UKC

Hi

Anyone recommend a slackline frame / set up for using (already owned) slackline in a garden? No suitable trees or other existing structure. Its also a shared garden so nothing permanent.

Ta

Can't recommend it as I haven't done it, but from when I was looking into it one popular method was an A-frame/tripod type structure at each end for the line to run over, and substantial buried anchors in the ground to tie the line down to. These were things like poured concrete blocks or big heavy things like lorry wheels, buried 'sufficiently' deep. If you had something heavy enough it wouldn't need to be buried. Big enough and it could be buried sufficiently deep that it need not be heavy itself. There must be a sweep spot somewhere there.

This method works well for me, I've got a tree for one end so only needed to build one A frame. With the exception of 3m heavy gauge anchor chain, I liberated all the other materials from various skips. Fence posts and ply off cuts for the frame, a old piece of scaffold bar to run the line over giving a smooth surface and a curb stone (approx. 60kg) buried 1m deep with the chain wrapped round the middle... It feels very solid but was a bit of work to dig and bury the curb stone (its never coming out!!!!)

Bang a couple of stakes in equalise to an A frame. Scaffolding poles 3' long are ideal. Your other option is to bury some sort of dead man anchor.

Edit: I'm going to be rigging one in my garden sometime soon to get back into it. I used to do loads of slacking.

I buried a couple of 2 foot scaffold poles around 2 foot deep, perpendicular to the slack line. A length of chain looped around the pole angled up towards the A frame and attach the line to that. 

You got a photo of that? Having trouble imagining the set up!

You reckon a couple of railway sleepers could do for an anchor?

What about those belay sandbags you see in some indoor walls? What are they called? Tried googling 'belay weights' & 'belay anchors' without much success.

Buried in the ground,  easily. Sat on the ground, no way!!!

Belay ballast.

As per the permenant deadman on this link

http://slackline.hivefly.com/slackline-without-trees/

In my case the buried object is a length of s scaffold pole

I should have been clearer: I was thinking of a block of six or eight fixed together. Hardwood sleepers are very heavy

Traditional marquees are supported by highly tensioned guys running diagonally upwards, much like the guy you would need with an A-frame. These are secured by what are effectively giant tent pegs, often a 3 foot length of rebar sledgehammered most of the way into the ground. I think one or two of these would serve very well, though I have not tried it myself. Remember to put them in at an angle so that the guy doesn't lift away from the ground. The term is marquee stake or ground anchor.

If you want to be really safe/clever, you can add a second stake in series with the first, holding a thin line that runs down from the top of the first stake thus preventing it from rotating and releasing the guy.

I used a 5' length of scaffold pole angle ground to a point whacked into the ground using a sledge hammer (used a block of wood to protect the top). I run the line over a pile of bricks to get the height I want.

I think, in the end, I had more fun installing the anchor than using the slack line!

No point in using railway sleepers as deadmen unless you have some kicking around - they're bigger and heavier than what you want/need.  We use a '3-2-1 anchor' - download the 'scout aerial runway code' to see how to build one - it's simply 2 or 3 steel stakes in a row, the top of the one nearest the line tied to the root of the one behind it to stop it tipping over and pulling out - also read the piece on stake anchors on Jim Titt's boltproducts site.  We use bits of scaffold pole in ground without rocks, or V / T -section angle iron in ground with rocks. Angle iron with flanges about 20mm wide is about right.  Pieces 4ft long hammered in until a foot is showing work Ok for us. It's much quicker to hammer 4 stakes in and tie them to each other than it is to dig a deadman trench.  It's important to get the distance between the stakes right so the linking ropes are at 90degrees to the stakes, if they're not at 90 they'll try to slide up/down the stakes (not good).

https://members.scouts.org.uk/supportresources/3482/aerial-runway-code?cat=...

God damn that brings up memories I haven't recalled for decades - aerial runways.

Was in the scouts and we set these up on our summer camps. Must be just ovet 30 years ago.