How To Make A Zipline At Home (With DIY Platform)

We installed a zipline in our front yard a couple years ago, and our original homemade set-up is still going strong. Our DIY zipline at home is not just for kids- adults use it all the time too!

Today we are sharing all about how to make a DIY zipline with a platform.

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Finding The Right Zipline At Home Kit

We have tall trees in our gently sloping front yard that are just perfect for a zipline setup. Shortly after we moved in, Daniel bought this zipline kit off of Amazon.

We wanted one that would be sturdy enough for adults to use, as well as safe and easy to install.

The zipline we chose holds up to 350 lbs and extends out to 160 feet. This is not a short little backyard ride!

Because of the length of the zipline, we chose a kit that had a spring stop brake. The “brake” mechanism is important; ours has a 7.5 foot long spring at the end of the cable that slows you to a stop at the end.

Additionally, the height of the seat can be adjusted up or down, depending on the height of the rider.

We did have to buy a new turnbuckle, as the one that came with the kit bent over time. Keep reading for more information on that below.

Our zipline has a 7.5 feet spring brake mechanism.

Installing The Zipline At Home

There are directions in the box explaining how to setup up the zipline for correct speed and height. Obviously, the more or less sloped the cable is, the faster or slower you will go.

The height the cable is installed and the weight of the riders makes a big difference as well.

Initially, we installed the cable lower to the ground thinking it would be safer for little kids since they wouldn’t fall as far if they fell off. The problem with this was that older kids and adults would hit the ground in the middle of the zipline, even with the cable tightened as much as it would go.

The turnbuckle (essentially the part that allows you to adjust the tension of the zipline) that came with the zipline kit completely bent and was on the verge of breaking, so we bought a more heavy duty turn buckle from Amazon. Once the new turnbuckle came in, we raised the cable about a foot and tightened it with the new turnbuckle.

This new turnbuckle made it easier than before to remove the slack from the cable since it was a lot larger and heavy duty than the one that came in the kit. When you are adjusting the the height of the cable this is a good time to change the slope, which we did as well.

Since we thought the zipline was a little bit too fast, we raised the lower end of zipline about 4 inches more than the high end, where you start to decrease the slope.

Building the Platform

It was important to us that we have a safe and sturdy platform that would allow us to install the zipline high enough for adults, while also allowing our kids to reach the zipline seat easily.

Instead of building one from scratch, Daniel (ever the inventive problem solver) utilized a shelving unit from our shop as the platform, securing it to the ground with stakes.

He removed the top shelf, but kept the supports to act as a guard rail.

He added a pine board to the top of the shelving unit to make it easier to stand on, and secured it with zip ties.

For the steps, we repurposed the ladder from our kids’ bunk bed that wasn’t in use, and is the perfect height for the platform!

The nice thing about this ladder set up is that its easy to remove when not in use, ensuring no little ones climb up the ladder and get on the platform without adult supervision.

When not in use, we secure the hanging string of the zipline seat to the platform.’