The ladder climber is one of the funner and more dangerous obstacles we’ve completed so far. Of course, it’s not completely complete but a work in process.
Buying the threaded rods already cut down to a smaller size was expensive. I needed to find a cheaper way. They do sell threaded rods in 4, 6 and 10′ lengths for cheaper. I decided I could buy several 6′ rods and cut them to length. My father has a band saw and it worked incredibly well.
To figure out what length we needed I took the circumference of the two poles and figured out the diameter the rods needed to be. One pole is much thicker than the other. I cut the rods into 12″ and 18″ pieces to fit the two poles.
I purchased 2x6x12′ boards. They are untreated and we used a sealant on them. It has the added benefit of making the boards a wee bit more enjoyable to grab on to.
I drilled and mounted one side first and then used the level to mount the other side.
I tried to measure each board to be 2’6″ from the top of one to the top of the next but, I do suck at measuring and putting things in where they should be. So they are ABOUT 2′ apart.
The kids have strict instructions to only go 2 boards up when we are not with them. When we are with them they can go 6 boards up. We are currently 8 boards up and can do 3 more. Right now it stands at 18 feet high.
Hi. I saw your blog link on Permies and thought I’d come for a visit. The obstacle course is very cool! Every active kid’s dream-come-true.