Is it safe to hang a set of toddler gym rings/hanging bar from my pergola?

seaneavery

Hi Bunnings Team,

First time question-asker; hope I've provided enough info and hope it's not a silly question!

My  4-year-old (weighs about 14kg) has been getting into her gymnastics and i wanted to get rid of our outdoor table and convert our patio into a mini gym for her to practice. I wanted to know if I could install some heavy duty eye-bolts to my pergola to suspend some gymnastic rings/ swing bar combo? See pics for rough sketch. I'd set up a crash mat below it.

Any tips on the best way to do this or if it's even possible would be greatly appreciated. 

All the best,

Sean

Jason

Hi @seaneavery,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's great to have you join us. 

I'm so pleased you have immediately recognised that the rings could be unsafe. We do get questions about installing swings, hanging chairs and items like boxing bags regularly, and unfortunately our response is almost always that you would need to engage a professional builder or engineer to assess whether the structure is safe to accommodate the additional load. A child is obviously relatively light, but the forces involved with a swinging weight are considerable. Safety is obviously paramount when it comes to a child, so we would always recommend you engage a professional onsite to assess and potentially also complete this kind of work.

Many thanks,

Jason