PVC Jump Plans

[Sarah Fix]

Hi Folks,  I posted pictures on Facebook of the jumps that our club made and am following up on a request for plans.  Hopefully other folks can also add pictures of pvc jumps they've made and the plans for those.  I just priced it out and going with materials on AMAZON and Clean Run - one set of stanchions comes out to about $65.  You can do better by ordering in bulk (the caps and 5 ways come in 10 packs) and resourcing other sources for materials.  White PVC is cheaper than the colors for example.  Flexible jump cups from Clean Run have a volume discount too. You can also use 1 1/4 size PVC which adds a bit to the cost but might be a little heavier.  We held a jump building party.  Some folks cut the pieces, others got high on glue, others manned the drills (one making the holes, one placing the screws), others building the bases.  Took about 3 hours for about 50 jump sets(people made some for themselves too).

Materials needed for one pair of stanchions: 
3 - 1" x 40" PVC
10 - flat PVC caps 1"
2 - 5 way PVC connectors 1"
2 - flexible jump cup strips
8 - screws
1 4' or 5' PVC jump bar (which you probably already have)
PVC clear cement

Cut 5.5" off of 2 of the PVC, Cut 6 x 5.5 pieces from the third PVC.  Glue caps onto the 5.5 pieces and both 34.5 pieces.  Glue four of the 5.5 pieces into the base of the 5 way but consider not gluing the upright (34.5) to the base.  That way you can store the base separately from the upright.  We use a large bin in the trailer to hold all the bases and two trash cans to handle the uprights.  Methods will vary!  Screw the flexible jump cups to the 34.5" pieces but make sure they are placed correctly.  The top of the jump bar should be at the correct height - not the jump cup!  We used a template to make sure we were consistent.

Have fun!

[dogrsqr]

I had emailed Chris about the jump cups strip and he said that the flexible straps were NOT required.  You can save a bit by using the plastic strips.

Gina Pizzo

[Karin Bell]

I made 10 one-piece Jumps in about a day using only a Hacksaw too...  I went with 1 1/4" PVC for longevity.  The Jump Cup Strips from Clean Run fit easily on this size.  I ordered the Furniture Grade PVC from Costco.  These come packaged in 2 5' pieces.  I cut them in half for the uprights.  I bought the Caps, 90 degree and 4 Ways using Furniture Grade PVC on Amazon after researching pricing.  I did compromise with the White PVC for the Base and Legs buying it at Home Depot for $6 for 10'. 

Materials for 10 Jumps

5 2 piece packages of 1 1/4" PVC from Home Depot, Cut in Half for Uprights
6 10' 1 1/4" PVC Pipe from Home Depot, Cut 5 of the pipes into 2 4 foot lengths with one 1 foot length remaining.  Cut last piece in 1 foot lengths for feet.
40 Furniture Grade PVC End Caps
10 90 Degree Furniture Grade Fitting
10 4 Way Furniture Grade Fitting
10 Rubber Jump Strips

Tools

Hacksaw or Chop Saw
Power Drill
Steel Wool to clean up ends

Thanks to Jeff Lyons, he recommended that I don't bother cleaning the writing off the White PVC.  Instead, just make sure to have the Writing facing the Ground...   

Have fun with it.

[Becky]

I just made a set of 4 jumps at about $53 per jump (plus tax).  This doesn't include the cost of the glue, as we already had that.

Materials:
4 sets of colored furniture grade 1" PVC from Home Depot (each set has 2 pieces of 60" long PVC) (I used a different color for each jump)
4 sets of flexible jump cup strips from Clean Run (comes with screws)
8 5-way white furniture grade 1" PVC bases from Clean Run (they also sell them in colors; Home Depot also sells these)
4 packs of white furniture grade 1" end caps from Home Depot (10 per pack; Clean Run also sells these)
2 standard grade schedule 40 1" PVC 10 foot long pieces from a local hardware store for the jump bars (you could also purchase furniture grade or colored furniture grade for this, but it will cost more)

Instructions:
Cut each colored PVC piece into 5 pieces:  one 36" piece for the upright, and four 6" pieces for the feet
Cut 2 48" long pieces from each 10 foot PVC piece to make four 4 foot jump bars (60" if you want 5 foot jump bars instead of 4 foot)
Glue 1 end cap on each foot, and 1 end cap on each upright
Glue 4 feet and 1 upright into each 5-way base (you can omit gluing the upright for storage; ours are outside and it's not an issue for us)
Snap the jump cup strips onto the uprights, following the directions on the jump cup strip package, and screw in place with the provided screws
Decorate the jump bars if desired

Becky

[Karin Bell]

I know Becky suggests Gluing the jumps but I have had experience with issues when it rains and then freezes the PVC explodes.  I did not glue my end caps or any of the fittings for that very reason.  Many of you will never experience this fun scenario so gluing will work for you.  I was not prepared for it but should have been when I lived in Truckee.  What was I thinking?  I have learned so much! 

[Becky]

I know Becky suggests Gluing the jumps but I have had experience with issues when it rains and then freezes the PVC explodes.  I did not glue my end caps or any of the fittings for that very reason.  Many of you will never experience this fun scenario so gluing will work for you.  I was not prepared for it but should have been when I lived in Truckee.  What was I thinking?  I have learned so much! 

Good to know.  We do not live in an area that typically gets a lot of hard freezes, so it has not been an issue for us.  Tree branches falling on the equipment is our bigger issue!

Becky

[Edraith]

I just find the glue stops working after like two years. Not sure what to do about that. Im tempted to just try like E6000 instead of pvc glue. Anyone experimented with other glues?

[ricbonner]

Drilling a weep hole in the bottom can allow any water that enters to escape before it freezes or starts to grow things.

[ricbonner]

Also, I recommend using a ratcheting PVC cutter to make cuts.  There is no mess, cuts are cleaner, and for me its faster than any hand saw.  A cheap one is only about $15.

[Audri, Cee Cee, Lily, Toto, and Calypso]

I just find the glue stops working after like two years. Not sure what to do about that. Im tempted to just try like E6000 instead of pvc glue. Anyone experimented with other glues?

I found with glue, they end up breaking as well.  I have gone with self tapping screws to hold them together.  I screw them only for the uprights, not the feel.  Just as an FYI, I also screw in my pex tubing for hoops to save on the amount I use. 

[Marcy Matties]

I just find the glue stops working after like two years. Not sure what to do about that. Im tempted to just try like E6000 instead of pvc glue. Anyone experimented with other glues?

I found with glue, they end up breaking as well.  I have gone with self tapping screws to hold them together.  I screw them only for the uprights, not the feel.  Just as an FYI, I also screw in my pex tubing for hoops to save on the amount I use.

When Odie was young I screwed in my pex because he thought they were great play toys and would remove them from the base and chew them into pieces!