An old jungle gym in the backyard can be both an eye sore and a major safety hazard. After years of use, monkey bars may be falling out and wood supports start to splinter. This is on top of its stability and metal components that start to rust and form razor sharp edges. This is when you know it’s time to rip that thing down and haul it. You want this done before anyone gets seriously hurt.
With this being said, if you plan to remove a jungle gym you want to approach it systematically and logically to avoid your own injury! Jungle gyms have heavy supports that, if not done the correct way, can pose a danger to the one cutting it down. This guide will explain the process of how to remove a jungle gym in the safest way possible. For reference, we will use the picture below throughout the article.
Step 1: Analysis of Jungle gym Structure
The first step is to take a look at the structure of the jungle gym you want to remove. When doing so, you want to focus on three main things-
- See how many components the jungle gym has.
- What parts of the components are in contact with the ground and therefore supporting weight.
- Plan the order in which each component should be taken down.
In the picture, you can see there is a main component (1a) and a secondary component (2a). The main structure has three primary points of contact to the ground (1b, 2b, 3b). The secondary structure has two (4b, 5b). For this jungle gym, the secondary component should be removed first (2a), then the main component (1a).
Step 2: Removal of jungle gym Hanging Pieces
When removing a jungle gym, it is important to remove any hanging pieces. This includes swings, tires, and ropes (1c, 2c, 3c, 4c, 5c, 6c, 7c). These pieces are usually hung by a carabiner or other simple device that can be easily removed. If not done, these pieces can pose a hazard when cutting the components. It’s difficult to predict their motion when falling. Even if not a hazard, they can get tangled up with other pieces. This makes your life more difficult when trying to remove the jungle gym.
Step 3: Removal of Secondary Component
Now comes the fun part…cutting the sucker up! The secondary component should be removed first, as there is less weight and will not greatly affect the stability of the main component. With a reciprocating saw, the first cut should be made at the connecting point (1d). Once the support beam is cut through, you can pull from area (2d) to drop the top support beam in a controlled fashion. Once on the ground, the component can be cut up into manageable pieces and removed.
Step 4: Removal of Auxiliary Pieces of Main Component
You should pay thee most attention to the main component when cutting down. For safety purposes, you should remove all auxiliary pieces (1e) before any of the supports are cut (1b, 2b, 3b). Essentially, any vertical piece above the main platform is an auxiliary piece and you should remove those before any ground contacts. Once these pieces are removed, you will be left with only the base of the main component of the jungle gym left.
Step 5: Removal of the Main Base
At this point the majority of the jungle gym will be broken down. This last piece however can be the trickiest as you will inevitably be causing some sort of fall from this main structure. There are a few ways to tackle this, but one way would be to first remove the slide because this will not cause the remaining structure to fall just yet. The cut should be made as close to the point where the slide attaches to the main component (1f). After cutting away and removing the slide, the BIG decision needs to be made…which way do you want it to fall? This is personal preference and may also be influenced by surrounding obstructions (for example a neighboring piece of playground equipment, shed, flower beds, etc).
If you do have the choice however, one train of thought is to cut away the lighter of the remaining pieces, for a safer fall. In this case you would cut the climbing bar portion (1g), at its contact points (2f, 3f). It is extremely important to note that under no circumstances should you be under the structure at this point for any reason. You don’t want it collapsing while you are underneath it!
Step 6: Hauling Away the Pieces
The last step in the process of removing a jungle gym is simply the loading and hauling away of all cut up pieces. Once loaded into a truck or van, they can be taken to a local transfer station such as Eldredge Containers where they will find their proper final home.
That’s Great! But What If I Don’t Want To Do It Myself?
After reading this guide you may find that even though you CAN do it, but you don’t WANT to do it. That’s totally normal! Many people would rather have someone else do this type of jungle gym removal for them. The great news is junk removal companies like Moving U & Junk U are your one stop shop to remove jungle gyms! If you’re looking for an estimate to have a jungle gym removed, click the button below for a free estimate!
