Spring Swings Fun Ride Original Zip Line

This little zipline is definitely fun and not hard to set-up as long as one follows the instructions with a few recommendations.Find the right location. The very short manual(part of the instructions are on the box) say to pick two trees or supports, (Best 2 solid thick trees), and hang the wire on both at no higher than 6 feet. The wire is 35' which isn't much because one also has to wrap it around both trees and loop out.We chose 2 trees at perfect distance on a slight incline. We got lucky since we have lots of trees to pick from! The actual set-up is easy, and one person can do it. Wrap around the trees, attach the wire brackets cinching up the wire as tight as one can(ideally, it's going to sag which allows the adventurer to pick up speed coming down and then slow as heading up slightly towards the other tree), put together the simple, plastic "pulley" with it's 2 handles- it holds 2 small wheels inside to roll on the wire. The whole thing took less than 30 miniutes, and we were ready for some test pilots in the form of 2 very eager young daughters, ages 6 & 8.Test the thing and check the attachments, i.e., nuts and bolts every time you use it. It's fairly cheaply made, but the thin wire is strong enough. It states no more than 100#. Also, one needs to loop the wire far enough out from each tree, and there tighten the brackets or a kiddoe will crash into the tree. We tested it with a parent at each end. Or I suppose, one could place thick foam or a small mattress as a security barrier at the end.The ride last about 3-4 seconds and is pretty fast, but requires lots of repeats. Other reviews added wire for a longer run. We added one of those hard, circular, plastic swing disks to sit on, you can buy at Home Depot or Amazon, and the girls loved it because their hands were getting tired(on the other hand, it does build arm strength w/o the seats);plus, we added rubber hose tubing for the wire to pass through around the tree to protect it. And we'll take it down before winter comes.Again, safety first: check the apparatus before using and supervise the screaming astronauts.

We are enjoying the item. Our little girl is 6 and has quite a lot of energy. It took a bit of adjusting to get the wire just right, and as far as mounting both ends evenly, that did not work. We raised the one side about 3 feet higher than the other end and now she zips down hill quite nicely. She hops off the end which is only about a 5 inch drop and runs it back to the other tree to do it again. We did have to get creative on how to reach the starting height, so we put the old picnic table there and she just climbs right up and goes. We also modified it by adding a seat for her to use when she wants to just sit and zip. This enables her to be on it without us. Whew

Fun Ride having been one of my children's activities many years ago, I was inspired recently when I saw one in a yard along the street. The briefest of searches took me to a great deal through Amazon, and I bought two for my grandchildren. I found reviews from people who had trouble installing it to be pathetic; I'll bet they don't even know how to start a lawn mower. I also howled at the preposterous safety regulations which cover pages of small type; our old Fun Ride ran from tree to tree over the deep ravine which has since been filled to make our driveway. the children used to carry rocks between their feet and bomb targets in the hole. No one was ever hurt playing the Fun Ride as hard as they could push it and themselves. My grandchildren push it and themselves just as hard. I bought a 100' length of heavier cable with clamps to extend the distance beyond the modest but reasonally adequate one supplied. Our old Fun Ride did eventually break, I can't imagine how, but it was not when a child was on it. Timeless fun.

Zip line is as expected. My initial impression was it was very cheap. After assembling it though, it's held up fine for the several hundred times my boys (8yrs &10yrs) have used it. I purchased a 120 feet of wire at my local hardware to make it between the trees I needed to use. The 35ft that came with it wouldn't work for me. At this point I'd purchase again.

Some of the other reviews for this product are referring to the other product by Spring Swings, so be sure you want this light duty, short span product (30 or 35' I think). I mistakenly ordered this based on the reviews and now have to pay to return it. I thought I was ordering the longer one. Just wanted to give others the warning so they can choose this on an informed basis. Not sure how it works yet, still waiting for the Super Fun Ride (the 100' model) to arrive. Looks fun though !

This worked super for about a week and then the wheels inside the housing "burnt out". The edges of the wheels bent and the wire wouldn't stay in the wheel track. Had to go buy some metal replacement wheels. The size of the new metal wheels isn't quite right but we can make do. I admit my kids are rough and used this incessantly but they are in the weight range specified for this product.

This was great for the first year but after that the plastic pulleys began to degrade and eventually the cable slowly dug into them making this unusable. For the current price I would recommend spending the extra money to get a zip line that has metal pulleys that will last longer than a year. I like things that last longer that this did.Otherwise the kids loved it while it lasted.

This is a very inexpensive alternative to a zip line. It is adequate for it's purpose, and you get jus what was ordered, if there might have been another pic or two and possibly description of what it is made out of - I may have gone with a more expensive version. My only concern is the plastic wheels and handle parts may not hold up very long.