How To Put A Tetherball Pole In The Ground

Make this fun DIY tetherball set for your lawn in an afternoon, and for one-half the cost of ownership new!

We've been on a quest to add together some really fun things to our backyard! In addition to building a wooden swingset, nosotros besides made this DIY tetherball set. Our kids LOVE it. Information technology's an easy weekend projection you tin even make in an afternoon, which is a huge bonus.

DIY Tetherball Prepare

It all started a few weeks agone, after re-discovering tetherball at our friends' domicile. The kids admittedly loved it, and played it the entire time we were at that place. As shortly as we got home (it started in the motorcar), they begged us to go a tetherball set up for our own backyard. When I checked them out on online, and saw prices effectually $100, I knew I could brand one for less. And I did! This version uses an old tire and cement, making information technology super durable and strong. We've had a bunch of kids (and adults) playing on it, and it'southward held up extremely well.

By making our own, I saved more than half of that! Plus, information technology's incredibly sturdy and durable, and made to last. We absolutely love it, and our family has already spent a lot of time exterior enjoying information technology. Information technology actually is an easy, doable project that volition bring hours of fun.

Slap-up backyard game for families

What I honey near tetherball is that it appeals to all ages. Teenagers beloved it. Elementary kids love information technology. Fifty-fifty the littles honey grabbing the ball, throwing it, and trying to get it to spin effectually the pole. There aren't many backyard games that fit into this category, so I knew it would be a skillful one to accept as our family unit grew. If you have a family with both littles and big kids, this is a great game to have, because all of you tin enjoy it together.

And don't forget the adults! My husband and I love it besides–both with our kids, and as well other adults when we are entertaining. We've loved having it in our backyard.

Piece of cake to do + half the cost = lots of backyard fun!

It really is so worth it to brand your own. It only took near an hour to put together, then 24 hours of drying time. Totally an easy weekend projection! When you add in the facts that you can non simply save more than half of the ones at the store and that it'southward manner more sturdy, y'all've got a winner.

If you're wondering almost ages, even young children can bask playing, all the way upwards to adults. My 5 year old boys are totally obsessed with information technology, and they could have easily played last summertime every bit well, at the age of iv. I love that my kids can play together, or even ane of them alone.

Hither's the price breakdown:

(these prices may vary where yous live, or where you purchase them)

Tire – free
Pole – $15
Rebar – $1.50
Wire – $two
Cement – $6
Hardware – $v
Ball – $15

= $45!!

I saved more than $threescore!! What a huge difference! The savings was definitely worth an afternoon of work, especially when I know exactly what I'm getting.

Here'due south how to make your ain DIY Tetherball Fix:

SUPPLIES:

tire (no bigger than a car tire–not SUV)
one 5/viii x eight ft. sixteen gauge galvanized steel line pole
(2) 1 ft. pieces of rebar
cement (180 lbs–we used three bags of concrete, 60 lbs. each)
five/8 10 3 in. round swivel eye bolt snap
1/4 x 2 5/viii in. center bolt
2 washers, lock washer, and nut (all 1/4 inch–we bought a package that had all three in it)
xviii gaugegalvanized wire
tetherball with rope (this is the ane we got–it glows in the dark!)
drill (impact drill with bit made for metal)
supplies to mix cement–shovel, container, h2o (nosotros put ours in a big bucket)
ladder

The base of the tetherball prepare uses an old tire. You'll want to discover i that isn't from an SUV, or overly big. Filling it with cement would make it will be extremely difficult to motion. It'due south nice to exist able to plow to roll information technology out of the manner, or into the barn (or garage) during the wintertime months to protect it from the elements. It can stay in one place, and if you accept no intention to motility it, and so I suppose you could use a bigger tire. If so, you'd definitely need more cement in club to fill it.

If you don't take an onetime tire handy, my suggestion is to check the junkyard or landfill. Nosotros've e'er had good luck, and been able to find what nosotros're looking for. Some other option is to inquire effectually–you could accept friends or family with an former tire taking up space, and looking for a way to dispose of information technology.

DIRECTIONS:

Before you start, prepare a space for the projection. Nosotros fabricated ours on our back patio, just whatsoever place that room for your supplies will work. Spread out a piece of plastic sheeting, or a large (strong) garbage bag. This will protect your surface from the cement, and make for a much easier clean up when finished. Lay out your supplies and so they're ready to go, and have the ladder nearby. This isn't a difficult project, but you do need a second set of hands for the cement office. An older child could certainly help, and it's a keen way to get all of your kids involved.

1. Drill holes into i cease of your line pole, in a cantankerous design. (The ends are the same, and then information technology doesn't matter which one you do.) Ours are about 2 inches from the lesser pole, and then five inches above that. To make up one's mind how far apart to drill your holes, measure the inside of your tire.

It's going to be buried in the cement, so you don't desire it to poke out the meridian or the bottom of your tire. Slide in the rebar, and use the galvanized wire to secure them into identify. On the opposite end of the pole, drill a pigsty for the eye bolt, and secure information technology with a washer and the ane/four inch nut.

two. Prepare out your tire on a large garbage purse or plastic sheeting. Mix your cement (nosotros used a shovel and an inexpensive container that we bought at The Habitation Depot), making certain to follow the directions on the bag. We used the Quikrete make, which dries pretty fast–inside 24 hours nosotros were ready to play!

3. Shovel the mixed cement into center of the tire, spreading and evening it out as you become. Ready a alpine ladder right next to the tire (or something else you tin steady the pole and keep it in place with). Button the lesser of the pole with the rebar, terminate beginning downward into the cement, making certain it's centered, and that the rebar is completely covered. If you go cement on the tire, don't worry–once it's dry, yous can scrape it right off.

4. Use a level to make certain it'due south standing completely directly, then use the galvanized wire to tie it to the side of the ladder for stability, and so it will stay that way while it dries. You'll see we had lots of helpers! Our kids loved to assist, and an extra pair or two of hands on these last steps really are necessary.

v. Allow it dry! We added the kids' names into the surface of the physical afterward iii-four hours–don't practise information technology correct away, you'll demand the cement to be semi-firm to concord. My husband was the overseer of this function, and let the kids practice information technology themselves. If I had to do it over over again, I would just have him exercise information technology–it's a lot more difficult for kids to exercise it, they by and large aren't potent enough to write information technology deep enough. If you take older kids, they could probably exercise information technology, merely nether 6 is a bit tricky. Even their handprints would be fun, if they desire to practise information technology themselves.

six. Later the cement is totally dry out, clip the snap commodities onto the eye bolt at the top of the pole, and tie the rope onto the hinge portion of the snap bolt. You don't have to utilise a snap bolt, only it makes it a lot easier if you want to remove the ball from the tetherball pole.

Yous're washed, and ready to PLAY! We keep ours exterior all through the summer months and into a fleck of fall, so roll it into the barn for the winter months. It's also piece of cake to unclip the ball and just put that away, which helps to keep information technology squeamish all year long.

*To further customize your tetherball fix, you could paint the pole or the tire…or both! Let the kids become to town with the pigment (in pigment clothes, for sure!), putting their handprints on the tire, or even adding their artwork.

Happy summertime! If you're looking for fifty-fifty more ways to practice summer on a budget, check out this post…I have a bunch ideas. We also love our wooden swing set, another swell weekend project that can relieve you a bundle and add a ton of backyard fun.

*Originally posted July 2022.