Installing a swingset/play area

[BrianG]

My wife went out and got a large swingset/playarea for the kids. It arrived the other day in a double length 700lb pallet and now I get the "joy" of putting the thing together.

My yard is not very level, so I did my best to level the area. I didn't want to use bricks or cement to lift the low areas because it would create places for kids to hurt themselves if they fall on them, and the wife wants to be able to maybe move/disassemble the play set in the future.

So, I "wisely" decided to dig out the high spots (~5" max) instead. However, I obviously have these shallow holes where rain water can accumulate and possibly rust the bottoms of the metal poles (they are powder coated, but not sure how well the insides are covered). I didn't think of that until the thing was about half put together. Grrr. Since pouring cement is not an option (being permanent), is there some kind of rubbery material I can pour into the hole to fill it that will keep the pole bottoms from rusting, yet is fairly easy to remove if we decide to move/disassemble it? Something with the consistency of hotglue would be perfect, but that's a LOT of hot glue, lol.

[Overdriven]

How about something like Great Stuff foam. IDK how well it will stick to the metal poles or hold up to the stress, but it is pretty tough in general. But it would be fairly cheap and provide a greateer surface area making it harder to pull out of the hole.

[BrianG]

That's an idea. I don't have to worry about holding strength; the set weighs a ton and the frame bottoms have caps that are not meant to be buried or secured. All the material has to be is waterproof and not fall apart outside in the elements.

I don't know if I would use that foam,it'll hold water against the metal causing it to rust even quicker,You could maybe try some floor epoxy? Or just dig around the poles and dump in some gravel.

[PBO]

Sounds like poured rubber might do the job. Not sure where you can buy small kits in the US though

[lincpimp]

Use mortar. It will not stick very well to the powdercoated legs. When you want it off a few taps with a hammer will break it off. And run a bead of silicone between it and the pole when it has set, to keep the water out. You can also slope the mortar so water naturally runs down the pole then off the mortar. Mortar is also very cheap, one bag should do. I would suggest plaster of paris, but I an not sure how weatherproof it is.

[josh9mille]

you can get the rubber stuff used to fill cracks in concrete, its grey, tough, and self leveling. Lowes or home depot should have it.

[JERRY2KONE]

How about laying a pressure treated four by six into the ground with holes drilled into it for the poles to sit right into. The four by six laid into the ground will give you stability, and having the swing set poles set into the holes will give you the mobility to remove the set easily. If need be you could also run bolts through each leg to keep it in the four by six. Sounds pretty solid to me.

[BrianG]

OK, finally finished assembling the playset today. Here is a pic of where it is set up. The next stage is getting some mulch for cushioning and adding a fence around the area.

[suicideneil]

I was gonna suggest buying some rubber matting ( vented stuff maybe ) like they have in city play parks and putting that down under the playset, then bury it in the mulch to make a nice soft landing area for air-borne children, but it would also allow the water to drain away a bit and not sit on the ground around the legs of the playset..

[aqwut]

Glad you are finished, it's always fun putting these things together... LOL, yeah right...

[magman]

Brian if you can still access the bottom of the posts you could always use a spray on rubber liner for the bottom of the posts and up the sides. It comes in a spray on can and it works great. I use a similar product at work made by the Wurth company. I sprayed it on my old trucks receiver hitch and it held up for 8 yrs. before it started to peel