Oh MY! Trampolines!!

Me and mom went to the city the other day, had some appointments, did some shopping. one of my favorite stores is a discount place that gets things from auctions and resells them. Some of it gets weird. On their front porch is always pallets with asst junk on them, all clear plastic covered, with a sign like this:

No warranty, no returns

I glanced at them as I walked by, saw that one pallet was full of damaged boxes labeled as trampolines. I stuck my hand down into one of the damaged boxes, felt metal bars, said "oooh!" but we were in the Subaru, and it wasn't going to happen, so I walked on.

Two days later it was still bugging me. I called them, it was still there. They warned me that they were damaged boxes, and all the parts were not there. I told them that's ok, I will not be using or selling them as trampolines. We took the truck and I bought it. Took them work to load it, the guys doing so were really curious what I was going to do with them. "Garden arbors or greenhouse!" They told me they want to see pictures!

Loaded up

loaded truck

Tarped down well, look at that sky, we hit pouring rain on the way back, so hard I could barely see the road at times.

stayed dry

I was all excited!! And it was too soggy to unload them where I needed to. but then the rain was headed back in, and it was going to only get worse, so I picked the least muddy spot I could, and we did it. It was like Christmas! I was SO excited!!  

Took off the tarp, cut the plastic....

What I saw

10 boxes. 8 of them said 12 foot trampoline, 2 of them said 15 foot trampoline. There were "box 1 of 2"  and "box 2 of 2" but not in matched sets. Each type of box had the same pieces. So some things I got lots of, some I got few or none of. As I write this, I think my math is wrong, there may have been 11 boxes, not real sure. I lost track.

This is what they'd make if all the parts were put together right, which they will not be.

They will NOT look like this!

The first two boxes, to give you an idea of what was in them, contained this, as well as some other stuff. The trampolines take 12 metal arcs to make the circle, the short pipes make the legs, the black foam covered ones are round at one end, square at the other, and make the net supports.

2 boxes worth of metal

Some of the boxes were in rough shape, which is why my count is messed up.

battered boxes

The contents of all of the boxes, two pics, both are bad shots, between them you can see what was in them. They should be able to be viewed bigger.

All of the contents!

All of the contents!

And all of the boxes! They got flattened and will be used for weed control on my garden paths

Quite a pile!

Continuing...
There was an 8 foot pallet at the bottom of it all (you know you are a permie when the boxes and pallet are as exciting as the contents!)

8 foot pallet

Got the pallet on plastic by the fence (that's a heavy water flow area, had to put plastic all over and under it) and then started getting OCD and space folding it all. Failed to get a pic of the first layer, I used the little 2 foot sections of metal to fill the cracks, and made a stable base for the rest, then started stacking arcs.  

stacking the arcs tightly

And the next layer of arcs had both sizes, the 12 and the 15 foot pieces (6 pieces per loop, so about 3.5 vs 4 foot long pieces)

layer 2 of the arcs

Then all the pieces that had been covered in foam (it got removed and put in the shed) were stacked

not covered in black foam any more

And the plastic was pulled over it and strapped down.

all stacked neatly

Final counts of the whole mess are approximately (I still think my count is fouled up)
48 arcs to make 12 foot loops
12 arcs to make 15 foot loops
120 of the 2 foot pieces that have spring buttons and holes to connect them
60 of the straight bars that had black foam on them
12 of the bent bars that had black foam on them
10 or more sets of heavy wire sections to be the top of the netting
2 of the trampoline surfaces, both 15 foot I think
2 sets of netting
8 or more of the pads that go around the edges
576 springs of the smaller size
96 springs of the larger size
8 or 10 rolls of heavy cord for the top of the net
A bit of asst hardware
Only set of instructions!
Only one spring puller!

Price for it all: $100.00
I think I got a great deal!
If you buy these trampolines at walmart, the 12 foot ones are about $250.00 each, the 15 foot about $280.00.

I need help thinking about this stuff, suggestions welcomed!
No clue what I will do with the pads. They are something like 115 feet long sewn into a continuous circle, slight curve to them, and have a layer of foam in them.

pads that go over the springs

peeking inside the pads

And the SPRINGS! Oh my.... I can come up with a lot of neat artsy stuff to do with them, can we think of anything practical? These are the smaller ones, there are around 576 of them!

576 of these things!

I didn't open the bigger ones, the boxes look like they are about 8 inches long. "Only" 96 of them...

Why did I get all of this? Why did I want them?
My last home I had a few arcs from trampolines, older style, but the idea is the same. I turned 2 of them, plus an old gate and some dead tv antenna poles into this arbor, and put wisteria on it.
I am not sure if I have better pictures, these were what I found easily in my computer.









So that sort of thing is doable, but I'd LOVE to use them for something like this:

not my picture, off the net, but OOOH, I wish it was mine!

Or a greenhouse, or neat curving supports..... or....

:D

Some of those springs would possibly help keep tarps in place (with hopefully less rapid destruction in storms) for temporary/mobile critter shelters, hanging porch swings, tire swings, etc. The pads could come in very handy, for moving furniture, and wedging into narrow spots that need cushioning, insulation... if I think of more, I'll come back.

And incidentally, I'm disabled, some days are really bad, some aren't too bad. I had no muscle help, only my 80 something year old mom for logistics type things, and those boxes were labeled that they weighed between 82 and 96 pounds each. I moved every piece of it at least 3 times, some more. So, about 3000 pounds shuffled yesterday, and it had to be done that day, I had it all dumped out someplace it couldn't stay, and the rain is back today.

I did it though! I'm smug! Used lots of good physics.... when you don't have brawn, you use brains.

:D

There is a local chicken seller who keeps his birds in a converted trampoline (trampoline is on top, makes shade, chicken wire around the rest, roost up in the body of the thing for them at night).

The pads -
1. they'll be out of UV stable fabric so stacked creatively I could see them making replacement outdoor chair or bench pads.
2. With the number you have and the foam in them, they could be insulation for some part of a building?
3. A lifetime's worth of garden kneeling pads?

The metal -
1. People tend to think of greenhouse - but you can also think of each single curved pipe on legs for low tunnels or bird netting. The problem with anything flat is that it will collapse under rain, so even a slight curve can be really helpful.
2. I can picture you building all sorts of interesting trellises.

So much depends on how easily you can join bits together. There is definitely a local family here who uses an ex-trampoline as a chicken run. I prefer my chicken runs to be  moveable, and I think the tramp ones would be awkward to move alone. If you could raise them higher with some of the extra pipes and wanted the whole haul to be chicken shelter first, 48 arcs @ 12 per circle gives you four 12' D circles. That would give you 4 almost instant paddocks if you have enough extra pipe to make the paddock 6' tall at least. At 6' tall, you can get in there to plant serious chicken plants like mulberry, raspberry, Eleagnus sp etc. along with all sorts of low plants that might need a little protection but still provide fodder for them. So if you decide that Chicken Style Fort Knox is a plan, I'm sure we could help you figure out how to organize a plan!! Unfortunately, to do it right and in a way that would keep long-term work at a minimum, it would take most of this haul. I always figured to really do chickens right would take 5 permanent paddocks and a "run of last resort" which was deep mulched as a compost generator.

If nothing else, you'll have fun dreaming stuff up!

The trampoline decks work decently well as a shade cloth, the D-rings for the springs can be a bit much (Walking into low-hanging ones isn't great fun)... but also in so many places! therefore much handier than plastic tarps where the grommets never seem to be in the best places other than corners.

They are handy "tarps" for keeping leaves in a pile, now the plethora of D-rings is great, since the edge is weighted all around. Easy to stake down as well.

Also good as a ground cloth (weighted edge FTW again!) for keeping materials separate from the ground. Maybe a load of wood chips that you don't want IN the lawn, or to have to sweep the driveway after? You can scoop stuff off it gently, and also lift it to gather up the remainders to be able to use it ALL up. *safety notice* they can be slippery to walk on.

I've got a small trampoline deck (maybe 8'?) that I use to wrap up the 32' x 96' shade cloth for our greenhouse into. It gets folded up loosely onto the trampoline, then wrapped like a burrito, and laced up like a bodice.

I hope you figure out something great to build with the pipes, I've also gathered some of the pipes when I've found them at the transfer station, but don't have SO MANY that all match! That makes it much more flexible to design with!

Oooh, neat ideas! Keep them coming, y'all! It makes my mind go directions that weren't on my list...

 I've also gathered some of the pipes when I've found them at the transfer station, but don't have SO MANY that all match! That makes it much more flexible to design with!

And THAT, my friend, is EXACTLY why I paid $100.00 for them. That many matching pipes were worth it to me! The weight of the boxes was about a total of 850 pounds, so minus the other stuff, that's still about 700 pounds of matching pipes, with connectors, to work with. Well worth 100 to me.

Definitely a pumpkin frame! When I grew climbing pumpkins two years ago some of them got to 10kg or more each. They need something really sturdy to hang from.

Are there enough parts to build one complete trampoline? You might be able to sell just one & recover your cost.

I like the pumpkin thing too. Have seen similar pictures before & that seems so cool. Maybe grow pumpkins inside your happy place arbor? Noticed my first pumpkin of the season today. About marble sized. Maybe someday it will grow big enough to need a pumpkin arbor.

How about a vertical axis wind turbine? A large one. With some good bearings & a strong central support/drive mechanism you could turn a generator attached there at high enough rpm to make some serious electricity.

A sun cover for your tractor? For while you're working on your property but not actively using the tractor.

I agree, I want to see the frame covered with edible things!

I'm trying to think of any assistive tools you can make with all those springs and pipe sections individually and/or connected together. Do you need a log-splitter? A portable, adjustable sun shade? A replacement/upgrade for some treadle-powered device?

Connecting several pipe sections together to form a longer handle can help increase the torque power of whatever needs to be turned, loosened, or tightened. I'm thinking of bicycle wrenches, but you could use a pipe section or two to help in tightening-down machinery and even opening tightly-closed jars.

Gates and doorways, both indoors and out, may be more useful and secure with the addition of a spring to return them to a certain position once the individual passes through them.

An acquisition like this makes me think of being a kid again, rummaging through a massive pile of Lego bricks to build things and try out new ideas...

Stephen B. Thomas wrote:
An acquisition like this makes me think of being a kid again, rummaging through a massive pile of Lego bricks to build things and try out new ideas...

Perfect visual!
:D

You might have real problem.
There possibilities inherit in one trampoline frame are numerous.
The possibilities you have here are so5 much greater, it's hard to fathom!

Folks have already offered so many great ideas, I'm gonna suggest somethings that are  ridiculous.

I don't know how much room you have but I think using some of these parts to create a tower would be amazing.

I picture one trampoline stacked on top of the other, with the actual trampoline surfaces in place, because they are a great place to nap, and a terrible place to get anything practical done.

This is an entirely impractical idea, essentially a clubhouse/playhouse with hammock floors.

My other idea goes the other direction.
It's slightly more practical.
The numerous and strong arches would become the structural members in the roof of a hobbit house.
Essentially a hoophouse, clad in pallet wood, plastic sheet and used carpet, then bermed with soil and planted.

William Bronson wrote:This is an entirely impractical idea, essentially a clubhouse/playhouse with hammock floors.

My other idea goes the other direction.
It's slightly more practical.
The numerous and strong arches would become the structural members in the roof of a hobbit house.
Essentially a hoophouse, clad in pallet wood, plastic sheet and used carpet, then bermed with soil and planted.

I've been wanting to build a geodesic dome greenhouse for a long time... a trampoline deck hammock would fit into that plan so well!

Looking forward to seeing what becomes of all those bits of trampoline!!!  Reminds me of when I used to dumpster the most amazing, completely unused stuff when I lived in Kansas City.

I’m always scouring adds for free trampolines, they’re so versatile it makes me want to build all kinds of stuff! I built a teepee greenhouse using the frame upside down and pvc pipes, then a rabbit enclosure, a geodesic dome greenhouse also with pvc pipes, a grapevine arbour, the next 4 will be a muskovy duck enclosure, greenhouse for bananas - I’m sick of them dying down in the winter, greenhouse for the jaboticaba and papaya and an enclosure for the prego bunnies.
I’ve used the springs for hanging pots, the nets for shade cloth; never got a foam cover thing, so, not sure what to use that for…
The frames have endless uses… great score!💚
Not sure how to add a pic here..🤦‍♀️

Lilly Simeoni wrote:I built a teepee greenhouse using the crane upside down and pvc pipes, then a rabbit enclosure, a geodesic dome greenhouse also with pvc pipes, a grapevine arbour, the next 4 will be a muskovy duck enclosure, greenhouse for bananas - I’m sick of them dying down in the winter, greenhouse for the jaboticaba and papaya and an enclosure for the prego bunnies.
.......
Not sure how to add a pic here..🤦‍♀️

Oh yes! pictures please Lilly! You have been busy. Have a look here for "how to" post pictures on Permies.

Pearl, do you have the actual trampoline part too?  If so, my grandson's has a tear and I would very happy to buy one with springs from you!  I am not sure of size...but everytime he goes bouncing on that thing I envision a leg going through the hole.

Pearl, you are my hero! You took a big ole pile of waste and will turn it into something useful...It warms my heart;

Pearl, I think with the trampoline framework and the skins (jumping mats) supported by the springs and the safety padding in the right places, you might have most of the structure for a NoFati. Of course it could not be a Wofati as that has been narrowly defined by Paul to not include trampoline construction in the design. However, it would be similar to, but Not exactly a Wofati (Woodland, Oehler inspired, Freaking cheap, Annualized Thermal Inertia) structure, and therefore a NoFati.  I had thought of building something like this from salvaged pallets with 12' 2"X4"s threaded through pallets and supporting walls between the posts. With the pallets it would have a dead space that could be filled with salvaged insulation, but it would still be missing a major component like trampoline skins, on the dirt side to shore it up and keep out digging critters.
With the trampoline frames, trampoline surfaces (skins) and springs, perhaps all that would be needed would be EPDM and a lot of salvaged windows. Use the padding on any sharp edges, to prevent wearing. Mike Oehler would be proud if you were to get the material for $100, which might be better than his original $50 underground home, when you factor in inflation.
Of course, as was said earlier, if you could sell one full trampoline for $100 and get all your money back before you build the NoFati, that would be the ultimate score. Whatever you do with this terrific buy, I wish you the best of luck. If it were me, I would probably keep all of the potential things I could create in a stack until it was all rusted together and then spend the rest of my days lamenting the many wonderful things I could have created if I only followed through. So don't be like me and go make anything and we will all be proud. Please share photos when you get a chance.  

I've grown squash, cucumber, tomatos, and small mellons on trellises.  Learned the hard way - make it tall enough to walk under with 6 or 8 inches to spare.  Unless you like getting bonked in the forehead by produce.  But, try to keep the tallest part where you can still reach it so you don't have to use a ladder to pick things.

Oooh that's a very exciting pile of materials!

With the pads that go around the outside, I was thinking you could sell them on Ebay as replacement pads for trampolines. Those things get worn out much sooner than the rest of the trampoline parts, they are light and fold up small and wouldn't cost much in shipping so I could see you selling them easily and making a profit. A quick search shows that the very cheapest replacement pads is over $20. You can also sell the jumping surface the same way of you don't want to play around with it as a shade cloth. Those two parts, the pads and the jumping surface, wear out the soonest which is why you find free frames since the frames last forever. Even if you only sell 5 pads at a cost of $20 each, you'll break even and you get to keep the best stuff, the metal frames.

Forgot I also built a winter hang out shelter with a heater for the cats and dogs..
The last pic is of a super cool Australian trampoline frame I’ve never seen before, it was advertised on Fb, it works with tension rods instead of springs, when put together the frame tension rods hold the mat, so I just McGyver’ed another wat to hold the frame together with guywire and S hooks, now need to add the pipes to hold the shadecloth.
For the teepee greenhouse, I also made clamps to hold the plastic with left over thin wall 1” pvc, cut a slit longways, they slip right onto the frame.

So this is weird Pearl but I had to tell you, I dreamt about your trampolines last night. 😂 I dreamt that out of all these awesome ideas to use your find, you instead assembled them into one massive trampoline, a couple thousand square feet large,  with dozens of people jumping on it. It was a fun dream! 😁 I feel asleep thinking about groceries and my to-do list but I guess trampoline envy was in my subconscious!

Lilly, very inspiring!
The none-geodesic dome/teepees are especially cool.
I like how you do your hubs too, theres just lots to admire here!

I also was thinking sell the pads and deck, those aren't quite as usual, and worth $$$ to someone needing a repair.  It's a good deal for 100.00, but I bet you could end up getting all the pipes all for free, maybe even make a little.

A geodome would be cool, but pretty complicated.  Tons of cool things you can make. You are so creative, I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Hmm those springs could be really useful for suspension on a bike trailer I'm dreaming of building.

James Alun wrote:Hmm those springs could be really useful for suspension on a bike trailer I'm dreaming of building.

Interesting idea! I've got some wimpier but similar springs I kept from an old hide-abed and you've got me thinking... I really need to get on with building a new cart which needs to go over a lot of rough ground. Thanks James!

You have one photo (from the Web) that shows gourds growing.
A suggestion is to grow hard shell gourds in one of your arbors. That keeps the gourds growing in good shape, especially long neck gourds, extra long handle gourds, martin houses, and Tennessee Spinners, ect.
Nicely grown gourds bring prime prices at Gourd Shows and through Internet Sales.

I would design some kind of movable or roll-up insulating "shades" or curtains for the greenhouse with the pads and other material.  Depending on the shape of your greenhouse, this could be super easy or nearly impossible...

Ok, this may sound silly, but I've got one doe goat who wants to sit on my hands, when I milk her. My solution has been to stick her little butt in a sling - those springs would make my sling kinder to her - in fact, any time a critter has to be tethered for more than a few minutes, one of those springs - properly placed - could go a long way toward preventing injuries, as well as providing comfort. I'm so jealous of your find!

Jesse Glessner wrote:You have one photo (from the Web) that shows gourds growing.
A suggestion is to grow hard shell gourds in one of your arbors. That keeps the gourds growing in good shape, especially long neck gourds, extra long handle gourds, martin houses, and Tennessee Spinners, ect.
Nicely grown gourds bring prime prices at Gourd Shows and through Internet Sales.

Good point.
Tromboncino is another one that looks different depending on if it is grown on the ground or trellis.  They can also get quite long.  It's fun to walk into work and hand someone a 28 inch / 70 cm long squash.

Carla, great point about the springs! Your goat will be more comfy for sure;

William Bronson wrote:Lilly, very inspiring!
The none-geodesic dome/teepees are especially cool.
I like how you do your hubs too, theres just lots to admire here!

Thank you! Always trying to upcycle what most see as one time use stuff. Materials have tons of uses, just need to use our imagination and creativity. 💚

Lily: welcome to permies, I think you will enjoy it here!
I call myself a bricolagier, meaning one who builds things out of pieces and parts. I think you may be one too!
:D

Pearl Sutton wrote:Lily: welcome to permies, I think you will enjoy it here!
I call myself a bricolagier, meaning one who builds things out of pieces and parts. I think you may be one too!
:D

Thank you Pearl! I’ve been a voyeur here for a little while, finally decided to share.
I love the word bricolagier! May have to borrow it!😉