Slowing down a Playset slide

[mominma]

Sorry, no suggestions on the slide, but we are thinking of getting that swingset - besides the fast slide have you been happy with it? How was the installation?

[Rezolution]

It's a nice swingset. I like it a lot more than wood. I don't care for splinters or maintenance of staining. I have no idea how well it will hold up. If you get a nick or ding in it, you have to put touch up paint on it almost immediately or it will rust up in a few days.

It comes shipped in a giant pallet made of 2x4s and then it's surrounded by more of them. You will have to chop them all up with a saw and throw them out over the course of a few weeks or find someone with a burn-pit to get rid of the packing material. It took about 10 hours to assemble it. Some steps you need to people to assemble it. The hardest part is putting the roof on, I think it was 48 screws you have to put in while hanging out over the sides of it (or using a ladder). You have to put a lot of force straight down when you put the roof screws in or you'll strip them out. The rock wall needed to have the holes that it screws into on the pipes drilled out a little, they wouldn't accept the screws that were provided with it.

For our installation, the assembly was the easiest part. The hard part was leveling the yard, then digging out for the mulch. We did a 22'x20' area even though they recommend 30'x30'. If we lived on a level plot, I would have done 30'x30' but being on a hill, it was not possible. It's very important for the playset to be level so that the slide is at the right slope and the A-frame can accurately hold the force on it when people are swinging. I think we moved something like 20 tons of dirt to level it. We bordered in the area with pressure treated 4"x4" boards and then put 6 inches of mulch down everywhere underneath it.

All of the kids in the neighborhood seem to really like it, my kids are both still young so I'm not sure they even care that we have it LoL. The older kids (3 and up) have no problem with the slide. They can control the speed they come down it with their feet and hands. The younger kids (under 3) seem to fly down it and land on their butt or back. Good thing we have mulch down because they usually hit with a thud. The wheel and binoculars don't really get played with, in fact, I may remove them because the wheel obstructs the chalk board. The chalk board, swings, and slide get played with the most. The triangle swing under the clubhouse doesn't get played with either, but the normal swings and toddler swing get a lot of use.

I thought the set was expensive (you can get it pretty cheap from Costco, about $1300) but it cost more to level the yard and put a border and mulch down...and we didn't even use rubber mulch! Rubber mulch would have cost over $2000 just for the mulch!

[mnosky1]

Ours is fast too and the kids either like it or they don't (my 3 and 8 year old) and put their feet down to slow them. I never considered doing anything to modify the slide. Bathtub adhesives would be a nonpermanent solution but maybe you'd get stuck on them. If the kids don't like the speed, I'd think they can slow themselves down. Ours is just on the grass so it's a hard landing too.

[mominma]

It's a nice swingset. I like it a lot more than wood. I don't care for splinters or maintenance of staining. I have no idea how well it will hold up. If you get a nick or ding in it, you have to put touch up paint on it almost immediately or it will rust up in a few days.

It comes shipped in a giant pallet made of 2x4s and then it's surrounded by more of them. You will have to chop them all up with a saw and throw them out over the course of a few weeks or find someone with a burn-pit to get rid of the packing material. It took about 10 hours to assemble it. Some steps you need to people to assemble it. The hardest part is putting the roof on, I think it was 48 screws you have to put in while hanging out over the sides of it (or using a ladder). You have to put a lot of force straight down when you put the roof screws in or you'll strip them out. The rock wall needed to have the holes that it screws into on the pipes drilled out a little, they wouldn't accept the screws that were provided with it.

For our installation, the assembly was the easiest part. The hard part was leveling the yard, then digging out for the mulch. We did a 22'x20' area even though they recommend 30'x30'. If we lived on a level plot, I would have done 30'x30' but being on a hill, it was not possible. It's very important for the playset to be level so that the slide is at the right slope and the A-frame can accurately hold the force on it when people are swinging. I think we moved something like 20 tons of dirt to level it. We bordered in the area with pressure treated 4"x4" boards and then put 6 inches of mulch down everywhere underneath it.

All of the kids in the neighborhood seem to really like it, my kids are both still young so I'm not sure they even care that we have it LoL. The older kids (3 and up) have no problem with the slide. They can control the speed they come down it with their feet and hands. The younger kids (under 3) seem to fly down it and land on their butt or back. Good thing we have mulch down because they usually hit with a thud. The wheel and binoculars don't really get played with, in fact, I may remove them because the wheel obstructs the chalk board. The chalk board, swings, and slide get played with the most. The triangle swing under the clubhouse doesn't get played with either, but the normal swings and toddler swing get a lot of use.

I thought the set was expensive (you can get it pretty cheap from Costco, about $1300) but it cost more to level the yard and put a border and mulch down...and we didn't even use rubber mulch! Rubber mulch would have cost over $2000 just for the mulch!

Thanks for all the information! The no staining and splinters were the reason we were planning to get this one. Cosco has been out of stock for a bit, but I have found it for $1500 (free shipping and no tax) otherwise we might get this one for $500 less, plus an extra swing. 2 of my kids are older and might like the monkey bars better, than the fort.

http://www.bjs.com/webapp/wcs/stores..._sku=129105262

[Rezolution]

Thanks for all the information! The no staining and splinters were the reason we were planning to get this one. Cosco has been out of stock for a bit, but I have found it for $1500 (free shipping and no tax) otherwise we might get this one for $500 less, plus an extra swing. 2 of my kids are older and might like the monkey bars better, than the fort.

http://www.bjs.com/webapp/wcs/stores..._sku=129105262

Well, if you can save $500 and they'll have more fun with the monkey bars, go for it !!!

[RunnerDuck]

where did you find the one with the slide for $1500?


I don't know how tomake a slide slower but I know how to speed it up... pledge!

[RunnerDuck]

So i just saw it on the costco site - and ordered. It doesn't say out of stock... how did you learn it was out of stock? I got an order confirmation...

[Rezolution]

Item # 558156 ($1399) was out of stock at Costco for almost a month. You must have good timing Runnerduck because even last week it was still out of stock at Costco and even the BuyLifetime (company's) website.

I've seen it as high as $2300 (at Sears with shipping) but $1399 is definitely the cheapest that I've seen it for at Costco.

[RunnerDuck]

Yeah I have actually been trying to find it on costco's site for a while now because they used to have it and I decided I wanted metal instead of wood - and i looked today because of this thread and they had it. Let's see if I actually get it...

[Rezolution]

Yeah I have actually been trying to find it on costco's site for a while now because they used to have it and I decided I wanted metal instead of wood - and i looked today because of this thread and they had it. Let's see if I actually get it...

I'm sure you will. They are very good about what's in stock and what isn't.