A-Frame
- Thread starter dogsarebetter
- Start date
Yes, my husband built all my contact equipment, but then he is a welder.
And its all the regulation.
In my opinion one of the most important things is the grip on the contact equipment. After the firist coat of paint had dried, I painted it again and poured sandblasting sand over it while it laid flat. Left it for several days to dry and then swept the excess sand off and then painted it again. My grip is awesome and has remain for 7 yrs now.
But my equipment also never remains outside during the winter which also helps.
And its all the regulation.
In my opinion one of the most important things is the grip on the contact equipment. After the firist coat of paint had dried, I painted it again and poured sandblasting sand over it while it laid flat. Left it for several days to dry and then swept the excess sand off and then painted it again. My grip is awesome and has remain for 7 yrs now.
But my equipment also never remains outside during the winter which also helps.
My dad and I built a mini a-frame. I used, I believe, the kind of sand that is used to make grip on decks and stuff like that. I ended up mixing it into the paint, and then going back over the paint shaking more on to make sure I got a good grip on it.
There is a book by Jean Simmons-Moake, I believe it is called Agility Training - it's a blue book, and it's one that's not part of her series - in the back there are plans on how to build all kinds of agility equipment. We used her plans as a guide and went from there. I don't think her plans are to current AKC standards so you may need to make sure you reference the standards of whatever club you're running if you want to get it all "proper."
The planks of mine are only 5 feet long, IIRC, and the darn thing is still a monster to move around. Just remember that when you build it - it's going to be rather heavy.
There is a book by Jean Simmons-Moake, I believe it is called Agility Training - it's a blue book, and it's one that's not part of her series - in the back there are plans on how to build all kinds of agility equipment. We used her plans as a guide and went from there. I don't think her plans are to current AKC standards so you may need to make sure you reference the standards of whatever club you're running if you want to get it all "proper."
The planks of mine are only 5 feet long, IIRC, and the darn thing is still a monster to move around. Just remember that when you build it - it's going to be rather heavy.
I built my own a-frame. I got on pretty thick sheet of plywood, around 3/4" thick, and had the people at home depot cut it into two 6' by 2' pieces.
I got more pieces of wood, most around 12' long, 2" wide, and 1/2 thick, or thicker. Cut them into 4 (6' long pieces) and those pieces should be connected to the ends of the plywood, they are the beginning of the supports.
I got two hinges and just connected the top, and got these screw looking things with a loop at the end, and two 8' long chains basically. The whole thing cost under $100, including the paint, sand, and other stuff we already had.
It is not the best a-frame, but its extremely sturdy, and can adjust to any height my chains will go. If you want my plans, I can send them to you, it would be easier to understand then my attempt at it lol.
I know you can get good quality a-frames all over the place for around $600, so if you keep looking you might be able to find one.
Diane
I got more pieces of wood, most around 12' long, 2" wide, and 1/2 thick, or thicker. Cut them into 4 (6' long pieces) and those pieces should be connected to the ends of the plywood, they are the beginning of the supports.
I got two hinges and just connected the top, and got these screw looking things with a loop at the end, and two 8' long chains basically. The whole thing cost under $100, including the paint, sand, and other stuff we already had.
It is not the best a-frame, but its extremely sturdy, and can adjust to any height my chains will go. If you want my plans, I can send them to you, it would be easier to understand then my attempt at it lol.
I know you can get good quality a-frames all over the place for around $600, so if you keep looking you might be able to find one.
Diane
opcorn:
Some orgs accept 8' frame planks.. Easier to build an 8' frame considering plywood is 8'.. Changes the apex height though. At one point I was comparing a bunch or orgs, and there actually was some difference in what flies- beyond slat vs slatless.
ETA: CPE even accepts both 8 and 9'.. but it changes the apex and the contact zone length.
ETA: CPE even accepts both 8 and 9'.. but it changes the apex and the contact zone length.
