When it comes to the outdoors, a trampoline is one of the best play toys for any child who needs motivation to go outside. But to the parents, the trampoline is a matter of whether it should be unpacked, set up, and left to the mercy of children, or to put it into the ground.
A normal trampoline can be put into the ground after digging a 3 foot deep hole for smaller children or a 5 foot deep hole for bigger kids. Any shorter than 3 to 5 feet and there is risk of your legs hitting the ground causing injury.
There are many questions when it comes to this topic, and those can be discussed as the article goes along, and hopefully, some questions will be answered.
How difficult is it?
If a person does this by themselves, they will first assume that it is hard. Implanting a trampoline in the ground takes a few feet of digging. In the shape of the trampoline.
A mechanical digger would be very convenient at this point. If a person does not have this, but only shovels, they will be outside for hours digging this hole, and that doesn’t found like fun at all.
But, if a person hires a professional who knows how to place the trampoline into the ground with relative ease and swiftness, that would be highly suggested. No work would need to be done on the person’s part, simply supervise. Not hard at all.
Depending on how someone would think of this, knowing where to put the trampoline would save a lot of stress and time for everybody. Keep in mind the design of the yard and where the trampoline would be most convenient to be placed.
Knowing this information beforehand would make the installment much easier. It might also be a good idea to have a backup idea of where the trampoline might go, just in case something with the first idea goes awry.
What Does it Cost?
The cost for installing the trampoline by one’s self, with no professional help is about three hundred to six hundred dollars, usually for tools and extra enforcement around the implanted trampoline.
The cost for installing it with professional help is higher. There isn’t a very good, solid range, but most say that it can be installed with help for one thousand to two thousand dollars.
The numbers are not constant, so it would be a good idea to search around for a good price when it comes to professionals placing a trampoline in the ground of the backyard. If this happens, it would save a lot of work for just one or two people, and it would be better and more accurately installed in the ground.
How Deep Should it go?
In a short and specific answer: three to five feet deep.
- Depending on how tall the frame is, there will be a need to dig a few more inches.
- Because of the frame of the trampoline, it will need something solid to sit on top of, such as cinder blocks.
- This will give support for the frame and will be much safer when children are jumping on it.
- The frame won’t sink into the soil if the blocks are there.
Now, three feet may not sound like a lot at first, but once a person starts digging an eight-foot diameter circle and going three feet deep, the dirt piles up and up.
The work for this is just for a normal trampoline, and this would result in a lot of dirt that someone would have to eventually get rid of, and it would also take a lot of time spent digging.
If a professional digger was hired and paid to do this, it would definitely be easier, but it would also cost a lot of money for the hole. Installing the meant-to-be-above-ground trampoline into the ground would simply be a large project to do, although it’s very accomplishable.
An easier way to install a trampoline is to buy an in-ground trampoline that is actually meant to go in the ground.
You can find great deals on In Ground Trampolines here on Amazon that are meant to go in the ground.
Doing this would result in much less digging and disposing of dirt. The in-ground trampolines are specifically designed for less work, and this will save 40% of actual digging and 40% less dirt to get rid of (source).
There are some trampolines where a person can actually install the trampoline themselves, although a professional would be easier and recommended.
What are the Pros and Cons?
Pros:
- It’s now an in-ground trampoline
- Easy access for kids
It’s a little sad to see three-year-old Billy trying to hop onto the trampoline when it’s a few inches too high for him to grasp and pull himself up. So he has to ask mom, who’s trying to make dinner, or dad, who’s helping big brother with homework…
The installed ground trampoline will be easier for everybody in the family. It will be more than convenient for the whole family to simply hop on and off, whenever they can and wish to.
- Less concern for parents
This last one is mainly for parents of young children. Parents are afraid of the above-ground trampolines because they worry that children will flip off and break a bone, or worse.
This is a serious concern. For instance, my own parents didn’t get a trampoline for years because they had so many children, most of them young. They waited for the older ones to grow a bit older and keep an eye on the younger ones.
Having the trampoline at ground level will hopefully result in less injury and less concern for parents about their kids and the risks they might take.
Cons:
- More expensive than buying an in-ground trampoline
- More work to put the trampoline in the ground
If a person gets a normal trampoline and tries to install it by themself, there is also the need to support the framework with solid material and to surround the walls of the hole with materials that will prevent the dirt from falling and piling up. Buying in-ground trampolines will be easier to install, and less of a hassle.