“…so there I was sitting on a crate of rocks on the edge of the barn roof.”

“Well yeah, I was really on the swing seat, but the rock crate was fastened under it with a quick release. Oh, I almost forgot! I found out that the distance from the barn to the tree should be less than from the limb to the ground. Ouch. So anyway, the swing's ropes extended to the limb.”

“No, I didn’t tie them to the limb. That’s the important part. They go through pulleys at the limb and back down to the crate of rocks.”

“Oh I don’t know; they weighed about 300 lbs, maybe. Tony Joe and Fat Al pushed me off the roof, and...”

“Yeah, the one with the pierced eyelid. Hey, let me tell you this great story. So, I did a couple of humongous swings under the groaning limb, and during the next fast forward, I released the crate with my foot.”

“Uh, I think it was the right foot. Anyway, what happened was the crate of rocks went flying downward, pulling the two rope ends with it. It sounded like ‘Feeohhww-w-w Thunkk!’ That pulled me up via the pulleys with a fast swish towards the limb. My rotational velocity, in turn, was multiplied, so I easily did a loop.”

“Right, adrenaline heaven. Of course circling the limb shortened my ropes even more, and after five revs I stopped, wrapped around the branch. I’m gonna put a roll bar on the next model. So, what’s new with you?”
-- FarmerJohn, Sep 29 2003

Tire Swing Cartoon http://www.uoregon....TireSwingTable.html
[Brummo, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

I've redesigned it for you, [FJ] http://bz.pair.com/fun/powswing.html
I applied some adrenalin. [~34Kb image] [bristolz, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

“So I was on the internet and I found these plans for a powered swing. It looked neat so I decided to built one”

“Halfbutchery… something like that. I forget exactly what it was called. Anyway, the plans called for pulleys, which I didn’t have, so I just looped the ropes over the limb. Imagine my surprise when, after releasing the rocks, I whipped up over the branch and proceeded to fly through the air sling-shot style.”

“Yeah, should have looped the ropes around the other way. Never the less, I would have traced out a nice parabola had ropes attached to the now grounded crate of rocks not pulled me back into a circular path.”

“Hit the ground? No, remarkably I didn’t. It was the roof of the barn, actually. Paramedics had a hell of a time getting me down.”
-- AO, Sep 29 2003


"...Crate of rocks crushed my car too."
-- hippo, Sep 29 2003


Good one [AO]; hadn't thought of that variant.
-- FarmerJohn, Sep 29 2003


Dude, sweet.
-- kaz, Sep 29 2003


Wonderful, bris. "Look Ma, no hands!"
-- FarmerJohn, Sep 29 2003


Sorry it's not a Volvo or Saab powertrain . . .
-- bristolz, Sep 29 2003


Well, they're not Swedish anymore anyway.
-- FarmerJohn, Sep 29 2003


Nice one, [FJ].

He flies from the seat with gut-churning unease,
That foolish young man on the swing drawn by bz.
O, why would he board? Some mental disease?
When a 454 spins the thing.
-- half, Sep 30 2003


<applause>
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Apr 06 2010



random, halfbakery