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What Is the Strongest Knot for a Swing?

A swing in the garden can be great fun for both children and adults. You can suspend a swing from any secure crossbar or branch capable of holding weight. The swing rope should be held with a strong knot for safety that does not slide or crimp and weaken the rope. The two half hitches knot is ideal for this.

Two Half Hitches
- The two half hitches knot is used when the load will be at 90 degrees to the knot, which makes it ideal for a swing. It is constant under load and does not jam. The heavier the load you put on it, the tighter it will be to the anchor it is tied to.
How to Tie It
- Feed the end of the rope around the branch or bar that you are attaching the swing to. Pass it back under the main trunk of the rope. Feed the rope up and down into the gap created by the crossing rope end. Pull the knot tight to create a first half hitch. Feed the loose end back under the main trunk of the rope. Bring it back over and into the loop. Pull the rope tight to make the second half hitch knot.
How to Loosen It
- Relieve the pull of the load and push the anchor end of the rope so that is loosens against the two half hitch knots. You can then move the rope to reposition it on the branch or bar and it will be pulled tight when you release the load of the swing.
Other Considerations
- If you are tying the swing rope around something with a small diameter, it is a good idea to pass the rope around the bar/branch twice for extra hold and then tie the two half hitches. This is called a Round Turn with two Half Hitches.

Backyard Toys