Whilst your trampoline can be a great source of fun and frivolity, when the winds get up, they can also become air missiles. You want to protect your trampoline for a storm or hurricane. At speed, trampolines can damage themselves and other property.
The best way to secure a trampoline ahead of a storm or hurricane is to take it down or use a corkscrew anchor system. This anchors the trampoline frame to the ground, and prevents it blowing away. Sandbags or U-Shaped anchors can help, but you will still need to secure the top of the frame.
Given that a trampoline can act as a giant sail during high winds, it’s important that you get it secure in time. Let’s go through the most important factors, so you can secure your trampoline ahead of a storm, high winds or hurricane. This will help ensure the safety of your trampoline, your family and neighbors, as well as your property and surrounding properties.
How Do I Keep My Trampoline From Blowing Away?
When you want to secure your trampoline for a storm or hurricane, ideally, you can place your trampoline in a part of the yard that is protected from the wind. This won’t suit everybody’s situation. However, if you can find a small pocket out of the wind, this will be useful. You might have a fence, outbuilding such as a shed or barn, or even a line of trees that can act as a windbreak.
If you have time, you can also use wind stakes, trampoline anchors or even sandbags. I’ll go through these below so that you can decide which will be most suitable for your situation.
If a storm is coming through, and you don’t have time to go out and get anchors, you can take down the safety net, and remove the springs and bouncing mat. The frame is much less likely to blow away by itself.
What Wind Speed Will Lift A Trampoline?
You’ve probably seen pictures of damaged trampolines ending up on top of houses or tangled in power lines. You may have even wondered what the wind speeds were at the time.
A good rule of thumb is that a 35-40mph wind will lift a trampoline and cause it to move a few feet. A 50-60mph wind will lift the trampoline up in the air, and send it rolling sideways. And a good gust of wind above 60mph can send the trampoline flying up into the air.
This rule of thumb depends on how open the yard is and what natural wind breaks you have, as well as how steady or gusty the wind is.
How Does Wind Move a Trampoline?
When the trampoline is completely flat, and the wind is completely flat, the wind will just pass straight across the trampoline mat. It won’t move the trampoline at all.
However, if the wind is at a slight angle, or if the wind catches the safety net and blows it over even a small amount, the wind can get under the trampoline mat. Once it starts to move the mat a small bit, it then gets right underneath and can then push it properly.
Depending on the wind speed and angle, it can then lift the trampoline in the air, or just send it tumbling across the ground.
Does The Type Of Trampoline Influence Whether It Is Blown Away?
How far your trampoline will be blown in the wind depends on what type of trampoline you have.
Inground trampolines are generally fairly snug against the walls of the pit. They can’t be blown sideways in high winds or a storm, as the legs are effectively anchored by the shape of the pit.
When looking at above ground trampolines, the cheaper trampolines are often made of thinner steel tubes. This means that they are relatively lighter, and more easily lifted by the wind. Heavier (and more expensive) trampolines are harder to lift off the ground, and so are more secure.
There is little difference for smaller vs. larger trampolines. Although smaller trampolines are lighter, they also have a smaller ‘sail’ in the size of the mat. Larger trampolines have a bigger ‘sail’. The wind can get underneath the mat of a larger trampoline, and with the larger area to catch the wind, can go flying just as easily.
It also depends if you have a safety net. The safety net can act as the first place to ‘catch’ the wind. This means a trampoline is more likely to blow away if it has a safety net.
What Happens When A Trampoline Blows Away?
When a trampoline blows away, it can end up in a number of places. In the best case, it shifts just a few feet across the yard.
However, if your trampoline has blown out of your yard, it’s a good idea to track it down. It is possible that it has done damage to other people’s property, such as a car, a house or fencing.
If it has done damage to other people’s property, they may ask you to make it good.
If the trampoline is stuck in powerlines, call the utility company. Do not touch the metal frame of a trampoline whilst it is in powerlines. Even if you think the power is down in your area, just don’t risk it.
Will Insurance Cover Trampoline Wind Damage?
You’ll need to look at your individual insurance policy, but in many cases, trampolines are excluded from homeowners’ policies.
In some cases, if you have a good secure yard to keep neighborhood kids out, and have shown that you have tied down the trampoline well for winds, you may be able to negotiate insurance cover for your trampoline. You may also need to switch insurance providers and shop around to get this cover.
Note: you will need to do this ahead of any winds coming through. Insurance companies don’t cover things after something bad has happened.
Should You Anchor A Trampoline?
If your trampoline is out in the yard, and you have wind above 25-30mph, it is a good idea to anchor your trampoline. This should stop it from blowing away.
How Do You Secure A Trampoline Against The Wind?
There are four main ways to secure a backyard trampoline in the wind. This wind might be caused by a storm, a cyclone or a hurricane.
You can:
1. Take the trampoline down or remove it
2. Use corkscrew anchors (augers)
3. Use U-Shaped anchors (wind stakes)
4. Use sandbags
1. Take It Down Or Remove It
The most effective way to stop a trampoline from being blown away is to not have it loose in the yard. If you have a barn, you can move it in there.
You can also take the trampoline down. If you are expecting winds above 60 mph, or you have your anchors put into sandy soil, you should strongly consider taking the trampoline down. This is cyclone territory, and it can be unpredictable.
Whatever you do, don’t store the trampoline sideways in the yard. That will invite the wind to blow it around.
Taking a trampoline down every time there is a wind, or even moving it around the yard can be a big job. And from time to time, you might even be out of the house or away on vacation. It’s worth investigating other more permanent options such as anchoring.
2. Use Corkscrew Anchors (Augers)
For most soil types, corkscrew anchors are far and away the most effective way to hold a trampoline in place during high winds or even hurricanes. Again, depending on the soil type, this should hold most trampolines in winds somewhere between 60mph to 100mph.
Ideally, for peace of mind, you should get these at least 16” – 20” long. They don’t work well in sand, as they just lift straight out. You’ll need a pack of 4 for your average trampoline.
The advantage of these is that the anchors (the corkscrew part) can’t just lift out of the soil.
Like a screw, they create a channel that is difficult to lift. It’s like the difference between a nail and a screw. You can pull a nail out with the end of a hammer. But to take out a screw, you need to actually unscrew it, it’s not possible to just pull it out.
Whilst wind can lift something straight up, it can’t unscrew a corkscrew anchor.
The other advantage is that good corkscrew anchors also come with tie down straps. This holds the top of the frame just as well as the base of the feet. It means that the top of the trampoline is less likely to come off the base of the legs.
You can read more about how to install corkscrew anchors here.
3. Use U-Shaped Anchors (Wind Stakes)
This is a simple style of anchor that should keep your trampoline safe in winds up to 40mph. Again, it depends on where your trampoline is, and what type of soils you are anchoring into.
The U-Shaped anchors go over the base of the trampoline legs, and are simply pushed into the ground.
The advantage is that they are fairly inexpensive, and suited to light-moderate wind environments. Any serious wind will make short work of these, and I don’t recommend them for windy areas or where you get storms, wild weather or hurricanes.
If your kids are constantly trying to bounce the trampoline across the yard, it will help with this as well.
Read more about how to install wind stakes or u-shaped anchors here.
4. Use Sandbags
Sandbags can be used to hold trampoline legs in place. They can be used by themselves, or in conjunction with other types of anchors.
The advantage is that they add a great deal of weight to the base of the trampoline.
A typical sandbag is 35-40 pounds. This means that the wind needs to be significantly higher to blow the trampoline away.
A watch-out is that the top of the trampoline can sometimes come apart from the base of the legs in heavy winds.
The sandbag can be so effective at holding down the legs. But the wind can be even more effective at blowing the sail of the trampoline mat. If the bolts are loose or starting to deteriorate, they can snap off, and the top of the trampoline can go flying away.
This is why it’s a good idea to tie down the frame to the base of the trampoline as well.
How to Secure a Trampoline on Concrete
If you need to put your trampoline on concrete, you can still secure it against high winds or a storm.
I generally don’t like the idea of a trampoline sitting on concrete. It is pretty hard if the kids fall onto it from the trampoline, or even climbing on and off it. The concrete also doesn’t absorb a great deal of the bounce, so it’s possible for it to move across the concrete.
However sometimes, you just don’t have level ground, or you only have a courtyard, or simply, the concrete is already there. So, let’s figure out the best approach for you.
1. As You Are Pouring The Concrete
If you have the chance to pour the concrete, this is the best time to include auger-style anchors into the concrete. These auger or corkscrew-style anchors can be 8”-12” long, with a hook at the top.
The anchors should go in the center of each leg of the trampoline. There should be four of them.
Measure the anchors out ahead of time. Use two pieces of brickie’s string, and cross these strings at the point where you want the anchor to go.
Insert the anchors into the concrete within 15mins of it being poured. It sets pretty quickly, even it if does take some time to cure properly.
Once you have put the trampoline in place, tie down the frame with rachet straps. Make sure the straps go over the top of the frame, near where the springs go in, as well as going around the bottom of the legs.
2. If The Concrete Is Already Poured
If you already have a slab of concrete that looks just perfect for your trampoline, fear not, we have a solution for that as well.
There are rock climbing anchors that are going to be perfect for this job.
You want the fancy ones that resist being pulled perpendicular. I recommend Petzel Coeur.
Use a masonry drill bit to drill a hole in the concrete. You’ll want a power-drill that has a hammer setting, to help get through the concrete.
Put the anchor in place, and tighten the bolt. This will make the bolt snug against the hole where you have just drilled the bolt.
Again, secure the frame of the trampoline with tie down rachet straps against the anchor.
How To Secure A Trampoline On A Deck
It can be difficult to secure a trampoline on a deck. It’s possible to use anchors directly onto the decking, but in heavy winds, your deck itself might be compromised as the anchors are pulled out of the decking.
One solution is to put the anchors underneath the decking into the soil. You would then use long tie down straps to come up through the gaps in the decking, to join up to the frame.
Be sure to use at least four anchors and tie down straps. Once these are in position, rachet them tight.
In Summary
There are many good ways to secure a trampoline against high winds and hurricanes. Be sure to choose one that is suitable to your trampoline and likely wind speeds. A flying trampoline is not safe, and you should do everything you can to avoid it.
