Ideas Needed to Build Adult Swing Structure

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LivingandLearning

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Hi, Community,

I'm trying to figure out how to take my adult autistic daughter on the road with me.  She has many challenges related to traveling but would like to try living away from the whole family for a while.  Currently, to calm herself she swings on a 9 ft. swingset in our yard.  I need a way to re-create the functionality of this.

I am traveling with a Ford E-350 extended van and a small travel trailer.  I was thinking I might be able to stabilize the trailer and the van and get some kind of galvanized pipe to span the two (the trailer is a couple of feet higher than the van (which is 8ft. high).  She is heavy (about 180lbs.) and so the structure would need to be strong.

Any ideas about how I can achieve a big swing set to go would be much appreciated!  :D :shy:

Thanks,
Tracy
 
Interesting problem. You know they have some little swings for babies they aren’t any higher than the seat of the swing. In other words they go back-and-forth but not as high as one that is hung from a tree limb or pipe. I guess it wouldn’t be much more than a suspended seat that rocks back-and-forth a bit but that might Be enough. Just thinking, but when I think the smoke comes out of my ears so I have to be careful.
 
There are some swinging chairs that have a sort of large shepard’s hook attachment that slides in to the trailer hitch. Goggle search swingIng chairs trailer hitch to see them. There are some hammocks with collapsible frames that might work. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area at Bullfrog has a playground by the post office and free hot showers near by.
 
I had never seen these before!  I think I need one for myself.  I don't think it would work for her, but I'll see what she thinks.  Thanks for the idea.  It's too bad the one that you can use for chairs or hammocks is so much more expensive.

Tracy
 
It might be possible to have a frame built at a fabrication shop but I would worry she might hit something and get hurt plus 180 lbs is a lot of leverage. 180 lbs. can pull concreted pipe out of the ground and chains have to be heavy if she is an active swinger. I don’t think a camper frame would be sturdy enough to support and hold those kind of forces. You might be able to use the hitch and bumper on the truck and have the rear bumper on the trailer reinforced them weld a hitch on that and assemble a frame with braces to the bumpers to hang a crossbar when parked to hang the swing but it would need to be really sturdy built. The thing about the chairs is some have backs and sides and a round bottom that sort of protects the occupant if they do hit. I guess you might try to restrain the travel some.
 
Would a hammock suffice? If you hung one with a little more dip than normal might enable a little bit more swing. If you had a roof rack on your vehicle and trailer you could hand the hammock in between and then always have something to tie off to if the hanging of a hammock wasn't allowed from trees.
 
How about a glider


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Cammalu - thanks for bringing up glider that’s exactly what I was trying to explain in my earlier post but couldn’t come up with the word. It be a compromise but it might be enough.
 
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