Tether Ball Pole

[cobob]

Kids love tetherball. Bought them one for xmas. Yard won't support much traffic, so intend to put the pole in an old tire filled with quick-crete. Can I just fill it up, or should I add wire to the form or anchor bolts to the pole base or any other ideas for 'over engineering' what seems like a simple thing?

[cabinetman]

Tether ball was one of my favorites as a kid. Having played a lot I might suggest an alternate to the tire. I can remember when playing, that at times a player gets right up to the pole, and a tire would be in the way, besides being heavy and bulky to move around.

It might be possible just to cement into the ground a sleeve to accept the pole. You would just slip the pole in the sleeve to play, and remove when you want your yard back.

If not, take the pole and thread in some bolts to the base of the pole to act as fingers. Inside the tire, lay in anything to create a web of sorts, wire, rebar pieces, etc. Place tire on a piece of plywood to get a flat bottom. Fill with concrete. When dry, it should separate from the plywood easily.
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[maxparot]

I'd suggest forgetting the tire and set up a sleeve and pin bellow ground level. Also make a stepping stone cover that can slip into the sleeve cover and protect the sleeve (and anyone that may have tripped over it) for when the pole is not in use.
The tire is too heavy to move around and gets in the way when playing not to mention takes up a lot more room even when not in use. If you were to use the tire and you didn't make it heavy enough, it would move and allow the pole to swing when the ball is hit. If you are going to play tetherball consider the area surrounding the pole to be the court. Grass will be destroyed there and after a while may not grow back. It isn't a bad place to put a round picknic table when not playing tetherball and the sleeve can be used for an umbrella.

[ironhat]

Ditto the sleeve idea. I came up with that for the dog. It's amazing how fast a small poodle can get tangled in a chain but it never happened again after the sleeve was installed. Petey even appreciated it (RIP).