In-Ground Trampoline
Surely you’ve seen some of those television shows that feature trampoline accidents. The shows favor the funniest of videos, where people fall off of trampolines, bounce off and into something else, or never quite make it onto the surface of the trampoline – with unexpected results. Those videos can be hysterical, but in reality, people often get severely hurt when playing on a trampoline. Now, you can buy a screen that wraps around the trampoline, and that prevents anyone from falling off. But there’s yet one more thing that you can do to make your family safer when playing on the trampoline. In fact, it makes it easier to mow around it and easier to get up on it, too. When you make your trampoline an in-ground type, you improve the trampoline a good bit.
Yes, it’s going to require a massive hole to lower the trampoline. Have the family pitch in and get it done or have a professional company come over and dig a hole. Although the hole will have to be quite large in diameter it doesn’t have to be all that deep. If you’re digging the hole yourself, use an implement like a screwdriver and dig a line all the way around the legs of the trampoline. That will mark the area and the size of the hole.
Dig the hole to be as big around as the trampoline but add a couple of inches to that. There should not be enough room between the trampoline and the edge of the hole to where anyone could get their foot caught between them. As far as the depth, the trampoline should fit into the hole so that the top of the trampoline is just a few inches above the ground.
To prevent collapse of the hole, use a Sure-Wall product, found at a large home improvement store. The product is made to be applied to the inside of the hole – along the walls and the floor of the hole – to keep it from collapsing. The cement-like product is not hard to apply and will setup to create a bond that will hold, even if it rains. However, when the trampoline isn’t in use, it’s a good idea to lay a tarp over it, and put rocks or other weights on the corners of the cloth. That will prevent rainwater from filling up the hole, keep animals from falling in, and keep the legs of the trampoline in good shape. Make it a trampoline party weekend; your kids will have fun but they won’t be featured on any of those television shows.
