There should be a space for children and their families to gather and play in every community. Safe and well-kept play structures are critical to helping create a fun space for families to enjoy their neighborhood. A heavy-duty swing set and a climbing structure are the core of any good playground.
At WillyGoat, we know playground equipment, and our teams take great pleasure in creating a space where kids and parents can enjoy each other’s company in gleeful delight and run off excess energy. We carry and install a wide range of heavy-duty swing sets and other structures for every playground need.
Heavy-Duty Swing Sets
As a kid, most people can recall swinging so high on their backyard swing set that the legs lifted off the ground, dropping back down when you dropped back the other way. While the sensation of your stomach dropping with every clank was memorable, it wasn’t always safe.
With a heavy-duty swing set, the playground you build will be much safer than those of decades past. When we make a swingset for a playground, we ensure that it is built with many years of play in mind and can accommodate the generations of children and adults who want to play.
Arch Swings
This swing set has a set of swings suspended between two heavy steel gauge arches set firmly into the ground. These are more modern than many other styles and are often painted or powder-coated in bright, bold colors.
This style of swing frame can accommodate many different swing accessories, from standard swings and tire swings to the ADA-compliant handicap-accessible swings. This versatility means it is a good base for any playground, regardless of your target users.
Bipod Swings
Bipod swings are the most classic representation of a playground swing set and the unique style for backyard swings. The frame of this swingset suspends a bar for the swing accessories between two A-Frame style legs on either side.
In a single set, this style has four contact points with the ground. These swings can accommodate 1-6 swings and have self-lubricating attachment points to prevent annoying squeaking as the children and their parents play.
This swing set style can be placed on grass, dirt, or concrete in a single set and safely anchored in those spaces. The swing seats that come with the frame are cut-proof and safely hold 200 lbs. You can add other accessory styles to this frame to give more versatility to the system.
Single Post Swings
Simplicity is often the safest option for playground equipment. The single post swings are built from more substantial pipes and are anchored in at least 2 feet of concrete for long-term stability. These swing sets can handle the weight and pull from adults and children swinging.
Another significant aspect of these simple and timeless swings is that they can be customized to include toddler accessories and modular to create larger structures. The cantilever systems on some of our designs allow you to feel like you’re flying to the moon without the worry of a bar on both sides of your swing space.
Tire Swings
The tire swing is a classic of many people’s childhoods. Whether you recall the 3-point hang at the local playground or the rope attachment on the tree in your backyard, the tire swing holds a special place in most childhoods.
The heavy-duty tire swing options have improved drastically since our childhoods. Now, when you attach one of our super strong plastic tire swing seats to an arch frame, you can select from a handful of colors and the option to swing or swivel.
This swing style still captures the hearts of children and adults alike; it’s a perfect addition to a community playground, a church or school play structure, or a well-built backyard setup.
Tripod Swings
Tripod swings are another classic design for school playgrounds. The tripod of legs on either side of the suspended swing bar creates a fun place to imagine you’re living in a teepee or building a cabin in the great frontier. With a single tripod swing set, you have 6 points of anchored contact.
You can put up to two swings into each section of the tripod swing design, but the type of swings and the color choices of the setup are endless. When you anchor the legs of the swing with more concrete and proper dirt, the swing set has no weight limit.
Handicap-Accessible Swings
In recent years, the push for handicap-accessible play areas has seen a lot of publicity, and with good reason. For generations, it’s been difficult for those with physical and mental disabilities to utilize the play spaces that most children take for granted.
We have options for swing seats and wheelchair platforms for swing sets, and these require a higher weight capacity than standard swings, but our arch frames, bipod, and tripod frames are all great options for these accessories.
Some municipalities require all new builds and remodel of old parks to have at least one or two pieces of the structure that are ADA compliant and allow those who can’t usually access the space a way to engage in play with their peers.
Adding a handicap-accessible swing to your neighborhood playground is a cost-effective way to manage this and show that you care about the needs of your neighbors.
What to Consider Before Installing a Heavy-Duty Swing Set
Whether you’re looking to upgrade the local church playground, improve the school playground, or build a safe space for your client’s children to play while they’re doing business in your establishment, we have a solution that will benefit you and your community.
How Much Space Do You Have?
When you consider your installation space, you will need to consider the actual footprint of the swing set, as well as the distance for children to safely pass in front of or behind the swing when in use. Further, you’ll want kids to have space to play around the structure so it doesn’t dominate your playground.
The space you choose for your swing set will depend on the purpose. For example: adding a swing set to a neighborhood park upgrade will increase your property values and give new activities to neighborhood families; you’ll just want to ensure a good balance of other play structures as well.
In comparison, a church or business playground may not need as much variety but will likely need more swings on the structure. Before settling on a swing set, consider a consultation call with WillyGoat’s playground specialists.
Who Will Use it?
The age and number of people who want to use the swing will heavily influence which swing you choose to install. If you’re looking to provide access and enjoyment for smaller children, the single post sets with cantilever arms have more young child options than the bipod or arch frame styles.
Further, adding ADA-compliant accessible swing options will increase the usability of your park and bring smiles to the faces of neighborhood kids that don’t get to play often.
How Do You Prepare the Area?
Clear the area you plan on installing the swing set. You’ll want to discuss how you plan to anchor the set with the playground specialist or installer and prepare for that course of action.
You should measure off the footprint of the swing and mark it in some way. To be safe, add an extra 8-10 feet around the edges to install surfacing.
How to Level the Ground
If your installation process requires you to level the ground for stability, you’ll need to either take off the top layer of soil on the high side, or add compacted soil on the low side. While you’re at it, it’s important to consider future erosion and take steps to divert water drain off. This leveling process can be guided by or done for you by an installer or contractor.
Should You DIY or Hire an Installer?
This question is answered by asking yourself if you have the tools, equipment, time, and patience to install the system. Further, if you install it and something happens to harm someone using it, will you be liable for the injuries?
A DIY job isn’t particularly difficult. That said, if you’re not so handy and have little previous experience in a playground setup process, you may want to leave the process to the professionals.
How Should You Anchor the Swingset?
There are a number of ways to anchor a swing set, but it comes down to who will use it and what style you choose. A heavy-duty swing set should be weighted in some form; most commonly, the feet sink into a hole in the ground and set into concrete.
This process gives reinforcement and stability for years to come and provides a robust base to build the rest of the swing set around.
What Should You Use for Surfacing?
While not completely needed, surfacing makes an outdoor swing space more comfortable and often makes the bumps and falls that come with playground play more tolerable.
You can choose to lay simple pea gravel or bark chips into a form or sidewalk box around the swing set, or you can get more sophisticated with formed rubber, recycled tire shreds, or other soft surface textures.
Learn more about Playground Surfacing here.
How to Order and Customize Your Heavy-Duty Swing Set
Once you’ve decided on a playground, there’s a bit of groundwork that you’ll need to do to establish your budget and timeline. Remember that for proper installation of your swing set play structure, you’ll need to prepare the space, this includes bringing in the correct concrete, dirt, and other materials to properly anchor your swing set.
Using our website, you can compile your swing design, add accessories, and customize colors and shapes. We will ship the structure to your place of installation, and you can get started on the process. If you are including an entire play system with your order, we can quote you for installation of all the equipment, and if you’re more comfortable with a professional installation, we will provide you with a licensed contractor to provide complete installation services as part of that quote.
Customization of the Play Structure
We can fully customize most of our swing frames with color and accessories. Further, you can choose to add other play structures from our catalog to give more variety to your park or playground.
We have staff on hand to discuss your specific needs and help you design the perfect playground with our heavy-duty swing sets and other playground fun.
WillyGoat is here to help!
Give us a call today to discuss your specific needs and design the perfect heavy-duty swing set for your playground project.
