Mother nature can often be unpredictable and often change in a blink of an eye so it’s important to be prepared well before the storm approaches. One of the most commonly destroyed items during strong winds, hurricanes, or tornadoes is trampolines. Let’s begin with some of the best ways to keep trampolines secured from strong winds.
How to Prevent Trampolines from Blowing Away?
First, you will want to find some trampoline anchor stakes or tent stakes that are designed to be installed into the ground. One thing with anything securement whether it be cargo or securing a trampoline you always want to connect from numerous location points in order to prevent all the weight from being placed on one side of the straps.
We recommend installing stakes between every leg of the trampoline to provide a balanced securement from strong wind gusts that may come from different directions.
One thing to note when installing the stakes is you will want to ensure that the stakes are as deep into the ground as possible to help prevent some of the strongest gusts of wind. Once you have the stakes installed you will want to find heavy-duty 1-inch or 2-inch ratchet straps with end fittings that attach to the anchor stakes to hold your trampoline in place.
Generally, the higher the working load limit on the ratchet straps the higher the odds of the trampoline being secured during strong winds.
You will want to ensure that the ratchet straps you purchase are made from polyester tie-down webbing as it provides a great strength-to-stretch ratio to ensure that the trampoline doesn’t begin to rise during gusts of wind.
Strong winds go underneath the trampoline and use the air pockets in the center of the trampoline to cause a lifting effect. In return this lifts the trampoline and once in the air can cause the trampoline to be quickly thrown around.
Additional Steps to Securing Trampolines to Prevent Movement
• Use Sandbags to provide the trampoline with extra weight along the legs. This helps to prevent the lightweight trampoline design to lift in most wind gusts.
• If a hurricane or large storm is coming days in advance it’s never a bad idea to move the trampoline inside to a barn or garage when possible.
• If you are in an area where strong wind gusts are common or in areas around the world where tornadoes and hurricanes are not uncommon it may be worthwhile in purchasing more tie-down straps and using more trampoline stakes to help hold the trampoline in place.
• If you have time well in advance it may be worthwhile to take apart the trampoline and put it inside in storage when possible. This could help you prevent insurance claims or potential damage in extreme wind gusts situations.
How fast do winds need to be to move a Trampoline?
In most circumstances, it only takes wind gusts of 40 miles per hour to cause the trampoline to begin to rise and be subject to be thrown in the wind. As the wind conditions go past 35 miles per hour the odds of the unanchored trampoline continuing to raise for the trampoline to be flung in the windy conditions.
You can normally expect in wind conditions past 80 miles per hour that the unsecured trampoline will almost for certain be moved during the strong storm or hurricane several feet or longer from the original position.
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Frequently Asked Trampoline Securement Questions
Will insurance companies cover damage that is caused to my trampoline during a storm – You would need to contact your insurance company directly for a full breakdown if you are or are not covered in this situation. One thing to consider is the cost of a deductible vs the cost of reputable ratchet straps and anchors to avoid a potentially bad situation. In most cases, insurance companies will not cover you for any damage that occurs from your trampoline during strong winds from our research.
Can trampolines be anchored year around? – Yes, once the trampoline is anchored you can leave the straps outside anchored year around in all forms of elements from extreme heat, extreme cold, snow, ice, rain, and strong winds. We do however recommend that those who are anchoring their trampolines occasionally inspect their straps and anchor points for any potential damage over time from being outside exposed to the elements for long periods of time.