Review on Swing N Slide Metal Monkey Bars Rungs by Carl Movahed

I bought three sets of these rungs to do a rung installation. I used eight of these for stair climbing (four on each side) and eight for real rungs, so a total of 16 rungs (I have two extras). I basically followed the instructions that came with the bars but went a little taller and longer. For the legs I used four 4x4x8 foot beams. That might be a bit high for toddlers, but it validates their future as they get older and bigger. I used 2x6x10 feet for the horizontal bars. I inserted the bars every 14 inches, starting about 11 inches from the end of the 2x6 bars. So when you stand on the steps, grab the first bar (and don't worry about hitting your head). Reading other reviews I knew that vertical supports are further apart than horizontal 2x6 joists (assuming you connect them together by following their instructions). Spacing as that of the 2x6 horizontal beams. This allowed me to use the staffs as steps. The benefit of using 2x4 for steps was that it gave the bars more lateral stability (since 2x4 was added to 4x4, the legs actually became 4x6 for some distance). I decided to place diagonal braces between the 4x4 uprights and the 2x6 joists. That was probably an exaggeration, although it made the structure very stable in the longitudinal direction. Since I chose a higher and longer mount than the instructions call for, I figured it would be nice to have diagonal braces. There are two holes on one side of the bars. I assumed it was meant to drain moisture so I made sure the holes were facing the ground so the water wouldn't flood the grate when it rained. Another solution was to put the bars on top or bottom of the 2x6 joists. Any of these will do, but since I wanted to use monkey bars that adults could carry, I placed the bars on top of the 2x6 so the screws holding the bars wouldn't see the person's weight. They just hold the bars in place. In the reviews some people didn't like the screws that came with the bars but the torx head they have makes it very easy to use a cordless screwdriver and be able to tighten the screws well (no bits popping out) . out of the head, as you might see with a slot or a Phillips slot). I'm pretty sure the sprocket I used was T-30 for bolts. I drilled a pilot hole for each screw. The rods were in good condition (only two had chips of any size to speak of) and very strong. I can hang from the bars (250 pounds) and they don't seem to flex. Related items can be screws that attach 4x4 to 2x6. I used GRK 5/16 x 4 inch construction screws. These are excellent screws, very durable. On one side of the structure I added Creative Playthings Access ladder handles to make climbing the stairs easier. On the other side I built in a 10ft pole that you can slide down like a fireman. I covered all the wood with Behr 3330 stain/paint. I used Simpson CBSQ44-SDS2 4x4 holders to set the legs into the cement. They add a bit to the cost, but are extremely strong and will hold the wood in the ground.