How to Assemble a Swing Set
A couple of months ago, we purchased a Rainbow swing set from Costco. The set was pretty large- seven boxes and a slide that, in total, weighed about a thousand pounds. Getting it home was a chore, but we managed to do it in two trips with a Ford Explorer. We solicited a couple of quotes from people that were willing to assemble the set- both quotes were between $500 and $1,000. So, I decided to assemble the swing set myself.
The instructions recommend that you inventory the parts prior to assembly. Well, I started to do just that. Thirty minutes later, my garage bay was filled with wood and I still had quite a bit left to unpack. I never really completed taking inventory (as it turned out, the set was complete). The swing set included an instruction manual, an instructional DVD (with 30+ chapters!), and a laminated sheet that laid out every piece of wood, screw, and bolt that is required for each step. The sheet was very helpful- it also had actual size drawings of each screw, bolt, nut, and washer to make it easier to identify the correct hardware for each step.
Prior to assembly, I needed to find a 17 foot by 17 foot level section of my backyard. I also needed an additional 5 to 10 feet of clearance on all sides. Done.
In terms of tools, you will absolutely need a drill. An impact wrench is also very useful for tightening the hundreds of lag bolts that hold the swing set together. I recommend using two drills- one for drilling and another for screwing. Otherwise, you will constantly be switching out drill bits. The only other tools that I really needed were a tape measure, a pencil, and a level.
As far as assembly goes- it is not to difficult, but very time consuming. I estimate that, from start to finish, it took about 30 man hours. The lag bolt holes are pre-drilled, but you will need to drill all the holes for all the screws. I’m not sure why all holes are not pre-drilled, I my guess is that drilling holes during assembly provides you with a tight, accurate assembly. I can imagine that things like temperature and ground topography may cause pre-drilled holes to line up slightly offset. There are a couple of steps that are difficult to complete without a second person (e.g. installing the swing beam), but most steps can be done alone. Once assembly is complete, you may want to sand any areas that have splintered during shipping or installation.
Here are a couple of pictures of the final product. This set has a three swing beam, a two-tiered fort, a rock climbing wall, a picnic bench, and a sandbox. The toddler swing in the pictures was an after market purchase, but this swing set did include a trapeze. All in all, assembly took me a full weekend and a few additional hours the following Monday and Tuesday. I had a second person helping for one weekend day.
Good luck!
-Jon
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Oh, I remember that set. Let me know how it holds up. I was in the process of getting it but changed my mind because I thought it would be too large.