Swing hitch

Swing hitch
Swing hitch
	SWING HITCH
Names	Swing hitch, Sailor's hitch
Category	Hitch
Efficiency	firm, strong, secure says ABOK
Related	Clove hitch
Releasing	Easy
Typical use	swing, weights with pendulum movements
ABoK	1693 (unslipped version)

Swing hitch is a way to tie a swing rope to a branch or other horizontal beam. Ashley describes it in ABOK as "... firm, strong, secure, and easily untied once the load has been removed."

This knot serves a similar function to the sailor's hitch.

Tying

A clove hitch is tied around the beam with the rope end.
The end continues around the beam until it meets the main part.
The end goes around the main part and then gets stuck under the first turn of the main part; preferably under the point where main part and the bridge of the clove hitch cross each other.
- The end may be slipped for easier dismount or
- The end may be tied to a stopper knot for more security against loosening under use.

If the place of attachment is very slippery, near the end of the beam, tapered with less diameter in the pulling direction, then one may start with more than one turn nearest the main part, effectively tying a Gripping sailor's hitch.

If the swing is to have two parallel ropes, the standing parts both must hang from the same side of the branch, otherwise there will be forces rotating the swing seat right and left. Swing hitch reduces such forces by having the end pull the main part towards the middle of the beam and fixing it there; Using a simple clove hitch would cause more of these disturbing rotational forces.

If the swing is attached to a living tree, protecting the sap carrying live layers of the inner bark may be necessary; Suitable measures of tree protection while attaching a swing include

Choosing a grabbing and tightly holding knot such as swing hitch rather than a loop knot such as a bowline for the swing, and thus avoiding sawing or sanding type of movements of the rope,
Using a cambium protector in between rope and tree that is soft towards the tree and slippery on the rope side, so any movement of the rope slide on the protector, and does not wear off the bark.

References

Jarman, Colin: Top Knots; NY: Barnes & Noble (2001); ISBN 978-0919028456
Clifford W. Ashley. The Ashley Book of Knots. Doubleday, New York. ISBN 0385040253, p. 291

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Bends	Adjustable Albright special Ashley's Alpine butterfly Basket weave Beer Blood Carrick Fisherman's Flemish Grief Halyard Harness Heaving line Hunter's Nail Offset overhand Racking Sheet Shoelace Shroud Simple Simon under Single carrick Surgeon's Surgeon's loop True lover's Water Zeppelin
Binding	Boa Bottle sling Constrictor Corned beef Granny Ground-line hitch Miller's Packer's Reef Strangle Thief Transom
Climbing	Autoblock Bachmann Beer Bowline on a bight Alpine butterfly Directional figure eight Double bowline Double fisherman's Farmer's loop Figure-eight Figure-eight loop Figure-of-nine loop Friction hitch Klemheist Munter hitch Noose Overhand loop Prusik Trident loop Yosemite bowline
Coils & shanks	Chain sinnet Sheepshank
Decorative	Carrick mat Chinese button Celtic button Diamond Fiador Friendship Ghiordes & Senneh Matthew Walker Turk's head Wall and crown (triple crown knot)
Fishing (angling)	Angler's loop Arbor Bimini twist Blood Fisherman's Improved clinch Knotless Nail Palomar Snell Trilene Turle Uni
Hitches	Adjustable grip Anchor bend Axle Bachmann Bale sling Barrel Becket Blackwall Blake's Boom Buntline Cat's paw Clove Cow Distel Double overhand noose Falconer's Farrimond friction Friction hitch Garda Ground-line Half Halter Highpoint Highwayman's Hitching tie Icicle Improved clinch Killick Knute Lobster buoy Marlinespike Munter Ossel Pile Pipe Sailor's Snuggle Swing Taut-line Timber Trucker's Tumble
Loop	Angler's Artillery loop Bale sling hitch Bowline Bumper Carrick bend loop Cowboy bowline Diamond Double bowline Dropper loop Eskimo bowline Fiador Fireman's chair Friendship knot Halter hitch Handcuff Honda Jury mast Overhand Portuguese bowline Rigid double splayed loop in the bight Slippery eight Span Spanish bowline Tom fool's Trident Triple bowline Water bowline Yosemite bowline Zeppelin
Running (slip)	Hangman's Running bowline Tarbuck
Splicing	Eye Fid Marlinspike Rat-tail T Western Union
Stopper	Ashley's stopper Button Double overhand Figure-eight knot Monkey's fist Overhand Stevedore
Whipping	Common Overhand knot with draw-loop Sailmaker's West Country
Related	Chinese knotting Density International Guild of Knot Tyers Macramé Mathematical knots and links Mizuhiki Norigae Ropework Lashing Seizing Sennit
Category

Swing hitch

Tying

See also

References