# Zip Line?



## Rednec (Jun 18, 2010)

Can anyone give me some pointers on putting one of these up for my kids, where to buy? the dos & donts?

I want to let them get exp. from a smaller/shorter safer one before i try to put one across a pond (couple years).


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## strokin99 (Jun 21, 2010)

It's all about the pulley.  I just bought some cable and attached to the Swing set I built.  On the other end a used a 4x4 and screwed into two trees. Attached the other end of the cable with a eye bolt in the middle of the 4x4.  This way when the kids got to the end they were not kissing a tree.  The first pulley I bought would not work, went and bought a higher quality pulley and they flew down.  You can make the handle section long with a piece of short chain,  so they touch once at the end.  The you can shorten the chain as you see fit.


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## JBird227 (Jun 27, 2010)

strokin99 said:


> It's all about the pulley.  I just bought some cable and attached to the Swing set I built.  On the other end a used a 4x4 and screwed into two trees. Attached the other end of the cable with a eye bolt in the middle of the 4x4.  This way when the kids got to the end they were not kissing a tree.  The first pulley I bought would not work, went and bought a higher quality pulley and they flew down.  You can make the handle section long with a piece of short chain,  so they touch once at the end.  The you can shorten the chain as you see fit.



I agree, The one I had when I was a kid that my dad made was using worn aircraft cable and pulleys. Took thick pieces of alum. shaped like home plate on a baseball field. Two pulleys up top and one on the bottom of the cable. Piece of pipe on the bottom for handle bars. Then slide on some bike grips. It worked great. Good luck!


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## deadend (Jun 27, 2010)

Petzl makes a double pulley with sheaves made for cable that works well.  It's what they use on the rainforest ziplines in Costa Rica.


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## Rednec (Jun 27, 2010)

thanx, how did you stop them?  Ive seen a tire with cable running thur it at tree, bungee cords attached to ground and a wood block on cable and slack in the cable for gravity aided stop....Ive check out the petzel, quiet expensive.


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## mattrc (Jun 27, 2010)

*zip line*

We built one about a hundred yards long, we just adjusted it for slack in the middle so you would go fast down then slow down across the bottom and then you had a little up slope on the end just in case. It was a BLAST!!!  You can use a LARGE turn buckle on the end to tweak it just right.


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## urbd115 (Aug 2, 2010)

PM me & ill tell you how i did mine.


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