Swing-n-Slide Chesapeake Wood Complete Swing Set - PB 8243

We had 3 men come to build this thing, took them 2 full days. The slide is flimsy. We had our 12yr old nephew do the monkey bars and the whole thing shook. Our 2 kids, age 7 and 6 are ok on it. But when we used it for a birthday party, I thought it was going to break apart and collapse. I would not recommend it for groups of kids or heavy kids. I would not buy this set again. I'd pay double and get a good, heavy, sturdy set or consider a metal set. We will put a sealant on it to try to preserve the wood but never again!

Product Review

Well made and good/solid quality. Just hope wood holds up. Plan on spraying with deck sealer later. Took 1 1/2 days to put together. Will need at least 2 people some times during construction. Ended up with several screws/lag screws and boards at end. Then realized 2 large lag screws should have been installed where it appeared only 1 - instructions were not clear. Suggest calling co. if any questions. Part numbers on the wood pieces are not same as in instructions so will need to measure/sort before starting assembly to make sure you use the correct parts.

Service Review

Came fast and no damage. Very large and heavy - 4 boxes.

We bought this for our 2 year old twins. It's still a little mature for them because they can't get up the ladder rungs or the rock climbing wall themselves yet, but they love it otherwise. We did modify the angle of the rock climbing wall a little because it was just too vertical, so we had to buy some extra rocks for it. I do love that Swing N Slide has so many extra accessories that you can purchase to add on to the swingset. We still haven't done the monkey bars part because it's going to be a while before our kids can use that. I think overall it was a pretty easy put-together, taking my husband and father in law most of one day and then we did the finishing touches the next morning. This set it nice because it has so many features in one swingset. The picnic table is great for little kids, and the whole thing is very sturdy.

The overall quality of the swing is good. Would be greatly improved with pre-drilled holes. It says this is not necessary, but I found a lot of boards starting to crack, regardless of the drill speed (slower was less likely to crack the boards). The manufacturer was very helpful in supplying missing/damaged parts.

Product Review

Most helpful act was to take the time to separate and identify all of the pieces ahead of time, and please don't take my "man-card", but to read the instructions. It was below freezing outside so I assembled as much as I could in the garage before braving the weather. The main structure was lighter than I expected which helped me out for this, but now I will need to anchor it down better than I expected to have to. Issues/Criticism: 1. "Self-Tapping" screws - I was skeptic from the start so I pre-drilled everything as I started construction. Started running close on time for when it HAD to be done so I stopped pre-drilling and 3 out of the first 8 boards all split..... stick with common sense and pre-drill. 2. Slide Mount - granted it was below freezing when I was setting this up outside so the slide wasn't feeling so flexible, it ripped out the mount screws immediately. I used a 2X4 and "modified" the mount a little to gain a better angle. Without proper tools this could have been a real pain. 3. Materials - Was one board short of the longer length 1X4s but had several extra of the shorter ones. Easily replaced the board but it does not color match. Honestly I haven't even tried to contact them for a replacement, but I do not doubt that they would make it right. Pros - Easy Assembly (not quite "build and play in one day" as advertised, but still better than expected) Cons - The swing area. If the kids do not swing perfectly straight they will hit either the support legs or main structure. I removed the handle/trapeze bar and repositioned the inner swing chains to its mounts and it greatly helped. I plan on replacing the beam with a longer one, but I really shouldn't have to.... poor design.

Service Review

Arrived in good condition. One box was "scuffed" but there was no damage to the wood. Was a little late because the delivery driver did not have a GPS and I left phone inside while I was out in garage clearing room for it. Would have been within the window if I had heard the phone .... but what delivery driver doesn't have a GPS nowadays ? ; )

This swing set is very sturdy. We were looking for something that our 3 kids could enjoy after they outgrew our old set. They are 10, 7, and 5, and I feel like it is very safe for all three to enjoy together. It is taller than some other price-equivalent models, so it has a "treehouse" effect. The wood is soft, and so we will likely add a clear stain to preserve it against our FL weather elements

This swingset is everything we could ask for;but thank goodness we contracted a handyman to assemble it for us! It took him and his fellow handyman 11 hours to complete!! These guys build for a living! I was glad we had budgeted to pay someone; but i thought maybe 4 hours tops!!

Great for little kids. bought it a few yrs too late for my 9 yr old. It is time consuming to put together and can be unsturdy if not put in ground well. little rickety for my 9 yr old daughter, but 4 yr old loves it.

Product Review

Our two-year-old son and his three- and six-year-old pals enjoy this. He'll grow into the monkey bars, but already likes the rock wall, swings, trapeze and slide. During assembly, you must be careful not to sink the screws too far or you run the risk of splitting the soft wood. We easily adjusted the plans to move the monkey bars to the end of the tower instead of the back, resulting in a linear playset instead of an L-shape, to better fit where we wanted it to go. It took a good deal longer to assemble than we expected, even with extra hands enlisted, but that may be because three of us workers are engineers :). We've had it for just a few months, so can't comment yet on durability or weathering, but it strikes us as being decently well-made; it will probably require periodic painting since it's surface-stained wood rather than treated lumber, but we knew that when we bought it and would make the same choice again.

Service Review

Delivery was ahead of schedule. Delivery personnel were very helpful in getting it from the road, down our 1/10th mile driveway to our staging area.

This was a great swing set. It took me longer than 8 hours to do it but I did it mainly myself with the help of my wife. If you need any other part the manufacture is great about getting them to you incase you lose a bolt or two.