platform. It is behind (not in front of) the people trolly. The trollys have a latching mechanism which engages when they collide. So the procedure is this… 1) ride down zip line and drop into pond. 2) the next rider sends the retrieval trolly down the line. 3) It latches onto the trolly and 4) they pull it back with the line.
Jun 26, 2007 | 8:31 pm
Craig wrote:
I have 2 trees that I would like to use for the zip line, however, there is not an unobstructed path between the two trees. A wooden structure (to be used for the launching pad) is close to the start of the zip line (10 feet away). The wire would be connected to the upper tree and go through a 2×6 joist (from the roof of the structure) that runs perpendicular to the zip line and then straight down 50 ft. to the lower tree. My guess is that looking down the wire makes a 130 degree angle. I was thinking of reinforcing the hole that I would need to drill in the joist with a metal pipe cut to length. Would this work?
Jun 27, 2007 | 4:48 pm
scouter wrote:
You can get many sizes of pulleys at Ace Hardware. You can also get as much steel cable in whatever size pretty cheap there too. I’m getting almost all my material there. The people at my local store are REALLY helpful.
Jun 28, 2007 | 8:34 pm
jake manders wrote:
ya i just got my first zip line, about 90 feet long and the pond was like 120 feet we worked it out with some army tie downs. but any way it works great the only problem is retrieving it… for the next person.
Jul 1, 2007 | 8:32 am
Jacko wrote:
I am building a 110 foot zip line from my bulkhead into the sound. Can anyone tell me how much drop or angle I should put in the line from the bulkhead connection to the pole?
Thank you,
Jul 4, 2007 | 4:01 pm
Anonymous wrote:
what’s the best safeguard from falling? We’re considering using a net to catch the kids if they fall.
Jul 4, 2007 | 5:37 pm
still a kid at heart wrote:
I ran a 3/8 steel cable from my kids 3 story treehouse.My wife told me I was nuts.I’m glad to see I’m in good company.Bolts are a good idea for the ends of the line,but if you use turnbuckles you have the added benefit of using them as tensioners.The best safeguard for or from falling is to hold on tight and don’t let go .Happy trails
Jul 11, 2007 | 1:32 am
Anonymous wrote:
me an my friends just made a zip line over a pond were we go pond jumping its 200ft long an its about 35 ft up on a hill then goes over the pond to the other side we have a steel cable an 2 pullys its a blast but we cant seem to find somthing good to hold on an take off at the end so we can walk it back up becasue its to hard to get it up other wise so any idea’s???? thanks
Jul 16, 2007 | 8:00 am
have some sense please wrote:
Using a cheap pully and rope instead of a cable is irresponsible, and a recipe for disaster. Please have some sense and use 3/8″ or 1/2″ steel cable. Stainless is quiet and smooth but really expensive. I use the regular, loud galvanized steel cable. A pulley is not safe. It would be like using a go cart on the highway - the wrong tool for the job. Use a real zip line trolley. Not the cheapo toy ones they sell in toy stores. Find a deal on one on ebay. I use a handle from a rowing setup for cable weightset I got for a couple bucks on ebay. I use a nice disk swing seat too, a couple bucks at Walmart.
Jul 16, 2007 | 8:27 am
have some sense please wrote:
Oh, I meant 1/4″ or 3/8″, not 1/2″. My 100′ setup goes tree to tree. I use large turnbuckles on each end and all proper welded eyes and cable clamps with the saddle, etc. Don’t wrap anything around the tree, as it will kill it. research the correct method of putting the bolt and washers, etc. straight through the tree (tree house sites will show you). For stopping, I went to local equipment seller/repairer and was given two old lawn tractor tires for free. You drill holes in these, run cable through them and put a couple cable clamps behind them. Your trolley hits them at the end and gently stops the rider instead of hitting the tree. Don’t use bungy, as it can easily fail and the rubber won’t last 9 months before failing. You can use a block with a rope instead. I’m going to build a longer line and start and end it higher, with more slack. This way, it will be fast at first and then gravity will stop you at the end.
Jul 16, 2007 | 6:59 pm
freggin cool wrote:
i did this on 2 parrelell trees and used a winch on a chair it is awsome but computer chairs r reccomended
Jul 20, 2007 | 10:22 pm
Acrisius wrote:
We did a thing like this on a vacant ground. It was really funny, but a bit crazy.
My aunt got really bad hurted when she went into a tree. You must secure the installation before using it.
Jul 25, 2007 | 9:38 am
rabie4×4 wrote:
When I worked on large oil field drilling rigs, a zip line, (commonly known as a “Jeronimo line”), was installed from the work platform in the derrick to a heavy anchor on the ground or other strong point as a means of escape in case of an emergency. The “seat” was a t-handle with a long handled friction brake that contacted the cable by means of a brass contact block. These may be available from drilling rig suppliers. I never had the guts to ride one of these but heard of a roughneck who crash landed one and it didn’t sound like too much fun to me! The drop is from well over 100′ high to the ground in less than 600′ cable length. I guess it would beat becoming bar-be-que in case the well blows out!
Aug 2, 2007 | 3:47 pm
Smart ideas wrote:
If any one was curios like a comment above where an apperent issuse with retrival of the pully was needed because entanglement or other issues i have thought of a fool proof idea. First buy an extra pully( i recomend a cheapy crapy one). buy some rare earth magnits. attach your cheap pully first then attach good one. so you then attach the magnits to the front of the cheap pully and the back of the good pully. attach rope to first puuly(cheap one) and let it rip. drop rider down on the good pully(keeping cheap pully up at platform when the rider hits the end drop the second pully(make sure it has enough wieght to go all the way down). the magnits will attach and your pullys tempoarilly conected. you then pull up cheap pully with the rope and it pulls both pullys. for faster pully retrival hook up th rope to a stationary bike so you pedal bike to pull rope it will wind, or use a motorized hose reel. :) thanks for listening i hope this helps! :) (_(_(/
Aug 26, 2007 | 4:31 am
rusty wrote:
i want to try this, because our house has a walk out basement, with a hill going down to the backyard. it isnt THAT big, but you could use roughly 40-50 feet of rope, with a slow decline. i dont think there are many trees i could hang it from though. any suggestions on where to get good rope, or cables???
Sep 12, 2007 | 1:33 pm
Retlaw wrote:
I am seriously considering having a zipline built between two towers as a business idea. All danger must be eliminated here. Each rider will start from the high point and when the rider reaches the low point, a switch is flipped that takes the rider up to the high point and the high point where the rider started is lowered to being the low point the result returns the rider to where he/she started. The rider would sit in a chair like seat with a safty belt and there would be a brake involved in case the rider wanted to slow down or come to a stop. I welcome any comments on this business idea.
Sep 13, 2007 | 11:17 pm
Retlaw wrote:
I thought about clamping a steel cable I have between two trees like a bow. When you reach the middle you would start up to ward the high end, but never reach the tree where the opposite end of cable is clamped.
You would then return to the low point by swinging back and forth a few tomes.
Sep 18, 2007 | 6:36 am
irolo! wrote:
wouldnt a slipnot work? on bothends and a string to pull it back to the begining. it souldns like a cool thing to have and a great eascape route for a fire or somthing just in case and a great way to escape when im grounded and stuff
Oct 7, 2007 | 9:49 pm
wanderlustsquanderer wrote:
classic stories everyone! I have personally never had the opportunity (oppportunity has yet to present itself!) Anyway upon reading all the ideas presented here,it seems everyone is married to the idea that all braking systems must interact with the cable(rope)itself(i.e. blocks attached to the cable,tires at the endpoint or”destinationstation”(that ones mine…haha…feel free to plagerize!)of the cable, bungees on the cable… and so on…before I had any idea of how you all achieved deceleration, my first instinct was controll the pulley–itself…own it…it is everything…command it as we do every other vehicle in man’s arsenal(wheel propelled,that is) I suggest one of those new top of the line bicycle “disc” braking systems,find a way to weld it directly to pulleys axle, outside the housing , with calipers attached to housing as well, run brakecable down to the brakehandle that came with it, mount to the handlebars! !
logically ! !
whatcha think? ?
any way gimme some feedback !
P.S. anyone know of a line in the east bay of california I can bust my cherry on? !
HA ha HA ha HA ! ! !
Oct 8, 2007 | 3:32 pm
Monicker wrote:
Hello there,
A couple of my friends and I are planning on building a zipline and I was wondering if anyone has built a zipline specifically using these instructions and have had it operational. Also if you know any links that share instructions on making a braking system for your zipline please could you send a link my way. Any information regarding this would be spectacular. Thanks.
Oct 14, 2007 | 9:45 pm
McGiver wrote:
EASY BRAKE;
As you build your zipline, drill a hole a little larger diameter that your cable lengthwise through a 8″ long piece of 4×4. Thread the cable through the block of wood. About 3″ from the end where the trolly will impact, drill (2) 3/8″ diameter holes (1) on each side of the lengthwise hole. Place an eyebolt with a washer & bolt on a 6″ eyebolt.
The eyebolts will both be on the bottom, on ehter side of the lengthwise hole. Now place a stake in the ground about 5-6′ out from the centerline (as measured directly under the zipline cable) and 5-6′ upstream from the wood block. Now all you have to do is place a bungie cord of sufficient length from the ground stakes to the eyebolt on the corresponding side of the wood block.
Now, when the trolly hits the wood block, it pulls against the bungies & slows down easier than hitting a tire or solid stop. Make sure that the bungies are spread wide enough apart for the rider to pass through them before hitting the block.
I have found that the “twisted” type of stake used to secure a swingset or dog teather works best.
Oct 23, 2007 | 5:24 pm
zipcrazy wrote:
I’m thinking of building a zip line on my farm. I wanted to get some advice on cable size. I see from research that I have several to pick from. I want to keep the load light since this is being installed where I only have ATV access. Is 1/4 in. cable large enough, or should I go bigger? I’m looking at a 250-300′ run across a ravine…about a 50′ drop….Want the safest cable to use. This is for teenagers and adults….thanks
Jan 4, 2008 | 5:58 pm
c-bizcut wrote:
3/16 inch steel cable has a working load 0f 4,200 lbs. That should have sufficient safety level assuming the attachments at the ends are sufficient. We found 250 feet of cable on ebay for about 50 dollars. The pulleys and attaching hardware are available at Tractor Supply or the local hardware store. Make sure the pulleys are good steel pulleys. We found on a previous line that a little slack in the line with lower end a little high gives a little rise at the stop makes a very smooth stop.
Jan 19, 2008 | 3:36 pm
Scott wrote:
i reccomend setting up the zipline where in goes into a field from a higher building. You don’t have to worry about a tree at the end and the landing is smooth, on a matress or pad. It works great
Jan 27, 2008 | 1:48 am
rich wrote:
I made one from porch post to a 4×4 out on lawn that the clothesline was attached to…NOT A GOOD IDEA…the weathered 4×4 split right in two pieces and i fell on my butt. I always try all things before the kids do. They now have a great story to tell their friends:) I have set on up at our camp btween two large trees and they love this one!!
Feb 3, 2008 | 3:41 pm
twice bitten wrote:
I hurt myself at 16 from a zipline I made with poly rope and a poorly made triangle swing to slide down on. I made another for my kids a few years back and it has lasted (made the triangle pulley much better this time), but just a few months back it broke with me on it. I have had substantial, although thankfully not life altering physical damage from both events. I think this time I just might buy kit and play it safe.
Feb 6, 2008 | 8:37 am
dan wrote:
im using 5/8″ inch stainless steel cable wire for a 1000meter long zipline. my problem is the commercial trolleys from CMI or Pretzel that can be used for FAST zipline can only take 3/8 to 1/2″ inch cable. where can i find or custom made trolleys that can take 5/8″ cables, if i have it custom made in machine shop, what kind of “trolley wheel” do i need that can take very fast speed of upto 100kph or more.thanks
Feb 14, 2008 | 11:48 pm
TacomaWA wrote:
The rope should be subed out for steel cable. It will wear and break. You can get 200ft of 1/4 coated cable at Home Depot. For a line this long (And heavy)you will need a comealong or fence strecher ($30) also at the depot. This is wraped around one of the trees and can put 2000 lbs of tention on the line which is 4000 lbs test. If there is more the five ft of seperation from top to bottom you will need a brake. I have this setup going accross a ravine in Point Defiance WA it is 50 ft off the ground in the middle. 200ft will blow your mind. Always wear a harness incase you get stuck in the middle (it can happen)good luck!
Feb 29, 2008 | 9:03 pm
Rob wrote:
I have a short run of about 40 feet and slow the children down before they hit the tree by using pipe insulation.
I put 1/2″ foam insulation around the 1/4″ cable and then used duct tape generously around the insulation rolled around the insulation from front to back. The insulation acts as a cushion, slowing their descent and stops them far enough away from the tree so that they don’t crash into the tree.
They still get some swing action, but that is part of the fun. If the swing action is too much, you need to change the angle of the descent. Move the cable up the termination tree for less speed–down for more. (I don’t call it a termination tree in front of the children or guests).
It sounds crazy to use rope or cheap pulleys, btw. Build it so that it’s safe or don’t build it.
Mar 1, 2008 | 1:16 am
Dave wrote:
The right way to do this is to have the end of the rope be at about half the hight of the begging of the rope or higher and leave some slack in the line. I work on a 65′ high zip line and thats how the pros rig them.
P.s. if you are ever more then 12′ above the ground and you are not in a harness your to high.
Mar 16, 2008 | 4:55 pm
homedepot wrote:
i found the pulley and rope at home depot and it works like a charm i bought extra cable incase it breaks. also try welding on more than one pully for extra strenght.
Mar 19, 2008 | 7:57 am
YO wrote:
Make sure its right or its gona hurt
Mar 21, 2008 | 9:05 am
corey wrote:
i am wanting to build a zip line over a cove of a local lake… i would get steel cable rated to 4200 pounds and go from the top of one tree on one side to the bottom of another (its about 350 yards)… i was wondering if anyone had tried using a rock climbing grade caribiner instead of a pulley with something to hang on to attached to it… that way we could have multiple caribiners and be able to retrive them later and be able to go multiple times… we would be droping into the water
Mar 21, 2008 | 11:03 am
Nevermore wrote:
Corey, over 350 yards you would probably wear your carabiners out in a matter of hours, not to mention the damage to the cable itself. Also, unless you own the entire lake you may want to check your local municipality before running your cable, if its considered a public waterway its probably owned by the federal government. (I am not a lawyer nor do I play one on TV)
Dave just tossing figures like that out “The right way to do this is to have the end of the rope be at about half the hight of the begging of the rope or higher and leave some slack in the line. I work on a 65? high zip line and thats how the pros rig them.
P.s. if you are ever more then 12? above the ground and you are not in a harness your to high.
” is dangerous. There are alot more things going on then you may be aware of. Although I completely agree with your harness message.
TacomaWA Keep a close eye on that coated cable, if during your inspections you start to notice hunks of plastic sliced off, check the pulley wheels. We have found lots of trolleys ruined by plastic slivers.
Mar 25, 2008 | 8:33 am
two-way ride wrote:
||trees||—land—–____water____—–land—||trees||
That’s the general diagram of the space I want to span. I want to use a single cable for a two-way ride. Riders do not want or need to make it all the way to the end of the zipline in either direction; only far enough to clear the water section. The zipline will carry the rider from a platform in trees, over a gently downsloping 150 foot wide section of water, and up onto the island. Then one climbs the platform on the island to ride the line back over the water.
Has anybody built a two way zipline before; with the cable fixed at the same platform height on both sides of the ride? Can you share some wisdom?
If the total length of my zipline is about 450 feet, how high up should the platforms be? to carry a rider 2/3 the length of the line?
Would 3/16″ stainless 7×19 cable do the trick or should I go with something a little more heavy duty?
Appreciate the help, Thanks!
Mar 26, 2008 | 9:50 am
Derek wrote:
I want to thank everybody for sending in your information it helped me design my zip line. I put a 450+ foot line with 5/16 galvanized cable. I bought a Petzel pulley from ebay. I bought long turnbuckles , they are about 5 ft + - they are strong, they keep you away from the tree, and when you need to take up the slack youll be glad you have them . A come a long will only take out so much. I wrapped a large coated chain around my tree( not tight on tree ), then connect my turn buckle, then put the cable through the turn buckle , used three cable clamps . You have about 6 feet from cable to tree ( your not going to hit the tree ) For stopping at the end I rolled up a towel wrapped it around the cable then just hold it on with zip ties (soft on my pulley wheels gives a soft landing easy fix but works or you could roll up a piece of foam). Once I had it together and tight I rode it and ended up ajusting the line twice, lowered bottom and then raised top ( this is when you tellyour turn buckles you love them makes for easy ajustment ) I weigh 225 and it works great. I bought a 500foot spool of cable and my turnbuckles from Feher cable was around 150 or 160, turnbuckles 20, my pulley was around 75. I always do a little overkill om my projects but when my 5 and 7 year old ride it I dont have to worry. I hope this helps and thanks again for everybodys ideas.
Apr 7, 2008 | 8:29 am
BlackCrowe wrote:
I’m in Australia, I’m planning a 60m (200′) zip from a 4-trunk tree across my creek to another tree. I have a Petzl Trac trolley plus kit (harness and sling) from Colorado- it is a thing of beauty, very robust and apparently goes up to 30m (100′) per second, oh yes… I’m thinking maybe a 1 in 20 slope is enough. I am worried about braking the thing and plan to use a very well padded (to protect the trolley) approx 2′ long wood block as the guys have described above, I would rather not use a bungy setup so might go for a longer brake instead. I think it is important not to hurt the trees so I will use a big chain , plastic coated, loosely looped around a fork to avoid a constrictive force.
We will definitely be testing first with a large sack of spuds, my mother-in-law or something similar.
For the nippers I’m going to make a couple of wee ziplines no more than a 3-4 feet high and at most 30 feet long, they’ll love it and I avoid the involvement of Famiy and Childrens’ Protective Services when taking them to hospital with fractures, grazes and/or head injuries (I don’t think kids and proper ziplines mix well at all)- but mildly inebriated Dads- ideal!
Have fun guys!!
Apr 8, 2008 | 1:52 pm
An Engineer, really wrote:
If you’re making a zip line that runs any significant height above the ground, above the tree-tops, or across a wide ravine, consider AIRCRAFT. (This applies to the more ambitious zip-line projects - probably not the “backyard” kind of zip-line just a few feet in the air.) Some airplanes, and particularly helicopters, fly only a few feet above the tree-tops, and there’s no way they’re going to see a thin cable in time to avoid it. I don’t think I need to elaborate too much on the potential consequences to both the aircraft, and your personal legal status.
If you only use the line occasionally, the best solution might be to come up with some sort of a winch system to lower the line below tree-top level when not in use, and then raise it again when you want to use it. You could try interacting with the FAA (in the US) but this would probably be extremely involved. It would probably involve having the line permanently marked on aviation charts. There are some orange plastic balls available from aviation suppliers, to place onto power lines near the end of runways. You could mount these on a separate line, above the level of main line. Of course, this would draw a lot of attention to your zip-line; so you’d want to be sure you’re otherwise legal.
Apr 8, 2008 | 2:31 pm
An Engineer, really wrote:
I’ll add another point:
Someone, quite a number of posts ago, mentioned “Vectors”
In fairly simple terms, the force trying to break the cable can be several times the weight of the person being supported. The more tight the cable is, the greater the multiplication of force in the cable. This is a good argument for keeping some slack in the cable. This could also imply favoring the “Gravity Braking System” where the cable sags enough so the person comes to a stop before getting all the way to the other end, because the far end of the cable slopes uphill.
Also note that because of the unpredictable nature of steel cable (“Wire Rope”) most textbooks recommend a “factor of safety” of 10. This means that if the cable supports a 200 pound person, with vectors taken into account, it could have a load 500 lbs trying to break it. Then, the cable should be rated at 10 X 500 = 5000 pounds. (This is an example, the number could be even higher.) The cable should also be regularly inspected for fraying.
The “backyard” type zip-line that only gets a few feet in the air can be fun, and can probably just be “installed by eyeball” by amateurs. But if the zip-line is “any higher than you’d care to fall” you should know what you’re doing. For the more ambitious projects, if you don’t know exactly what terms like “vectors” and “resolution of forces” mean, find a professional who does. Analyze the line along the entire length that it is loaded. Don’t just rely on running a sand-bag down the line to test it – the line might be just below the breaking point, and break when the next person goes across it.
Apr 9, 2008 | 9:03 am
californiakayaker wrote:
I am one of those lucky people who had an oportunity to use an old well established zip line for three years every day, sometimes I went over with six round trips. It was used for transportation so it was flat essentially. There was a two foot drop in 200 feet. It used old loggers galvanized at least 1/2 inch cable. I at first was supplied with a petzel climbing pulley but after using in the rain the lube would go away and it would slow me down so I changed to a marine grade inexpensive chinese made pulley, the red type that can handle 10,000 pounds and has ball bearings and a grease fitting. I could run off a rock with a climbing harness and just make it to the lower(2 ft) side. From my experience, watch out how much you lower it. With slack, there is a generally natural breaking at the other end. Look at the videos on the web, they are around. Tires , starting with a small one, and ending with large ones , sound like a good idea. Something with friction which would slide for 20 or thirty feet sounds good. A large blown up inter tube could be used as a cushion. Just remember, people who are talking about a 50 foot drop will be extremely surprised at the speed they attain. The system used huge turn buckles and huge steel girders on both ends and, as I said, was essentially flat. It had been there for about (guessing) 50 years and the forest service left it there, but barely, with a fight. Cannot tell you where, sorry.
Apr 25, 2008 | 8:11 am
Pond Zip wrote:
I am interested in putting a zip line across a pond that is approx 100′ wide. The purpose is to drop in the water for some summer fun for both teenagers and adults. Does anyone know what the angle should be or the equation to aapproximate speed. I realize most of this will be done by trial and error due to the many variables. I just need a good starting point. We want to be safe not sorry but the goal here is to have fun. I am open to all suggestions.
Apr 25, 2008 | 5:36 pm
codyman wrote:
you need steel cable.steel cabel pully.strong hooks,cable clamps.i think you will have lots of fun on this ride
Apr 27, 2008 | 12:11 pm
forest explorer wrote:
I am gonna build one of these this summer but I’ll change it up a little. First, I’m going to use 3/8″ galvanized cable(about $70 for 200′). And the beginning of the cable will be attached to a 4×4 between two trees and the same thing with the end of the cable. I can’t wait to build it this summer and go flying past trees.
Apr 29, 2008 | 4:25 pm
Dutch wrote:
hmmmmm…. im going to attempt to put a 1000ft zip line at my cousins this month. its going to run down a ridge that has close to a 300ft drop to tha bottom. im thinkin bout using quarter inch galvanized cable for tha main line, it has a breaking weight of 7000lbs and a load capacity of 1400lbs, then a strap in harness for tha rider. any thoughts? the only concern i have is tha fact theres such a STEEP drop involved……. im thinkin with the extra length i can compensate and have some room to slow down at tha bottom. any comments are welcome.
May 7, 2008 | 12:26 pm
Mark 42 wrote:
Ever notice electric lines always have sag in them?
Telephone lines, even the small ones to the house?
Do you know why?
It’s because if you put a load in the middle of a cable stretched tight to the point it’s perfectly straight the load in the cable goes to infinity.
Lookup “Catenary tension equation” on google or wikipedia.
Some slack also eliminates the need for a net or a brake to catch the rider at the downhill end.
May 13, 2008 | 5:35 pm
Matt wrote:
Hello
I’m trying to build a 300ft zip line. I’m using all high end gear including 1/4 inch galvanized cable. I’m secured to a 24 inch diameter tree at one end and approx 10 inch diameter tree at the other. It appears that the 10 inch tree only needs to bend slightly for me at 200lbs to get the 18ft high cable to drop to the ground. Can anyone help me with the math on this one? I have the tension on the cable very very tight. The load in the middle appears to be great enough to get the 8 inch tree to bend. If my math is correct, it would only need to bend a little for me to get the cable to drop.
Thoughts? HELP
May 19, 2008 | 12:39 pm
Maren wrote:
I just built a zip line and used 3/16in cable. I read in an earlier post that is had a strength of 4000lbs (or something)/ The cable I bought said it was good for 840lbs. If this is really the case is my cable too small? It is not coated cable is that a problem too? My oldest son weighs 180
Please help concerned mom..
May 19, 2008 | 5:52 pm
Mike wrote:
i just made a zipline this weekend with my dad. the legnth is approx. 100ft. and we keep coming into this problem where the cable sags down too low that it almost stops then your body eventually hits the ground. the topography is relatively level so is there anything that i can do to fix this?
May 21, 2008 | 8:36 pm
CRAZY wrote:
I want a short line or something that my grandkids can have fun on. Not too dangerous but F U N! This would be for the kids that are 8 and older. They’res a lot of info so I will do my best to see
how it works. Thanks, ED PS Cans with holes in them for stilts sound like more fun and a LOT safer…maybe not as much fun but I want to lkkeep my grandkids around Happy and happy!
May 24, 2008 | 4:38 pm
JJ wrote:
I have an 85 foot zip line it has been up for 2 years the cable is rusted how do we get it cleaned so it will work again. Very slow right now
thank you
May 27, 2008 | 12:01 am
simplizer wrote:
?Zip line. What memories!
I have a cousin, Dave, about 4 years older than me who was always involved in some kind of fun
projects along with several of his good friends. When in their late teens they obtained several
hundred yards of 1 inch cable that was discarded by an oil well drilling company. They took this
to an area where there was about a 50 foot ledge and which had a little canyon providing easy
access to the top. They secured one end to a large cedar tree on top of the ledge and with the help
of an old Dodge Power Wagon truck, fastened the other end to another cedar down below, in a
very sandy area. They attached a big pulley over the cable and hung an old tire from the pulley, to
serve as hand holds, using many strands of bailing wire, which was the common way of doing
things back in the 1950s.
Soon, people from all over the community were coming to check it out and the braver among
them giving it a try. The first time I tried it was at night when they had a bon fire near each end.
I went back the next day, and upon seeing how high it was, the only way I could get myself to try
it again was to tell myself that I had done it the night before.
The young men who built it were very worried that someone would get hurt and get them in
trouble. When my father, in his late 50s, tried it he noticed that my mother was filming his descent
with her new 8MM movie camera so he let go a little early and rolled over several times. Scared
the daylights out of the builders as they came running and asking if he was hurt.
They added several more pulleys and then rigged up a Model A Ford motor and transmission to
turn a drum that would pull the pulleys back up with a rope. I sometimes wonder how we
survived those years.
Jun 26, 2008 | 7:02 am
ScottyKalbs wrote:
I biult a zipline about 230feet long using nylon 3/8 rope, and a matching pulley, i attached an old workout machine handle to hang on too.
Me and my friends came up with a good way to brake, and to bring the pulley and handle back up to the top.We bought 200 feet of closeline rope, and anchored it to a tree branch and then tied it off to the pulley, so when we got to the bottom of the zipline the closeline would stop us, then we just pull the closeline from the top to get the pulley and handle back up quickly and effeciently.
Jun 26, 2008 | 7:03 am
ScottyKalbs wrote:
by the way, i got all my supplies at home depot, and to get the rope tight enough we purchased a “come along” search it on homedepot.com, it helps out alot bringing 2 tons of pull to ur zipline.
Jun 28, 2008 | 1:16 am
simplizer wrote:
What do it mean when you shove dat zip line up yo butthole an den jump off a tree an the zip line tingels your bunghole as it is pulled out? Please I RELLY want to no!
Jul 7, 2008 | 12:44 am
Dr Dave wrote:
You will find some ideas and answers to many of your questions at zipline.info.
Jul 7, 2008 | 3:47 pm
needhelp wrote:
so im trying to construct a zipline but not fot the normal use. i work at a zoo and i am trying to come up with a fun enrichment idea for the tigers that uses a zipline and bungee combo with an attached “prey” (a ball). I am trying to reseacrh as much as I can to find pieces that are able to withstand a LOT of pressure and tugging. does anyone have any ideas about the cable and other pieces that might help me? they need to be very strong thats all i know!
Jul 14, 2008 | 12:54 pm
ZX wrote:
UR ALL GAY
Jul 15, 2008 | 11:05 pm
caca wrote:
I know this sounds like a lot of fun, but SERIOUS testing should be done before sending a person down the zip line.
The rope is going to stretch and create slack, so you’ll need to re-tighten the rope.
Landing area is VERY important! You smack into a tree and you’re in for a WORLD OF PAIN!
Find a way to send down a big bag of approximately weighted sand to judge the speed. The degree of decline is proportionately related to the rate of acceleration. Decline of rope line too steep, acceleration rate to fast for successful bail out.
DON’T have this too high off the ground, if you lose your grip landing could be VERY painful. You may also twist while descending so take that into account.
We used to make these when we were kids, but we ended up using cable, but the hard part is getting it taught enough.
Jul 15, 2008 | 11:06 pm
caca wrote:
hey if u call ppl gay its cuse u gay
Jul 21, 2008 | 10:26 am
rees wrote:
i built a drope zip as we call it off a cliff into the sea it was a mazing 87 and half tall and about 37 meters long amazing
Jul 24, 2008 | 3:03 pm
DEWAG wrote:
I built a zipline 547′ long between 2 trees. I ran a 3 wheeler tire through the 5/16″ cable at the end for a break. I made a 1/4″ plate with a hole in the center for the cable and a hole on the corner to tie the bungee cord through. The CMI trolley hits the tire which hits the plate which stretches the bungee cord for a somewhat soft stop. The elevation change is 60′ so it is very fast. This weekend I am constructing a 2000′ long zipline with a 40′ elevation change using 7/32″ cable. I just need a crash test dummy. I highly recommend a 12″ long turnbuckle on each end to fine tune the line. Will let you know later how the 2000′ line works. The 547′ line has been a blast.
MW
Jul 30, 2008 | 3:25 pm
hello wrote:
hello i am linsy lonha. i love eggs
Aug 8, 2008 | 4:39 pm
Ya Nig$5 wrote:
thit fu$#%@ suckc a## !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aug 10, 2008 | 1:35 pm
Multiple Tree ZipLine wrote:
I want to construct a zipline that uses several trees as it zips through a forrest, is there any way to do this w/o changing lines / stopping?
Aug 23, 2008 | 9:16 pm
Big Woody wrote:
The absolute best way to stop is to seperate the strands of cable at the end and tie off the two ends to seperate locations at the same height. This gives you a gradual stop with out a hole lot of work. Also get a zip pully that can be removed easy after your run so you don’t have to worry about getting it back to the top. Hope this helps!
Aug 25, 2008 | 10:40 am
AP wrote:
Can someone post the mathematical formulas that we can all use to build safe zip lines please. Thank you.
Aug 25, 2008 | 10:49 am
curios wrote:
Is a double pulley preferable to single pulley?
Aug 30, 2008 | 3:46 pm
ap wrote:
use a harness to keep them from falling
Aug 31, 2008 | 8:58 pm
name wrote:
Good day!,
Sep 8, 2008 | 5:13 pm
greenfreak wrote:
he probly isnt looking anymore but if anyone is wondering a good wayto do it if u only have one tree is mabye do it off ur top deck or part of your house thats SAFE AND DOESNT HAVE TO HIGH OF A DROP!!!!!!!!!!
Sep 8, 2008 | 5:14 pm
greenfreak wrote:
zip lines are sooooooooooooo cool if u like dont know wat a zipline is ur a dumbbutt and u need to see nims island!!
Sep 8, 2008 | 5:15 pm
greenfreak wrote:
hay yall dis is greenfreak again REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE HOMIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sep 8, 2008 | 5:16 pm
greenfreak wrote:
i love the earth it is green and blue my two favortie colors peeps how bout yooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuu!!!! BAM!
Sep 8, 2008 | 10:51 pm
Person wrote:
My dad says that we are going to build a zipline over a river and onto this island, is that safe? if so, what type of seat should someone use to get across? If anyone wants to stop, at the end just put a tire up where the cable is and that should make you go flying up in the air and then come down and bounce back 10? feet. Ziplines are so much fun!
Sep 19, 2008 | 9:09 pm
patrick wrote:
i made like a 60 ft zipline. its kind of hard to explain. you take an unused bike and take the frame and front tube/tire off. so all you have left is the handlebars, front brake, front wheel, and forks. then, take a cable/rope and put it in between two solid trees or poles. put the bike upside down on the cable so the wheel/rim has the cable through it. the wheel will spin and ride along the cable and you should still have the front brake working so you can slow down.
Sep 23, 2008 | 6:49 am
satFusUnfinna wrote:
How i may contact the administrator of a site? I have a question.
Sep 24, 2008 | 9:10 am
lelandbug wrote:
curios: I don’t have any personal experience, but most websites recommend a tandem pulley. I would imagine this would also reduce wear on your cable/rope as the side casing of the pulley would not rub up against the cable as much.
Sep 28, 2008 | 5:29 pm
Dilliard’s wrote:
This really works! It is soooooooooooooooo fun! I think it needs a tandem pulley though. I built mine from the top of a tree! All the way across the pool to the other side of the yard! Our yard is really big! IT WAS AWESOME!
Sep 29, 2008 | 6:01 pm
anna wrote:
The Best thing to use would be a cable because they don’t give very much and they’re a LOT harder to break. They’re about 25 cents a foot at a hardwear store and it’s alot cheaper that bringing your child to the emergency room
Oct 10, 2008 | 2:54 pm
tommy wrote:
what size rope should i use? i dont want to use rope too big or too small.
Oct 10, 2008 | 2:55 pm
tommy wrote:
which pully should i use? i have no clue what any of these pullys are.
Oct 26, 2008 | 12:43 am
truth be known wrote:
the bicycle brake idea might work if you used a buttload of duct tape on the rim, otherwise the rim will just slide in the cable, does anyone think before they try and bullshit everyone else?.
Oct 27, 2008 | 4:02 pm
nathan wrote:
the best kind of rope would be 3/8 to 1/2 .for a pulley i prefer a two weeled pulley
Nov 24, 2008 | 10:19 pm
Tahdah wrote:
Great site. I’m constructing a 200′ run. I understand the slope recommendation to be 9′ over a 200′ run but how do I apply this to the starting tree running into the stopping tree. That is how do you make the measurements? And other than trial and error can you compute the amount of swag in the line to create an appropriate gravity brake without slamming into the ground upon decent.
Nov 25, 2008 | 4:42 pm
T Bender wrote:
Sounds Phun
Nov 28, 2008 | 5:09 pm
hflkenhflja wrote:
We tryed to build one but it broke so we are going to use this website
Nov 28, 2008 | 5:17 pm
PEPS wrote:
Yo its sweet!
Nov 29, 2008 | 9:11 pm
james from yesteryear wrote:
I made a zip line from 100′ of3/8 steel cable and a pulley carriage I made from four 11/2″ angle irons and two roller blade wheels. i fitted a couple of old wheelbarrow tires onto the line near the bottom to reduce shock. I used two trees at the top and two at the bottom to get a safe clear run. it was only 6′ up. worked great until some little twirp showed off in front of her mother by bunching into a ball, she went too fast and lost her grip at the bottom. she got a free but needless(thankfully) trip in a medivac helicopter. if mom hadn’t been there she would probably kept it secret! Kids!!!
Nov 29, 2008 | 9:17 pm
james from yesteryear wrote:
forgot to mention- it is important to get the tension matched to the height drop- the last few feet should be upwards to slow down, try and set up somewhere where the ground goes down and then up.
wrist loops may be safer than a tee bar handle.
go for it jfy xxx
good luck
Nov 30, 2008 | 8:12 am
jj from maine wrote:
but be sure not to use anything rusty to hang on to, it can hurt.
Dec 8, 2008 | 11:25 am
stacy wrote:
I think this work is very good but way to long.It took me 5 days to finish this. I am sorry i will use this site but not this.
Dec 8, 2008 | 11:26 am
stacy wrote:
i LOVE this site.IT ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!
Dec 16, 2008 | 7:12 pm
dhart wrote:
I built a 175 ft zip line from my kids club house to a tree in our lower yard. I used 3/8 wire rope and fabbed a trolley. I hung a round seat below the handle bar so my 6yr old can ride no problem. also @ the bottom I bolted a 4×4 block with a 1/2″ hole bored through it over the cable and fastened it to the ground in two places with bungie cord this makes a great brake.
Dec 24, 2008 | 2:58 pm
Landdesigner wrote:
I have a client that wants one of these installed in her backyard for her son. Does anyone know about liability/laws re building one and then if someone gets hurt on it? Does anyone know of a company that builds small, residential zip lines?
Jan 1, 2009 | 3:41 pm
DIY Fun wrote:
I made one of these with steel cable when my kids were small. They were not strong enough to hold onto the handles yet. So, we hung a swing from it. It travelled from our treehouse (about 8 feet up) to an oak tree a few feet lower and about 60 feet away. They could sit down in the swing, push off the treehouse deck, and zip on down. The stop was a u-bolt attached to the cable about 8 feet from the tree. By they time they stopped swinging, their feet were only about two feet above the ground and could hop off.
Jan 5, 2009 | 10:06 pm
Some random person wrote:
i liv on a farm and have a dam without trees around it so i was wondering how high i should have a platform so i can let go halfway at speed into the dam
Jan 7, 2009 | 9:27 am
Nevermore wrote:
Landdesigner check out outdoorfunstore.com they seem to have alot of info and stuff.
Jan 8, 2009 | 10:53 pm
dano wrote:
You all have given me some great ideas. I am going to tie a long rope, high up in a tree near a lake we ski at, connected to our ski rope anchor on the boat, then rev’ the engine to 4,000 RPM, have the kids climb the tree and zip into the middle of the lake. Oh shoot,… straight towards the spinning propeller. I’ll have to tell them to make sure and let go before they get to the boat.
Jan 25, 2009 | 10:59 pm
dano wrote:
Okay, I was just kidding about using our boat at one end.
I’ve made two zipline runs in the last couple weeks. In both cases had to raise the “end”, cause the sag in the line had you dragging on the ground in the middle. And also to provide for deceleration.
If you get really long eye-bolts, ( 18″, 5/8″ thread), you don’t need a turn-buckle, just keep some thread to spare, to tighten up the cable after the come-along has done all it can…. but the come-along is “key” to getting enough tension in the cable. (used 5/16″ cable, after first buying a roll of 3/16″ and deciding it was too flimsy, especially the wire clips).
To use the come-along, attach the high end securely. On the low-end, attach a loop of cable using wire-clips, that you can hook the come-along, too, so it will be about 6′ from the tree when the cable is tightened. Will act as a “break” at the end of the run, too.
No matter how tight you pull the cable, there will be “sag” in the middle. The longer the run, the more it will sag. I’ll need to raise the end of the run I put in today, even though it’s only 40′ longer than the first one I put in, with the same “end” height.
Getting the heights right at both ends takes some experimenting. If you don’t want to drill multiple holes in your tree, you might set it up initially with “logging” chain wrapped around the trees, so you can adjust the height, then drill the holes for the eye bolts when you have it right.
Feb 1, 2009 | 8:37 am
Airboy 95 wrote:
This is great fun but if you fall by letting go it is not fun. you want to try to makew a sm all one fist till you got use to holding on and then when you good make one as long as you want but remember to have the rpope as tight as possible.
Feb 15, 2009 | 7:13 pm
davie wrote:
im thinking about putting in a zipline. 700′ long, using 1/4 galvanized aircraft cable. this drop will be about 35′ over the 700′. any ideas? will this be safe, and work?
Feb 19, 2009 | 8:41 pm
parker wrote:
Question. If one of the sides of the handle/pulley thing isn’t open. How would you get it back up to the top ??
Feb 23, 2009 | 6:55 pm
KMP wrote:
I love this idea. But how do u get the zip lines back across the lake? Plz reply with an answer… i need help!! haha =)) thank you
Feb 24, 2009 | 6:58 pm
pizza man wrote:
is 1/4 inch galvonized cable strong enough?
Feb 27, 2009 | 6:54 pm
Caseee wrote:
my brother did this in his back yard. to stop from hitting the tree he nailed old couch cushion to the tree
Mar 3, 2009 | 4:01 pm
Failblog.org wrote:
Can you guys help me out? My kid wants me to put a zipline up over a canyon-ish gorge about 5-5 1/2 deep and we don’t have any other space to put it. If one of the kids falls off and hurts themselves it will be all my fault and some paranoid parents will most likely sue me. I want to put a seat up, but I can’t find a way to safely attatch a pulley to the seat. She desperately wants some zipline but I don’t even have but the most limited tools and money. could you tell me if Lowes or Home Depot sells this stuf? thanks.
Mar 7, 2009 | 8:49 pm
Onetree wrote:
Thank You all for sharing your experiences.
Question : I have only 1 tree I can use in my backyard. I am planning for a 150′ to 200′ zipline. Any suggestions for the other end. Can I sink anchor in ground
Mar 8, 2009 | 6:26 pm
Failblog.org wrote:
Onetree, I would suggest if you have the money, you could build a raised platform to land on or take off from.
Mar 8, 2009 | 6:31 pm
Meesa Liksa Cowsa wrote:
P.S.- I had a guy in my neighborhood that made a really long zipline that ran right into a fence. The end was pretty low on it. so we stopped ourselves before the inevitable crash. And do we really have to use a winch to make it tight or can we just do it by hand? And we’re using a mound of duct tape as a brake. It doesn’t get tangled up in the pulley, and you can take it off and redo it anytime. Thanks.
Mar 8, 2009 | 6:36 pm
Meesa Liksa Cowsa wrote:
KMP-
You could always get a willing child to swim across the lake to give it back to you. Or you could just buy a really long rope (dependant on how long across the lake is, just measure or try to measure halfway across the lake)and attach a little remote control boat or ball of styrofoam to the end.
Mar 14, 2009 | 10:43 am
grass 1 wrote:
I was thinking of putting a wireless motor on a trolley to freewheel ahead of the main trolley then when they both got to the end the first one would grip the cable and push the main trolley to the start. The wireless motor would have to engage a rubber wheel to grip the cable and propel both trolleys to the start point. Could this possibly work? I would like details if you are willing to share your knowledge. Thank you
Mar 18, 2009 | 4:52 pm
trista wrote:
ummm i guess its an awsome toy. tie the rope to a tree and zip zip zip u go!!!
Mar 18, 2009 | 4:52 pm
trista wrote:
yeah baby its sweet
Mar 20, 2009 | 9:25 pm
Dakashina wrote:
Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever come across people banding together for mutual enjoyment before. However, I do have a couple questions. 1) Would a normal rock-climbing harness coupled with climbing rope on a locking carabiner work? I have the climbing equipment, so I’m trying to figure out if I can MacGyver some of that stuff into a harness. 2) What’s the minimum weight requirement of a pully if the biggest person using it would be 220lbs? 3) Is polyethelyne rope a good alternative to steel if it’s not UV reactive?
Mar 24, 2009 | 10:30 pm
Mic wrote:
You could just get 4 - 6 trolleys and have time to return them around the lake and keep the action going. Petzl makes some good cheap trolleys(relatively). It seems cheaper and easier than fancy return systems. Good zip line kits at adventureropegear.com
Mar 28, 2009 | 9:15 pm
Dakashina wrote:
When setting up a zip line over a distance of 100 feet. I recommend using a 45 or 50* angle. I have one set up and its awesome
Apr 1, 2009 | 8:50 pm
silver wrote:
Will a 3/32 truper cable work for a 40ft long zipline? Need it to transport kayak to the beach from the warehouse. Cant seem to find info on cable resistance and weight. Getting tired of hauling it uphill thru rocks. Any ideas?
Apr 2, 2009 | 4:37 pm
Dhiraj wrote:
this is wrong
Apr 3, 2009 | 7:46 pm
Spud Master wrote:
look, instead of having a straight line of cable… make it so its curves some… E.G: a line going just like this: \ would provide WAY to much tightening so instead, put it like this: \/ see… this would NOT have to be tetioned as much. Have a sturdy platform about 50 ft. above the air and then have a little slack in the rope down to a platform 5 ft off the ground in a curve witt some tension, with a pad to slide into incase you brake to late. As always use a proper weighted pully and cable. Harness is good. Use STEEL CABLE!!!!! not responsible for anyone hurting themselves.
Apr 23, 2009 | 3:05 pm
Melody wrote:
OMG. I went on a field trip like a day ago, and it was a 3-day stay for middle schoolers, and on the last day we did some high ropes, and one of the things we got to do was a zip line. And I’m a middle schooler, so it’s intended for kids. I was scared to death when i climbed the tree. But I think the hardest part was leaning off the platform, and falling off to go shooting through the air, I mean seriously. The other kids looked like ants, and the tree platform was 30 feet up in the air. But it’s super fun, I wish I could do it again.
Apr 28, 2009 | 3:44 pm
kfa670 wrote:
Need some zip line advice. Have read a lot of these comments and done a bit of research. I have some ground up in the woods with enough space and drop and big enough trees to build a line up to 1000′ long or more at various distances above the ground, never more than 30′.
What would be the best diameter cable 3/8″ or 1/2″, and whats the word on plastic coating? I would definately design the line so excessive speeds wouldn’t be reached.
Whats the best method for tightening a cable of such length?
May 1, 2009 | 7:39 pm
rah wrote:
anyone have any different ideas on a brake for a zipline that is already constructed? I currently have a wooden block but it tends to stick and doesn’t slide back to the original position with the bungy cord.
May 3, 2009 | 6:14 pm
L&M’s police Force wrote:
Hi! We have a manufactured zipline (Fun Ride) that goes about 51′ between 2 trees, but weight slows it down too much before getting to next tree. We put it 6″ higher than manufacturer recommended on start end, & don’t want to go TOO high for 8 year old crowd. Can’t figure out how to tighten it more, or do we need to go higher? Now there’s a 2′ drop –approximately –end tree is on a little higher ground, so hard to tell. Lower end measures 30″ lower up the tree than high end. Thanks if you have experience w/ this!
May 10, 2009 | 7:00 pm
willie wrote:
yeah i made a zipline this weekend but what we used is a wire rope type thing a pully handle bars and a crank to tighten the line….the one i made though goes into a pond
May 14, 2009 | 11:23 pm
not too smart wrote:
i just built a 80′ zipline out of steel cable. i start atleast 30′ higher than the bottom. needless to say, you go fast. i went cheap and duct taped some rags to the end. it works much better then just hitting the bolts. this is my second zipline. the first went strait into a tree. it was fun to watch my friends go down until one got really hurt. so my second zipline has bolts about 6 feet from the tree. this lets you swing without hitting the tree. the only problem left is the whiplash and hitting your face on the pulley. my advice to you is that different breaks will work for your specific situation.
May 15, 2009 | 2:03 pm
Zip Line Guy wrote:
Hey all,
If you’re looking for tips and ideas on your zip line project, come check us out at http://www.ziplinegear.com. We’ve got info and equipment for all kinds of projects… braking systems, cable tensioners, harnesses, pulleys- the whole works. And even if you’re not looking to buy equipment, send your questions to info@sleaddventures.com, and we’ll see if we can help. We’ve put together a pile of resources over the years on the subject.
One last sales pitch- one the website, we’ve got a blog all about zip line projects, and a google map of commercial zip lines across the US and around the world. Check it out- you might live within a few minutes of one and not know it!
-Nathan Sleadd, Professional Zip line Nut
May 23, 2009 | 10:31 am
zip master8000 wrote:
I want to build a zipline but i don’t have a tree on top of the incline. the incline is a little small for just sitting and going down the hill. So i was thinking that I make a handle to hold on to. so what do you think i should use for the pole at the top of the incline.
Jun 3, 2009 | 4:45 pm
lynn wrote:
so i made a zipline in my woods alittle different but this sounds like it would work but as long as its not that high then you dont have to worry about it being texted before some oue goes
Jun 4, 2009 | 8:25 pm
jon wrote:
I have no trees to put on a zipline so I am thinking of using steel rods or pipes and put them in ground with concrete filled. What is the minimium diameter size recommended for 150 feet line and can support 300lbs adult? If you have a better idea, I welcome any inputs. Thanks!
Jun 5, 2009 | 4:02 pm
coolman wrote:
guy who worte the first reply it’s called an eye bolt
Jun 7, 2009 | 11:36 pm
shoog wrote:
what are the wheels with the grooves in them called? i want to build something similar to a zip-line but i’m not sure what the wheels for the trolley are called and i can’t buy the wheels if i don’t know lol
Jun 8, 2009 | 1:31 pm
Ellie wrote:
Make sure the amount when subtracted of the two points aren’t too far from each other. The maximum should be about five feet for 50 feet apart from each other or if the slide is short, a maximum should be about seven to eight. You don’t want too much speed or you’ll end up hitting what ever you have there and let go. I also suggest putting an old mattress or rolled up carpet where you will land. Of course unless you can jump with out getting too big of an injury! :)
Jun 11, 2009 | 11:02 pm
keri wrote:
i put up a zip line in my back yard for the kids and now, only 1 year later there is rust on the line. i think its stainless steel. what should i do about the rust ? leave it? does it make the line weaker? put wd-40 on it? anyone? anyone?
Jun 13, 2009 | 7:03 am
meow mix wrote:
if i were you i would change the zip line or your kids might fall and get hurt
Jun 24, 2009 | 1:07 pm
krispykarrot wrote:
I’ve built 2 ziplines, the first was 220ft, the second is over 500ft. I use Petzl climbing pulleys(dual wheel) only($30), climbing harnesses for the kids($30), with climbing straps and carabiners($5-10), and 3/8 or 1/4 galvanized or coated cable(quieter). For cable only use like components, ie. all galvanized or SS or steel. Mixing will cause corrosion and failure. Learn how to use U-bolts correctly(flat plate on run length only). Any broken strand on a cable will fail sooner than later, replace it! I also bought a line brake but you can make one out of a 4×4 piece 8in long; drill a hole lengthwise in the block just larger than the cable diameter. Use an eye bolt(welded ring only) and pre-drill and sink in the leading corner of the block. String cable through block before hanging. You can also use an 8-10″ lawn mower tire; drill and string cable through -O-, bolt a U or eye bolt perpendicular to the cable. Using only 1/2″ bungee, tie to block and other end to a tree or post level or higher than the cable height(to avoid snapping the rider). 1/2″ bungee can stop a 200+lb weight going 20+mph with ease but make sure you tie a proper knot in the bungee! I currently use turnbuckles from power poles(your local power guy might toss you some) which are through-bolted in the tree or branch or cable completely wrapped around a trunk(use slotted wood blocks spaced around the tree to avoid killing it). An unwelded eyebolt screwed into a tree will get you hurt, they are not designed for the stresses involved and will open up, crack, or pull free! Safer to buy 6 cable crimps and extra cable to wrap the trees. Use a $12 come-a-long or 2000lb power winch(what I use) to adjust line tension for hot/cold and weight of riders. I built a tree platform for my 220′ line but the 500′ one uses a 12v winch to raise and lower the riders and allows me to tension according to size. Took several days(just me) and about $300 including the winch. All parts are from eBay or Harbor Freight. Look for climbing or playground items not just ‘zipline this/that’ which are typically marked way up. My next line is planned to be 1000′ and will cross my pond entirely with an elevation drop of 85′!
Jun 24, 2009 | 1:12 pm
krispykarrot wrote:
Jon. Call the power company and ask for broken or old power poles. 150′ w/300lbs will pull your pipes out of the ground or be too expensive(liek 6-8″ pipe). The tension to keep that much weight off the ground alone will be close to 1k lbs. If you start higher to prevent the ‘droop’ you’ll have to stop the rider at the end. I suggest lighter friends or a shorter distance…
Jun 24, 2009 | 1:39 pm
krispykarrot wrote:
kfa670. Use 7/16 or 1/2″ galvanized. Coated is quieter and may be faster in some cases but if it cracks or ripples it can jam in a pulley and hurt someone. Ebay has great deals on cables; I paid $130 shipped for 500+’ of 7×19 3/8″ galv plus cable clamps and buckles. If you get 30′ off the ground, consider a second smaller safety cable 1-2′ above the main cable which hooks to a second carabiner connection to a harness(Google canopy tours in Costa Rica and see how they do it). Use harnesses for everyone, 1000′ is a long time to hold on. Ebay is great for cheap climbing gear. Use a brake and a second safety deadman stop behind the brake if speeds go above 15mph. You’ll need a come-a-long or winch to tension(I’d go 6klb+), use a turnbuckle to join the tension device to the line and have a second safety cable from the turnbuckle to a fixed point in case of free-spooling of the tensioner. The safety can be slack but not so slack it allows the rider to hit the ground if the tension device fails. I gave up on pulley retrieval devices; costly and caused to many headaches at length over 100′. Use multilple pulleys like the Petzl’s that just unclip from the cable(if you don’t use the second line, use a pulley with an over-cable safety for your second carabiner). Use a seat or full-body harness for kids(to Superman) or women to make the long ride more comfortable. Good luck!
Jul 23, 2009 | 12:18 am
Shane wrote:
My and some buddy’s do a halloween haunted house every year and this zipline really helped, we had a harness for a person and a cable, it worked out for a crazy scene, this was real cool!
Aug 2, 2009 | 5:40 pm
mitch wrote:
fuck you
Aug 11, 2009 | 11:40 pm
snowninja wrote:
on a 275ft run is 1/4″ SS 7×19 Aircraft cable strong enough for someone up to 225lbs?
Aug 17, 2009 | 1:09 pm
Russ wrote:
Dont go cheap. Spend a little bit of money and get a cable NOT a rope. $500 or less and you should be able to have a safe and reliable zipline. I build these for a camp. Get and actual pulley and harness as well. Again spend a little save your kids life.
Aug 26, 2009 | 11:13 pm
odie wrote:
My kids want a zip line over our pool. The pool is 28′ long, but the yard is not that big. I have about 5′ on one end and maybe 10′ on the other end. Also, no trees in line with the pool. Is this impossible?
Aug 28, 2009 | 8:40 am
kathy wrote:
We have a platform at one tree with cable about 30 feet up. It ends on another tree only 6 ft up. So the kids land thier feet on the ground before hitting the other tree. It has a daisy disc seat instead of everyones handlebar idea. The kids love it. (definetly use cable and a wench!)
Sep 1, 2009 | 8:23 pm
jessica the great wrote:
hello partly insane people out there,
can anybody thnk of a way for me to make a portable zipline? we go hiking and such a lot, and i think it would be cool to have a zipline to stuff in a backpack and hook up later. tanks loads.
Sep 4, 2009 | 5:20 pm
MMMMAAAAAGGGGGIIIICC wrote:
How do you wake an intense zipline that starts from 15 feet up and ends up in the water? Are there any ways to hook up the pully with a big, thick threaded steel rod with a plywod floor so you can stand up going down and be safe, but still be able to jump into the water?
Sep 6, 2009 | 7:05 am
evo wrote:
dude that would be ausome#
Sep 7, 2009 | 4:12 pm
zip wrote:
i live in the north and i’am a tracker and when i need to get across the 50 foot wide river and to my atv so i can get to town i have a 150 foot zip line it is made out of a 200 foot 6 ply steel 1/2 inch line it is tied and bolted to the trees (it is army grade steel) i have a pulley rated at 1000 pounds a special harness with all the right gear to keep me safe when 25 feet away from the end i heve 6 bolts that are drilled through the cable that bring you to a stop….. this is not for personal recreation this is not a building plan for any one this is simply me just telling you about my zip line and my zip line was profsionally hung and put up i had nothing to do with the building
Sep 7, 2009 | 4:50 pm
ALY wrote:
ok…this is confusing…i have a pulley rope, and a tree..but a dont unbdedrstand about the pulley…wat kind of pulley and where can i get them???SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!
Sep 22, 2009 | 2:25 pm
Krystal wrote:
We did this to other day .. except we went to home depo and bought cpme cable and clamps!! but we r finding out with the cable you need a better pully but we only spent 30 dollars on the stuff we got
Sep 22, 2009 | 2:25 pm
Krystal wrote:
We did this to other day .. except we went to home depo and bought cpme cable and clamps!! but we r finding out with the cable you need a better pully but we only spent 30 dollars on the stuff we got
Oct 6, 2009 | 4:56 pm
Zoomer wrote:
Can someone help answer if zip line cables need to be oiled and or what kind of cable maintenance should be done with galvanized ¼ inch cables?
Oct 8, 2009 | 3:20 pm
A hole wrote:
saftey saftey saftey.
fags!
Oct 9, 2009 | 11:38 am
WILLIAM wrote:
HAD A ZIP LINE IN OUR BACK YARD AS KIDS. THE TOP OF THE CABLE WAS ATTACHED THE PERFECT TREE. THE TREE GROW SIDE WAYS. DAD NAILED SHORT 2 X 4′S TO THE TREE TO MAKE THE LADDER. THERE WAS 2 LIMBS THAT GREW OUT OF THE TREE ABOUT 4 FEET FROM EACH OTHER, THE CABLE WAS ATTACHED TO THE TOP LIMB AND THE BOTTOM LIMB WE STOOD ON. MY DAD USED A STEEL PIPE ABOUT 2 FEET LONG WITH THE CABLE THREADED THROUGH IT TO HOLD ONTO. THE OTHER END OF THE CABLE WAS ATTACHED TO THE TRUNK OF ANOTHER TREE. OUR BRAKE SYSTEM WAS AN OLD MATTRESS LEANED AGAINST THE TREE AT THE BOTTOM END OF THE CABLE. WE KEPT THE MATTRESS IN THE GARAGE WHEN NOT IN USE TO KEEP IT OUT OF THE RAIN AND FROM STINKING. OF COURSE IN 1965 MOST FOLKS DIDN’T PUT SAFETY FIRST BUT LET ME TELL YOU IT SURE WAS FUN. DAD WOULD RUB AXEL GREASE INSIDE THE PIPE EVERY SO OFTEN TO LUBE THE CABLE. THE WAY WE GOT THE PIPE BACK TO THE TOP WAS ONE OF US (BROTHER OR ME) WOULD CLIMB THE TREE AND GET SET AND THE OTHER ONE WOULD SLIDE THE PIPE REALLY HARD BACK UP TO THE OTHER ONE. YES IT IS DANGEROUS AND NEEDS TO BE SUPERVISED CLOSELY. HAVE FUN!
Oct 12, 2009 | 8:14 pm
Rebecca wrote:
We haven’t made one yet but, i have tested them out before. Any ideas on what to use as the handle
Oct 25, 2009 | 5:46 pm
Johnny Cash wrote:
I didn’t bother to read through the hundreds of previous posts past 20 or 30, but has anyone tried putting a bunch of medium duty (test them and think about it when you buy them) compression springs, all lined up at the end on the line? I thought of it for steel, but I’m sure you’d have no problems on a rope (death trap) zip line. When the weather is good next spring, I think I’ll try it. I think this would be good because you’d stop, it wouldn’t require any operator “input” and you’d stop easy, not with a jolt. I’d like to see someone try it. Cheers…
Oct 31, 2009 | 12:43 pm
coke man wrote:
whats the extament on the cost
Nov 8, 2009 | 7:02 pm
Red Beard wrote:
From reading all of these opinions I have learned alot. I have constructed my first zipline swing today out of 100′ of galvinized cable from Depot’s House, a pulley from TSC, a come along, and some chain. After just 4 to 5 hours I have realized that, I need a good $60 to $80 pulley, more tension, more elevation on the launching site, and replace the single 4×4 post with a 6×6 post
Nov 10, 2009 | 4:00 pm
DeathTrap Engineer haha wrote:
LOOKING FOR SOME ADVICE! heres my plan, im going to make a 5/16′600ft zipline in my yard on the top side I plan on wrapping the cable around a powerpoll which has no electricity going to it and on the bottom side is a 40ft tall rock, I plan on using rock climbing anchors which bolt into the solid granite. Two bolts can easily hold the impact force of a climber falling 30ft. Im going to put in 6 anchors(steel expansion bolts with hangers)that can hold 25kn each for the zipline(WILL THIS BE ENOUGH TO HOLD THE TENSION IN THE CABLE PLUS THE WEIGHT OF THE CABLE AND RIDER) I also plan on Anchoring the power poll to the ground on the opposite side of the zipline. How much force does a zipline take to each anchor if the rider is 130 lbs and the distance is 600ft? Does anyone have a formula to calculate the forces peak and normal use? Since on the topside i plan on wrapping the cable around the poll i think the weakest link could be attaching it to the rock. Does anyone have any advice does this sound safe? its got a good slope in it too probably 150ft at least from top to bottom. Im trying to figure this out safely before I put myself or someone else in danger also Im going to tie sandbags to the harness for first run simulation and also Im going to test its peak load by throwing climbing rope over the middle section and tying it to my harness and bounce up and down on it from the ground. Anything else Im not thinking about that I should take into consideration please help thanks.
Nov 12, 2009 | 2:23 am
john l wrote:
i just found this site today i started making zip lines a few weeks ago if you want to see go to youtube and type in “port byron zip line” by the way the wire batery motor is insane to get working
Nov 23, 2009 | 1:59 pm
Siggie wrote:
Call a psychiatrist and have your effen head examined.
Nov 25, 2009 | 3:27 pm
pseudonym wrote:
for an easy brake, tie one end of a rope to the ski rope handle and the other to the beginning of the zip line. When you have gone down, go to the beginning and untie the rope and pull it in. Its actually quite simple
Nov 28, 2009 | 5:57 pm
poop wrote:
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee:) :):):):):):)
Nov 28, 2009 | 5:59 pm
poop wrote:
i rock your world
ass
Dec 6, 2009 | 5:51 pm
done this wrote:
I used the compression springs lined up with heavy washers in between springs. Also, adjust the speed by using turnbuckle on one end and adjust slacking. More slack = slower speed at the end of the ride.
Dec 6, 2009 | 6:05 pm
lets do this safely wrote:
first you should al learn how to rig properly.
DO NOT go to a hardware store or boat store and purchase rope.
i have made many ziplines and have learned a lot
insted of attaching the rope directly to the tree put some webbing around it and use the wrap3 pull 2 method.next use a mullion or rated LOCKING carabiner if going on to rope.
once this is set up pul it all tight and hook it in to the other tree. i would suggest not leaving the tightening device in the system. this is a major point of failure.
for the trolly get a rated pulley next you can either attach a rig plate for ease of use or a Locking carabiner
have the rope attached to some kind of handle ready to go.
depending on the hight you may want to harness the person in
some simpl rules you my want to consider
no rope rubing on rope
no steel rubbing on rope
bad idea
Dec 15, 2009 | 1:25 pm
“another project” guy wrote:
I am in the planning stages of installing a 70′, zip-line kit that I purchased. I’m thinking of building a launch platform and having the line run across a “wet weather” creek to a tree on the opposite side.
My current idea is to use the “U shaped” braking method.
Questions -
Is a 5 foot high platform a “bad” idea for 8 to 10 year olds ?
If I opt to go with a tighter line, can someone give me some idea of the speeds attained from start/finish drop distances (like - “a 1 foot drop over 50′ is about jogging speed” sort of a thing)?
Thanks so much.
Dec 18, 2009 | 8:56 pm
gwlgis wrote:
I wouldn’t have a 5′ drop unless the 8-10 year olds can jump from that height without busting a leg. The force of dropping into the run with their limited upper body strength is too much for them.
As for materials: 3/8″ 7X19 Galvanized Aircraft Cable (GAC) is the way to go, don’t get anything smaller. You have the weight of the participant, plus the weight of the cable, plus the forces of jumping to consider. Some people won’t use less than 1/2″ GAC!
I’ve read a 9′ lower tree for a 200′ run and a 1-2 foot drop for a 100′ run. So, it’s about the same.
Mine will have a mini rope ladder from which the kids/adults can hold onto and run to get a head start, and keep their feet just a foot or two off the ground. (lower tree is in a depression). Going to use a wrap around the lower tree to test different heights before drilling the final through hole. Will keep updating as we go.
Dec 21, 2009 | 3:58 pm
George wrote:
I want to start my own Zip Line Company. How do you get the land to do so? Do I go through Government? I find it hard to believe that companies buy all that land. Can anyone help. We are financially ready to do so just have no knowledge on how to start this. Thanks
Dec 29, 2009 | 9:58 pm
eatmyhotdog wrote:
answer to George:
you can’t make zip line company. it is too dangerous to sell to kids (example like fireworks) and grown ups will not buy it. and you will have to pay money to every kids parents because kid broke his leg. usually people ask for a lot of money, because of moral damage.
Dec 30, 2009 | 5:21 pm
Landyn wrote:
hey my dad is building me a zipline but safety comes first so we went online and did some research and thats what u need too do but i’ll give u a few tips(first u will need a very high tree,a ladder to get up to the zipline,and a piece of plywood and drill the plywood too the tree where your zipline begins so u will have a platfrom too stand on, and also u will need safety harness,cable,a helmet,and something too stop u at the other side)well herer some tips and stuff u will need well have fun on your ZIPLINE!!!!!!!!!!!
Jan 5, 2010 | 2:35 am
Liam wrote:
i really need brakes. i just tied a matress to the end tree with wire…
Jan 5, 2010 | 1:58 pm
vgbgf wrote:
i have a science project on zip lines. it sucks!
Jan 8, 2010 | 8:23 pm
jake wrote:
sounds COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jan 10, 2010 | 3:53 pm
laura wrote:
George: I can tell you where some of the properties that are available for sale. Please call me at 828-883-8812 most times or email me at: mtns@citcom.net.. Success in the New Year !!! Laura Green/Broker
Mountain Properties.
Jan 11, 2010 | 11:08 am
Monty wrote:
Hey George, I have 73.19 acres that is is engineered for 23 ziplines with over 2.26 miles of cable and 4 seperate tours making it the longest zipline in the continental U.S. We need an investor to go in with us to get the opporation up and going.Please reply
Jan 11, 2010 | 11:16 am
Monty wrote:
My contact info for the 73.19 acres is mburrell7@gmail.com or 8285776798 Thank you so much!
Jan 29, 2010 | 2:26 pm
William wrote:
I want to install a cable across a river, so I can get to the other side during high water and spring run off. The span is about 150 feet. There are two stout oak trees about 20 feet above the river on opposite banks at the same elevation. My question is if I were to install 1/4″ 7X19 galvanized aircraft cable strung level with about 1 foot of sag when unloaded, Would this set up be sane and work using a cmi velocity trolley? I can also install a back up cable 2 feet above.
Feb 3, 2010 | 7:37 pm
sdas wrote:
chupame el pito pitulin.-
Feb 7, 2010 | 2:29 pm
Joao wrote:
Hello everyone! I’m from Brazil. I have a beach house and I want build zip line to the beach. The last floor have 16 meters, and until get the ocean we have to cross 10 meters street. Does anyone have an idea ? What can we do to stop until crash into the water ? Cheers
Feb 14, 2010 | 10:22 pm
jonathangrand wrote:
.to slow down do a first belay with a cinch they an control the decent from full to a steady end.
.use static rope with friction knots.11mm+
.use a harness and a pulley, much easier and safer. Dont have it as taught as possible!!!yes you want a solid line but READ ABOUT FACTOR MULTIPLES!!! If you have to solid a line you multiply your weight on the rope and anchors. If you are going to post about how to make a zip line for petes sake MAKE IT LONGER! this is flipping dangerous stuff and you do not want to get to confident in such little information. It only takes ONE mistake for things to get seriously bad. Have fun and be safe, but make sure you do this all right..
Feb 14, 2010 | 10:27 pm
jonathangrand wrote:
oh and to the guy who posted above me. Heres how ya do it. Once you build your zip line have another rope and a ‘cinch’ or gri gri belay device. tie the rope to the harness of the person going down. The person at the top of the lie can belay you down using and auto locking decive they can pull the lever full and you will FLY down then as you near the end (mark your ropes so you know how long it takes) they can slowly clost off the auto lock. OOORRR you can study the angles and a bit of physics between your anchor below and the hight of the building, 120 degree or less give in the line WITH WEIGHT and map out the lowest drop point with 200 lbs (weighted backpacks make great test dummies) and how long it will take for the subject to reach on the line where his momentum cease he stalls and pulls back towarsd the middle. First one is easier if you dont know the mathmatics.
Feb 16, 2010 | 9:47 pm
Doctor Suess wrote:
Do you like green eggs and ham?
Feb 28, 2010 | 9:43 pm
He also wrote:
No I do not, Sam I am.
Mar 8, 2010 | 4:43 am
Wilber100 wrote:
Hey jonathangrand,
What exactly do you mean by “If you have to solid a line you multiply your weight on the rope and anchors”?
My line is going to be 220 feet, high end anchored to a tree, low end to a 6×6 with guy wires, 10 foot drop. I’m considering 7×19 galvanized wire. Can you help me on diameter? I’ll be using a turnbuckle or two to tighten. thanks.
Mar 9, 2010 | 11:44 am
Old Guy wrote:
Wilber100: You need at least a 3/8ths inch galvanized cable for a run that length. Be sure to use commercial grade turnbuckles and cable hardware, not the inexpensive stuff at the local hardware store.
Mar 12, 2010 | 4:35 pm
Crazy Kiwi wrote:
at our 3rd form camp there was a pretty big flying fox, well it wasnt that long but i reckon over 30m it had a 6m vertical drop so every 5m you went you lose 1m of altitude. it had a rope braking system where there was rope coming back from the pully that was wrapped around a couple of posts so that it limited the speed of the flying fox, similar to the belaying systems they have on some high ropes courses. This rope was also the means in which it was pulled back up. Im making a small one to send stuff from up the farm down to the house, more just for the hell of it than any practical purpose, and i plan to just use twine and an old pulley as it won’t have to cope with loads of more than 10kg. If it’s successful I might try and build a full-scale one. One idea: could decommisioned power-lines work as the cable if the power-poles where reinforced and there was a sufficient incline?
Mar 12, 2010 | 9:00 pm
Crazy Kiwi wrote:
update: made the aforementioned twine one this morning. worked ok apart from getting stuck at the knots in the twine. tryed several alternatives to tying (bigger pulley, melting together, taping together) but to no avail. But there is hope: in the offal pit i found a roll of fairly new wire, have no idea why it’s been thrown out. will experiment with that soon.
Mar 14, 2010 | 1:31 pm
Smash wrote:
This looks like it would be really fun, although you would have to test it first. I would reccomend using a weight or something, about 100 pounds, to try to test it. That way, if it falls you can know it is unsafe,. That way, you dont have to use a person as a tester.
Mar 15, 2010 | 5:59 pm
the baller wrote:
your all gay take the broken bones dont check the line
Mar 30, 2010 | 8:44 pm
Zipping In VT wrote:
Read many of the posts above and saw a variety of answers. I’m putting in a 100′ zip for our kids and needed to get an better idea of how much drop/slope I need to build in so it is both exciting for the kids but at the same time relatively safe?
I saw numbers like 1 or 2 feet of drop per 100 feet of distance but this seems rather flat…
Apr 1, 2010 | 12:51 pm
Ziplinegear wrote:
@ Zipping in VT: Generally your grade should be about 6-8%. So for a 100′ zip line, your drop would be 6-8 feet. If you are looking for more info, or have any other questions, come take a look at our website at http://www.ziplinegear.com. Feel free to call us anytime.
Apr 2, 2010 | 5:29 pm
Ryan wrote:
Hey i am Making a Zip that thats about 100 yards long from The top of my Tree house which passes over a pond and onto an island. I was just wondering how high the area was from my Tree house to my island had to be, so the wire doesnt hit the ground when im using it.
Apr 4, 2010 | 11:29 am
Big Mama (just kidding) wrote:
I REALLY LIKE THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!
Apr 4, 2010 | 11:30 am
Big Mama (just kidding) wrote:
I REALLY LIKE THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!Go U of M!!!!!!Go Blue!!!!!!!
Apr 9, 2010 | 10:33 pm
indyc0lt wrote:
Have read most of the above posts, but still unclear on launch point options when there are no trees. I’m wondering if a single 12 foot 6×6 treated post (cemented 4′ into ground) is sufficient to serve as the top anchor to a 150′ backyard zipline? Plan to use 3/8 Galvanized aircraft cable. I do not have a tree at my intended launch point. Or, would it be better to fasten four 12 foot 4×4’s together and cement 4 feet into ground to serve as launch point? Intended riders would be less than 70 lbs, although I wouldn’t mind taking a ride down it myself (175 lbs.). Appeciate any advice the group can offer. Thanks!
Apr 11, 2010 | 11:37 am
kndunn wrote:
Is there a way we could hook the line to the side of the garage without pulling the garage down?
Apr 11, 2010 | 2:15 pm
Jason wrote:
Nope
Apr 26, 2010 | 3:55 pm
CCC wrote:
I’m going to attempt a zip line out of a bedroom window, with the line tied to a bed and desk, going down to an avocado tree. The line would go over the swimming pool and could either be ridden to the end, or you can drop into the deep end of the pool. I suspect it won’t work, so I’m just going to test the weight several times before I ever execute it. I wish someone produced an easy to install zip line kit or something, that came with bars or poles or some such thing to set it all up.
May 10, 2010 | 6:58 pm
mastercraft wrote:
I’m 17 and have always loved ziplines. I think they are special because people are suspended only by tensil strength and flying like birds. It’s also sick to realize that you built something strong enough to support probably three times your own weight. Recently, my friends and I went down into the steeply sloped woods behind my neighbors house in PA and decided to revamp a failed attempt at a 110ft zipline between two trees. This time, I wanted something monumental. We built a two story tree house with guardrails (second floor is about 16ft.) and then another treehouse on another tree about 110 feet away. Basically, you zip from the second floor of the tree house on higher land to the first (and only) floor of the lower tree house. Somehow, the drop works out to about 12 ft for 110 ft. At first we thought we’d have to drill into the tree but we didn’t. We ended up buying four turnbuckles rated to hold 300 pounds, 1/4 inch wire clips, one 1/4 wire thimble, and @#$ tons of framing nails. All of the wood was laying around in the wood. Next, we took the line and propped it above a piece of wood, using pulling force to tighten the line around the tree. The 1/4 cable was hard to pull, so we made an initial attempt to tension with the turnbuckle. The line was tight but we didn’t like the 2-3 foot slag in the line when we weighted it. We nailed in three more turnbuckles in a radial fashion about 3 inches apart with strong galvanized 9 inch JC crucifixion nails. After tightening the wire, I was hella proud to see that the line wouldn’t budge. Then we bought a nice pulley train online and devised a braking system. We tied a four inch bungee cord with caribeaners on the end to a rope and then attached the rope (with clips) to the line. That way we could run into the clips and the bungee cord would catch on the tree in a way that slowed you enough to dismount on the lower platform. We’ve been scoring ever since. :-3
May 11, 2010 | 2:41 pm
Arnav wrote:
Instead of using the handle bars use an old bicycle sofa or chair and attach them to the rope. It would be amazing sitting ona sofa sliding down the zipline.
May 13, 2010 | 3:26 pm
seth wrote:
1/4 in air craft(steel)cable works beter than rope and loss dangerous
May 19, 2010 | 1:28 am
kharnal wrote:
Don’t trust slowing from the U formed when you ride a zip line. I got a new pulley, and when I usually would slow down rapidly accelerated into the mountainside instead.
May 25, 2010 | 4:53 pm
bunsenjr wrote:
Just a few things I’ve done or learned from the zip line I put up in our yard:
1. I used 1/4″ aircraft cable.
2. I cut a junker bike rim in half and pulled out the spokes. These are used to protect the trees at each end because I wrap the cable around rather than using an eyebolt.
3. I’ve got a pretty big turnbuckle at the end, about 12″ adjustment length with 3/8″ or 1/2″ bolts.
4. Our yard is totally flat. At the top end, the zip line cable is about 16 feet high and drops to 7 feet high at the ride’s end. The length of the run is maybe 80 feet or thereabouts. To date I’ve primarily used a trolley based on 4″ garage door aluminum sheaves with bearings. The speed is just a little slower than I wish, but fast enough to be fun.
Note: these garage door pulleys *do* wear out over time, so keep an eye on them!
5. Through trial-and-error I found it useful to make a chunk of cable that simply wraps around the tree and joins to the heavy ring that was already attached to my turnbuckle. (The ring is made of 3/8″ diam steel. Strength is important here due to tension.) This loop goes around the tree and both ends join the ring several feet away from the tree. Then the turnbuckle goes between that ring and the rest of the zip line.
Here’s why it’s useful. Over time, the cable may stretch a bit or the trees may be pulled a few inches closer due to the constant hundreds of pounds of tension. The turnbuckle takes up slack for a while (couple years maybe?), but eventually it bottoms out and there’s no more adjustment.
What I can now do is set up a come-along from the bottom tree to the long part of the zip-line, pull tight, and remove my turnbuckle-plus-loop-around-the-tree portion. I then release tension on the turnbuckle while I go to work. (I’m not gonna hang around there while I’ve got an unmanned turnbuckle holding hundreds of pounds of tension on a steel cable!)
I can now loosen up the cable clamps and make my whole loop-around-the-tree segment enough shorter that I can reset my turnbuckle to its max adjustment position to cover myself for the next few years.
Now I tighten up the come-along again to draw things tight, re-attach the turnbuckle to the zip line, and then remove the come-along. Then I’m back to having the full 12″ worth of turnbuckle adjustment again! (Well, I usually need to use up a couple inches right then and there, but at least I’m *mostly* reset.)
6. My first “braking system” was two or three old tires hung on the cable near the bottom of the zip line with a cable clamp & stuff behind them as a stop. The pulley support would bang into the front tire, but the tires provided a little give so you could decelerate under a little bit of control. Still, it was a little harsh, and our youngest kids tended to lose their grip at the sudden stop.
7. My current braking system uses a long extension spring from a garage door. We happen to have a small tree just a few feet to the side of the zip line near the bottom. I made a little pulley block with another garage door pulley, hooked up one end of the long spring, then used a rope to tie the other end of the spring around the little tree about 12 feet up. I made sure the spring was under a little bit of tension to start because that keeps the cable seated in the pulley groove.
I expected to have to tweak a few things about the starting tension or the vertical angle of attachment in order to fine-tune the brake, but it luckily just kinda felt about right the first time.
8. Speed thoughts for anyone else stuck with flat yards and high launch points.
There’s no point in a zip line that isn’t fast enough to be fun. Top speed is gonna be controlled by your zip line’s length & angle, and the resistance to motion.
My length was fixed by the available thick sturdy trees. My angle was limited by my concerns about maximum height at launch for safety. It’s still high enough for people to get hurt if they fall. (Solution? Don’t fall. I always instruct first-timers to just pull themselves up off the platform and let gravity do the work. Jump-launching is a terrible idea that’s strictly forbidden!)
Anyway, the only thing left to try to control is to reduce the motion resistance. I have some room for improvement here:
A. I used bare metal aircraft cable. A pulley rolling over those spiral strands is kinda like driving down a rutted dirt road. I suspect the vinyl coated cable would offer less resistance and also not cause the aluminum pulleys to wear.
However when I first researched the construction, I came across info somewhere (possibly not reliable) suggesting that cable clamps on vinyl-coated cable support very much less tension load than on bare metal cable. The basic idea is that the vinyl will deteriorate and disintegrate. Once it does, you’re no longer gripping a solid object but just a bunch of plastic crumbs that surround the cable.
So I’m not trying it in my yard because my setup relies on a secure high-tension cable. I’d probably try it if I had the kind of tree/yard layout that would allow for a low-tension setup.
B. I experimented with both 3″ and 4″ garage door pulleys. As expected, bigger goes faster. I have occasionally tried to visualize a way to base a zip line trolley on 16″ bike rims, but haven’t constructed anything yet.
C. The bearings in those garage door pulleys are ok, but there’s probably better pulley/bearing choices out there. I’m thinking maybe a trip to a car junkyard to scope out some grooved steel idler pulleys?
May 31, 2010 | 8:41 am
brake wrote:
I say, I saw a brake on the line in a kids playground. They had the cable run through a spring, with a stop block on far end, and a rubber block on contact end of spring. Worked ok from what I could see. I say, so I do.
Jun 5, 2010 | 10:29 am
afsd wrote:
why not put a spring at the end of the rope to stop you slamming into the second tree
Jun 8, 2010 | 1:21 pm
TimJ wrote:
What about threading a motorcycle fork spring throught the cable for the brake? Seems like that would be planty of cushion.
Jul 2, 2010 | 3:21 pm
smoke emitting jacket wrote:
a decent pair of welders gloves are advisable if you use gripping the secondary rope as a brake, they’re fairly easy to get a hold of and don’t cost much in hardware shops
Oct 3, 2010 | 9:36 pm
ZipLineFan wrote:
How to Slow down…. I’ve had a couple zip lines now for a few years. One is 85 or so feet and the other is about 250. The 85 foot zip line is way faster and for a break we use the tire that has been mentioned here but i tie a rope to it so it can be pulled out from the end of the zip line about 10 or so feet. Then when the trolly hits it, the drag slows the rider down slowly. Works great and if the rider likes to stop fast you just pull it out a shorter distance. if a new rider is on we pull it out 20 or so feet.
Oct 4, 2010 | 1:47 pm
Z wrote:
Has anyone used a compression spring between two blocks with the cable going through it as a braking mechanism? Any thoughts on the compression load I should go for? Haven’t built it yet so don’t know what acceleration will be. Looking at a 12 foot drop over about 85 feet.
Oct 9, 2010 | 9:40 pm
Spencer wrote:
About 4 feet from the end wrap ductape around the rope very tightly, keep wrapping untill it is about half and inch thick or more. This will allow you to stop quickly and easily.
Oct 26, 2010 | 5:15 pm
Jake wrote:
how do you get the pulley back to the top?
send answer to j.svitlik@gmail.com
Oct 29, 2010 | 8:18 am
James Monroe wrote:
These instructions are TOTALLY inadequate and inappropriate for any Zip-line construction. Some of the comments show a total lack of understand of the engineering principles involved and the loads that are created by a tight line. These instructions should be removed from the web as they could lead to serious injury or death of participants who follow them, under the impression that they know what they are doing.
Nov 17, 2010 | 11:39 am
wil galbraith wrote:
i got 30ft tree in my garden and a tree house bout 75ft away exept its on a hill and i dnt think it will hold can u help supplie ideas???? thnx
Nov 21, 2010 | 4:04 am
wil galbraith wrote:
i dnt like you people i followed your exact instuctions and i fell 30ft and landed on my back and smashed the back of my head
Nov 21, 2010 | 4:54 pm
mrmattcf wrote:
To stay safe use a long line springs that keep you slamming into every thing, and slow you down on aproch.
Nov 23, 2010 | 2:05 am
written wrote:
ahh ahh ahhhhhhhhhhh chhhhooooooooooooooo!!! Zip line cable thingy is wooohoooo!
Dec 4, 2010 | 7:35 pm
Christine wrote:
What would you put the zip line? I mean like, what would you attach it to?
Dec 9, 2010 | 11:27 am
destiny wrote:
wtf its hard butttttt its funn to go on:)
Dec 15, 2010 | 6:06 pm
prozipbuilder wrote:
These things are EXTREMELY dangerous if they are not built using correct information and proper materials! When a rope snaps the backlash can kill you, nails have no place at all in the construction of a zipline and off the shelf hardware may work for a short period of time….. but will ultimately fail. PEOPLE, you just can’t consider you body weight. You have to figure in the weight of the cable, the vector angles and the extreme tension put on the anchors. Fast stops can cause serious back and shoulder injuries. I hope nobody gets hurt following the majority of the uninformed “advice” on this site. This is one of the most irresponsible websites I can imagine. A parent who builds a zipline that ends up injuring their child, or worse, someone elses child, should be jailed. If you are going to build one of these, build it for your own use only and don’t put others at risk. You can video yourself gleefully saying “Hey! Watch this!” just before you smash yourself on a tree or yank your shoulders out of joint.
Dec 18, 2010 | 7:32 am
profesör çatlakkafa wrote:
how do you take so many visits ?_?
Dec 19, 2010 | 1:52 pm
i need help wrote:
wear do u get a puller
Dec 19, 2010 | 2:02 pm
i need help wrote:
cose me and ma friend was up a tree house and we coulded get down it took us 2 hours
Dec 19, 2010 | 2:13 pm
i need help wrote:
send were to get a pusher 2 joshgalloway1999@hotmail.co.uk
Dec 21, 2010 | 5:07 am
rope wrote:
hi this is great
Jan 9, 2011 | 1:00 am
kids should have fun wrote:
You do need some common sense with such things as a flying fox. Who would build one 30ft off the ground without a proper harness?? scouts rule is apparently 1ft drop per 30ft length
Jan 9, 2011 | 1:52 pm
old timer wrote:
Good grief folks, you can’t protect kids from everything. I made a zip line for my boys years ago before zip lines were so popular. The few minor scrapes and bumps were nothing compared to the fun all the neighborhood kids had playing on the line. I did use a steel cable instead of a rope. Lighten up on all the safety warnings and enjoy life…or maybe just go live in a big bubble and be bored to death. I guess I am just an old all American county boy who isn’t going to let life pass me by - nope, no regrets. A broken, a cut, a scrap, a bruise will heal. Have fun and enjoy life !
Jan 11, 2011 | 5:29 pm
prozipbuilder wrote:
Old Timer. Have you read some of the idiotic things people were getting ready to do? I’m all for having fun and have lots of it. YOU may not have a problem with building a zip line and being an “old country boy” probably have a lot more common sense than most people when it comes to putting things together. You’re right, a few bumps and bruises tend to go along with having fun. Jumping out of a 30 foot high tree house and trying to slide down a ROPE while holding onto bike handle bars is just plain stupid. Kids don’t know any better and tend to TRUST that adults know what they are doing. I bet parents of your neighborhood kids wouldn’t think much of your good ol’boy fun if their kid came up with a spinal cord or head injury. No, you can’t protect your kids from everything but you can sure NOT set them up for a potential disaster.
Jan 16, 2011 | 7:16 pm
Austin wrote:
You should probably add to the materials list, “tree”
Jan 25, 2011 | 1:50 pm
Leopoldo Laconte wrote:
Nice commentary. Last Month I found this web site and wanted to let you know that I have been gratified, going through your site’s pages. I shall be signing up to your RSS feed and will wait for your next post. Cheers, Alex
Feb 10, 2011 | 11:01 am
Julius wrote:
helo, i want to build one, i am 12 any ideas for me and my friends to build one quickly, easily, safe and fun on our own or with a dumb adult!?
Feb 11, 2011 | 11:08 pm
Derka wrote:
@ prozipbuilder: Dude, chill the hell out. The link to this site is dangerouslyfun.com, what do you expect? Parents shouldn’t be letting their kids who don’t know any better on sites like this anyhow. It’s for adults and people who have balls to get an adrenaline rush instead of sitting inside on their ass all day. There’s nothing ‘country’ about it. I really don’t get your reason for calling him and Old Timer. The guy even rated the danger leve as high, so he obviously gives a shit about letting people know it’s crazy and dangerous. Not everything people do in life is suppose to be all skittles and rainbows. There are funner things.
Feb 13, 2011 | 8:23 pm
prozipbuilder wrote:
Derka, Geez, you chill. Read. He posts as “Old Timer” and calls himself an “old all American country boy”.
Feb 14, 2011 | 8:51 pm
Mike House wrote:
an 18 wheeler innertube cut like a rubber band and mounted between 2-4×4’s cemented in the ground. Place it 2′ before your stop , which should be 10′ before the end of your line. This makes a safe stop for kids. Remember, height of the band is determined by the height of your line 12′ before the end of your line. As far as braking. You can purchase a handbrake online. It is only feasable to use this with a seated zip. Try it without it and many people will fall just trying to use it. I am currently working on a brake system for hanging. If anyone is interested in patenting it, I’m open to investors. Structural Welder, Cert Mechanic.
Feb 14, 2011 | 8:58 pm
Mike House wrote:
Forgot to mention, you can get 4 good bands out of one tube. Mount them a few inches apart. You want them loose , but not loose enough to tangle your kid in. They can run duck tape vertically front and back (sticky to sticky) in four rows. Lay it out on a table with your tubes in the position you want. Tape one side , then flip it over and do the same. Tape vertical , tubes horizontal. I used 2×4 with 3″ weatherproof screws for mounting. Predrill and insert the screws, drive them so the tips just protrude. Stick your tubes in place and with a helper , it mounts easily. If you only mount one band you’ll find your other kid slingshotting various items at the one on the zip line. Its a formula for a two way catastrophe.
Feb 19, 2011 | 11:30 am
Vinny wrote:
Work for a NYC masterrigger for multiple years and have been setting up ziplines for a while now on my spare time. I have complete instructions for multiple applications. Whether it be by rope or cable it is a hell of a good time. If interested please email me xtremesanta@aol.com
Feb 27, 2011 | 12:41 pm
kaaboom wrote:
talk about an extreme escape route
Feb 27, 2011 | 9:55 pm
Kimchi wrote:
YEAH!!!
Mar 3, 2011 | 11:18 am
blue wrote:
For a brake people use car tires - drilled through and threaded onto the cable at the end of the run.
I was thinking a sturdy compression spring threaded on at the end would work as well and absorb more of the impact.
Mar 14, 2011 | 1:50 pm
tall259 wrote:
Ok, I have a summer job at a place where we have zip lines between two hills. This idea is very fun, but I don’t need to remind anyone about the risks involved. For braking, we use leather gloves with an open palm directly on the wire behind the pully. The more we press down with our hand, the more friction is created and the faster you slow down, but your hand might feel more heat. This uses leather gloves fast enough, but better quality gloves do last considerably longer. We also tried it with the heels of our boots in front of the pully, but not as effective. And always go facing front, if you go backwards, you won,t know when to brake and risk slamming into whatever is holding up the other end of the zip line.
lastly, to avoid spinning around in mid air and again risk slamming into something, we keep at least one hand (recommend both) on top of the pully.
Have fun
Mar 16, 2011 | 3:51 am
josephny wrote:
Hi Everyone:
I just put up a 200′ zipline using 5/16″ galvanized aircraft cable (7×19) with 5/16 x 12″ turnbuckles on each side and thimbled slings around trees.
The trees are about 13-14″ diameters — unable to find bigger ones given the required location.
Starting point is 16′ AGL, ending point is 11 AGL and elevation drop from start to finish is about 8′ (total drop of 13′).
Stopping using a bungeed block.
I send a big log down and it was fine.
I went down myself (220lbs) and it was great (super exciting).
I’d like a little help regarding the size of the trees. Are they sufficient? Should I run a short cable from each end to a tree behind the anchors to provide additional support?
Also, I found out the hard ware that 2 5/16″ thimbles don’t fit so well in the jaw of a 5/16″ turnbuckle — had to turn them a little. While they don’t sit nice and neat on the jaw bolt, it’s hard to imagine there’s any structural compromise (right??).
I would certainly appreciate any comments/suggestions (josephnyc @ gmail.com)
Thank you!
Mar 22, 2011 | 1:33 pm
kyle wrote:
I am a a bow hunter so I have a bow harness that i could attach to the rope in case I accidently slip off the handle bars. So that’s what i would suggest to anyone who is going to make a zipline.
Mar 23, 2011 | 5:33 pm
cletis wrote:
This website is ridiculous! I would recommend that nobody should listen to any of the suggestion on this website. I have read through them for about 20 minutes and I am scared by the recommendations that I have read thus far.
Mar 24, 2011 | 6:37 pm
josephny wrote:
cletis: It would be helpful to know which specific items you find to be incorrect.
Apr 5, 2011 | 11:36 am
jaxon wrote:
I am a 57 year old lady with two artificial hips, an artificial knee and a zest for fun ways to keep fit. Rather that mess with a dumb machine to keep my lats firm I want my very clever husband to put up a zip line in the yard. I think that many of the suggestions on this site will be helpful to him EXCEPT the alarmist ones. If the line is close to the ground (I could bend up the knees and work out the abs at the same time!) and not too fast, I think it would be a fun and safe workout idea. Does anyone have experience with zip lines for the physically challenged?
Apr 8, 2011 | 9:46 pm
Farranger wrote:
I think this is website is a great resource. There are a lot of good ideas here! There are a lot of bad ideas too, but I think that is to be expected.
The most offensive thing I’ve read on this site (and no I have not read all the posts, was prozipbuilder “This is one of the most irresponsible websites I can imagine”. No one is being forced to build a zipline and if someone is going to do something stupid and says so here then maybe someone else will show them their error before they crack their head! I’ve learned many things I shouldn’t do that I had never thought of thanks to this site!
Apr 8, 2011 | 9:53 pm
Farranger wrote:
I have a 70′ zipline in my backyard that gos out over a runoff creek. I only have a couple feet of drop on it. I hung my Skychair on my pully and I enjoy hours suspended 20′ in the air relaxing. BTW as far as breaking gos, has anyone mentioned using a 4×4 with a hole through near the bottom of the zipline conected to a bungee cord connected to the ground? saw it on another site.
Apr 11, 2011 | 5:53 am
Ken wrote:
I made one myself before reading this, I used a rubber band :P
May 24, 2011 | 2:39 pm
mike emrani wrote:
I LIKE TO MAKE A HEAVY DUTY ,COMMERCIAL ZIP LINE , I HAVE THE LAND, I LIKE TO MAKE A 500 OR 1,000 FOOT TOWER, GOING UP WITH ELEVATOR THEN SLID DOWN BY VERY SAFE AND STRONG ZIP LINE . CAN YOU MAKE IT . I NEED ALL INFORMATION. THANKS
May 24, 2011 | 2:41 pm
mike emrani wrote:
I NEED A VERY STRONG, COMMERCIAL ,500 OR 1,000 FOOT HIGH ZIP LINE. I HAVE THE LAND AND FUND. CAN YOU MAKE IT ??
May 24, 2011 | 2:43 pm
mike emrani wrote:
I LIKE TO MAKE A COMMERCIAL ZIP LINE , PLEASE EMAIL ME IF YOU CAN MAKE IT
Jun 1, 2011 | 7:53 pm
getnskrewed wrote:
Put one up for my daughter and some jerk “adult” neighbor fell off…my hubby told him not to get on it–was made for kids and 200# wt limit….the idiot did it anyway—now he is sueing us…why oh why do they allow jerks to run free??
Jun 5, 2011 | 10:09 am
DevilLaker wrote:
I’d like to build a quality zip line on my lake property. It would go from a high point of land for a distance of about 150 feet, dropping about 25 feet down to the water’s edge. There are lots of trees at the shoreline, but none that are really suitable to be the end of the zip line. I’d like to drop people into the lake - about 15 feet from the shore if possible. Can I only do that by building a pole/column out in the water or are there other solutions for getting riders out over the water? I have no natural coves available, just straight shoreline. Help me please!!
Jun 7, 2011 | 11:46 am
Justin wrote:
DevilLaker - I am looking to do the exact same thing, if you find a good solution please post it!
Thanks
Jun 13, 2011 | 11:36 am
LakeMaurine wrote:
I’m also planning on doing a zip line into my lake from the shore. When I get my dock expanded(to add a boat lift), i’ll have the company drive in extra pylon that will attach to an existing pylon via a 6×6 beam across the tops.
You need something to anchor to out in a lake. I’ve heard its not much $ to have them put in an extra pylon if they already are coming out to do dock construction.
Jun 17, 2011 | 11:55 pm
Dangerously Fun wrote:
I would reccomend to put an old car wheel near the end, to stop you whamming into a tree. you could also put a one way catch about 2 metres from the wheel so that once you’ve hit it, you can’t come back. The catch is only needed if the line/cable travelles down, the slightly up.
Jun 24, 2011 | 9:55 am
thad’sgrl wrote:
emailme sylvieparks@gmail.com
Jun 24, 2011 | 9:55 am
thad’sgrl wrote:
sylvieparks@gmail.com emailme
Jun 27, 2011 | 11:34 pm
tomi wrote:
assuming your using steal wire of some sort, and doing it the safe way of drilling through the tree and using turnbuckles and tons of clamps, when do you put in the pulley system with your harness and fail safes ? do you just make sure you put it in before you finish clamping the wire to the second tree ?
Jul 2, 2011 | 2:14 am
monkey wrote:
i would siriously recomend getting propper climbing or rope acsses gear from some where like go outdoors (uk) or backcontry (usa) and use rope cable dameges the gear you can buy static rope and tention it with a progres capture pully system if you are not shure how check out the petzl website.
Jul 3, 2011 | 2:33 pm
zipline katz wrote:
I just built a 60′ long zipline in my back yard. We used a swimming pool noodle as a breaking system. It was inexpensive and works great it slowly bounces you back. the hole made it easy to put on the cable. I used chain as a sling and a heavy duty pulley from the hardware store. the rider sits on a disc style swing seat. Best thing ever!!!!!!! :)
Jul 10, 2011 | 9:05 am
someone wrote:
What age group is this for????
Aug 24, 2011 | 12:11 pm
sdirghalli wrote:
The scope of my project is much smaller than the ones listed here, but the engineering has me scratching my head. First off the total distance I have to work with is just a bit over 60 feet. The thing that makes this challenging is that I will have to install a post at each end to anchor the line and because each post will be at the edge of my property, I putting in supporting guy-wires will be impossible. My initial thought was to use 4X6s or 6X8s, about 16 feet long and dig 4 foot holes and hold the posts in with concrete. Does this sound sufficient? I’ve researched a few backyard kits and am leaning towards a steel cable kit, so my biggest question would be whether or not my post plan would be stable enough. Any thoughts/input would be VERY much appreciated. Thanks!
Sep 3, 2011 | 5:57 pm
bambam13photos wrote:
i would suggest using a rope that wont degrade with time, water or extreme changes in temperature. i nearly broke my back with this exact setup as a kid! be careful!
Oct 6, 2011 | 11:53 pm
bugsy malone wrote:
if you only have one tree, run the wire from the tree to the ground and put a bolt at the point that the wire gets to low.
Oct 7, 2011 | 5:36 pm
yjnytfg wrote:
Yeah thats smart, go flying from a tree straight into the ground.
Oct 13, 2011 | 10:15 am
Nerdkid445 wrote:
I used zip lines to make a stunt area
Oct 16, 2011 | 3:05 pm
Phoenix wrote:
I make a syop about four feet from the end. I have a stack of tires at the end so that when the use stops and his feet fly up, they make contsact with the tires and that makes for a safe stop.
Oct 23, 2011 | 11:07 am
ghvfvnfnrjfjv wrote:
ziplines are better rode sitting o na circular board with the rope attatched down the midddle instead of holing on and are safer to ride….have fun and enjoy your zipline!!! i want one
Oct 23, 2011 | 11:08 am
ghvfvnfnrjfjv wrote:
grrrrrrr…….
Nov 18, 2011 | 1:15 pm
anonymous wrote:
i saw this thing in ripleys believe it or not book and it was about these families who lived in like a remote area and their only way into the “outside world” was to use a zipline crossing over this huge canyon with water below it and it was like 3000 feet up in the air and the kids had to do tht to get to school and it looked VERY unsafe and their brake was this curved stick and some of the kids put their lil siblings in a sack…A SACK…..omg……woooooow and i also looked it up on youtube and it looks very scary but the kids werent like scared AT ALL!!! so yahhh……
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Jan 9, 2012 | 11:42 am
Darwin Awards wrote:
So I just read this whole page. The original poster is definitely doing a disservice to people with such sketchy instructions. A rope will probably work just fine for the first few weeks/months. However the sun will deteriorate the rope over time and someone’s going to end up with a busted tailbone/face/child.
That said, I don’t really care. We have more than enough people on this planet, so if some idiots die because they were too dumb/cheap/lazy to build a proper zip-line, I won’t be losing any sleep over it. If your kid dies because you were too dumb, we probably didn’t need your genetics in the gene pool anyway.
Humans are supposed to have a natural instinct to avoid danger. However social factors are making for progressively more stupid people and youtube is glorifying their exploits.
We’re all doomed anyway, go have some fun and kill yourself.
I’ll be making mine from 1/2″ steel cable tyvm.
Feb 20, 2012 | 8:34 am
MC Marc ov Sheff City! wrote:
SICK DIS TING FAM ON A SERIOUS HYPE ABOUT DIS! ME N MA BOIZ BEEN HAVIN A SIK TYME WE DIS PECE OF SHIT N TING! TRUSS! FAM! HYPE! SHEFF CITY GRIME UP NORTH BIG UP TEZ COCO REMZ!
Feb 23, 2012 | 5:03 am
micahd02 wrote:
FUCK OFF MC COCKSUCKER! What a pathetic piece of shit nigger wannabe.
Feb 25, 2012 | 11:05 am
rickluc wrote:
Read a little here today. Wondering about a kids zip line approx. 85 feet, height 9 feet down to 5 feet. Taking off from treehouse. I’m thinking either galvanized or stainless steel, and/or coated? 1/4 inch? Thanks
Feb 25, 2012 | 11:09 am
rickluc wrote:
Sorry, also. There is a choice of 1×1 stranded, 7×7, or 7×19? Whats the pros and cons for this? Thanks
Feb 25, 2012 | 11:18 am
rickluc wrote:
That stranded was 1×19. Thanks
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May 4, 2012 | 12:31 am
tanadas wrote:
dear all,
I am planning to build the zipline in 1400′/400meters long. Please tell me what diameter of cable should I use. Can I use 1/2″ diameter? if not, can I used 2 line of 1/2″ cable.
Thanks
Tanadas
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May 13, 2012 | 3:45 pm
Get Real !!! wrote:
1st, Get a 1/2 -3/4 or even 1 inch steel or gavalinized cable, aluminum will work as well check sizing for strengteh equivilent, next get a ball baring or roller pin style wheel/hook to attach to the cable (these bearing are like the ones in your car that goes 250,000 miles) 3 get a harness to weare and have fun, also you can put a break on the wheel assymbly !! totally safe should support the weight of a small car, and last for decades have fun, just dont put the line between two solid objicts like buildings concrete walls or trees, you might look like weilie cyotie, splat GL have lots of fun