Dangerous playground equipment - GIF

[Frank S]

Probably no more so than us kids trying to make our swings do full 360s.

[WmRMeyers]

Probably no more so than us kids trying to make our swings do full 360s.

In my day, Sonny, we did lots of fun things with swings... I seem to recall doing a 360 inverted... accompanied with some bumps and bruises. Maybe I didn't quite make the 360, but I was definitely inverted!

We were tough kids. It was hard to kill us. Came close a few times.

My kids were not so challenged, I'm afraid.

[Frank S]

In my day, Sonny, we did lots of fun things with swings... I seem to recall doing a 360 inverted... accompanied with some bumps and bruises. Maybe I didn't quite make the 360, but I was definitely inverted!

We were tough kids. It was hard to kill us. Came close a few times.

My kids were not so challenged, I'm afraid.

The playground swings we had were made by a local welder out of 4 1/2" drill stem. buried in the ground about 6 ft. and they were still about 20 feet to the top of the "A" 5 "A"s in a row spaced far enough apart that 2 cars could park side by between them the top pipe ran the full length with 3 swing seats per section the last section had a pair of 4 person double swings on them looked like a picnic table without the table those hung on 4 pipes each. the swings had heavy chains probably about 1/4" we used to stand in the strap seats hold onto the chains get going as high as we could then dive out of them into a pile of sand . I never made a full 360, either but got high enough that instead fo the return swinging arc I cam straight down barely missing the top pipe.
How did we ever survive swinging on those things or climbing a jungle jim that was as tall as the swing with a steel slide coming off the top.

[WmRMeyers]

The playground swings we had were made by a local welder out of 4 1/2" drill stem. buried in the ground about 6 ft. and they were still about 20 feet to the top of the "A" 5 "A"s in a row spaced far enough apart that 2 cars could park side by between them the top pipe ran the full length with 3 swing seats per section the last section had a pair of 4 person double swings on them looked like a picnic table without the table those hung on 4 pipes each. the swings had heavy chains probably about 1/4" we used to stand in the strap seats hold onto the chains get going as high as we could then dive out of them into a pile of sand . I never made a full 360, either but got high enough that instead fo the return swinging arc I cam straight down barely missing the top pipe.
How did we ever survive swinging on those things or climbing a jungle jim that was as tall as the swing with a steel slide coming off the top.

Had something very much like those at the elementary school where I did kindergarten to 5th grade. We didn't have a sand pile by it, though. You could have a lot of fun on those swings! Those were the days, my friend...