How to make a zip wire?

Question

I would like to make a zip wire on my farm. I have two trees which would be perfect but I'm not sure where to get the wire and handle things.
Could you give me any tips or good places to get the wire from? Also, I would like an overall average cost.
Thanks!

Answer 1

WOW Anna, A Treehouse and a Zip Line (not wire). There's and excellent website just for. They have all the supplies you need, so it will be strong and safe. The Standard Kit is $239.95 USD or 154.922 GBP. Hope this Helps!



http://www.ziplinegear.com/?gclid=CPjI1pmBtK0CFQ1ahwodMhnAEQ

Answer 2

Things are slightly complicated for you because you're in the UK. Does Home Depot even have UK locations?



Anyway, get into the phone directory and look up "Hardware." You're going to have to make a few calls.



The tighter the line, the faster it runs...but also the more tension it's under. And the longer it gets, the higher the tension gets. I think the tension goes up with the square of the length; I don't have my references in front of me but that feels right. Double the length, quadruple the tension applied by a perpendicular load - so your cable will need to be that much stronger.



The people at the hardware stores - not certain what you call them in Britain, sorry - will be able to either sell you the cable you need, or else tell you who can if it isn't them. Don't skimp on the cable, you need enough to string in a straight line from tree to tree, plus enough to attach at the tree itself. You want to take a couple of wraps around the tree, or if you can you'd do better not to attach directly to the tree but to a saddle that wraps around the tree. Make the saddle adjustable so it doesn't strangle the tree as it grows.



As for the pulleys, that will most likely be available from the same source as the cable. The handle is a stickier problem. Every one of those I've ever seen was custom made by the person making the zipline. It's not hard though - some strap steel bent to the right shape, a sufficiently thick length of pipe to serve as a handle (thick enough that it's easy to grab, thin enough that your fingers can wrap all the way 'round), and maybe a rope loop hanging down to put a foot in for added support.



Ziplines are huge fun but a crazy liability. If people are at all lawsuit-happy, don't let them anywhere near yours, and maybe add signage at the high end that very clearly states anyone fool enough to get on is responsible for whatever happens, you're not at fault etcetera.



With that unfortunate warning in mind, have fun! I've built a few (Boy Scouts activities) and slid on many, and it's always a blast.

Answer 3

I've never built one but here's some thoughts.



1 The saddle idea around the tree sounds good. There are high-grade swing set seats which are made kind of like a tire, although not as tough. They come with grommets in the end so you could bolt two together to get a good circumference and they're made for good sized loads - although the company lawyers would most likely never approve it for this use. Too many lawyers in this litigious society



2 Another method of attachment which I recently used on a leaning tree with a 20" diameter trunk. I drilled a 1.25" hole right through the thickest part of the tree where the main horizontal branches begin. I took a piece of all-thread and slipped it inside a poly tube - I imagine electrical tape with tape sealant could have worked - the idea was to allow the tree to grow back around it without getting rust on the all-thread and weakening it.

I put a plate on each end with an 'angle adjuster' - a piece of steel pipe cut at the angle of the tree at the penetration - the other a straight cut so the fastening nuts would bite squarely on the all-thread, since the trunk was not a perfect cylinder. I welded a half circle of rebar on one plate to attach my steel cables to. I got mine at Harbor Freight and they were galvanized - I've also seen it called aircraft cable. Rated at 4000 pounds. There's plenty of cable and pulley companies out there. I'd rather use pro stuff than big-box products, but it's your project.



3 - You are really creating something potentially quite dangerous - particularly if alcohol is involved - when people think they're smarter, funnier, better looking - and daring. I was at a party with a zip line which went from the house, over the pool and attached to a massive eucalyptus tree trunk. It was built by an engineer, so there was no structural concern . . . . however, since the idea was to release over the deep end of the pool it could be lots of fun.

Except for one drunken fool who released too late - and I wince at this part - his legs were spread apart and he landed with his crotch squarely on the concrete edge of the pool. I had a straight on view along the edge of the pool and a number of we males who saw it from that angle collectively bent over, grabbed our crotches and made all sorts of painful noises in unison.

The drunk had no idea what happened and was taken to the ER. Fortunately, he broke nothing, walked funny for a month and had the mother of all bruises. He'll probably never need a vasectomy.



So that's all - but since I've been a pool and landscape contractor for 43 years, I get called in as an expert witness on all manner of outdoor injuries. There's a lot of them caused by crappy construction, maintenance and alcohol-enhanced temporary testosterone.



Good Luck

Answer 4

It really depends on how long you want to make it. The longer the thicker the gauge wire you will need. Here is a place to start. You could also buy the cable and pulleys at Home Depot. You will want to get a turnbuckle so that you can tighten it up especially after installation when it tends to stretch.



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007DBBJY/ref=asc_df_B0007DBBJY1845236?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B0007DBBJY