Can you give me the load limit on a 4x6 pine board 18' long used for a swing set? Thank you
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1Hi, Joan, and welcome to Stack Exchange. Are you asking about the weight of the board, or the load capacity of the board? – Daniel Griscom Oct 23 '17 at 16:04
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Also, will the beam span 18 feet, or is it like a typical swingset where part of it cantilevers? – isherwood Oct 23 '17 at 16:05
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Is it supported at the ends (18 foot span) or somewhere else? i.e. legs 12 feet apart with 3 feet sticking out at the ends, or 3 sets of legs 9 feet apart, or two sets of legs 18 feet apart? Beam calculators are not too hard to find, but for a swing set you might want to increase the safety factor (amount by which you exceed the expected load when calculating.) Grade of the lumber also matters. – Ecnerwal Oct 23 '17 at 16:07
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...I'm betting there's a 90+ percent chance OP is asking how much weight can hang from the 4"x6"x18' pine beam. +1 so she can upload a helpful drawing or picture or something. – elrobis Oct 23 '17 at 16:53
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The beam is 18' long supported on each end, no support in middle. Not sure of the grade of lumber. I just need to know worst case how much weight can the swings support. Sorry I don't have a picture or more info. Thanks for any help. – Joan Oct 24 '17 at 15:05
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Assuming it’s “Lodgepole Pine” (Idaho Pine and Ponderosa Pine is slightly less) and it’s grade is a No. 2 and better (no loose or missing knotholes), then a 4x6 spanning 18’ will support about 105 lbs. loaded at the mid-span (slightly higher if it’s loaded at third points or further from the center point).
Better idea instead of the 4x6 use 2 2x8 boards bolted of nailed together. Ive done this on a 18 foot span and it holds 3 large adults (over 200 lbs each) on swings without any flex or bowing. Outdoors i would use a good grade of treated lumber to prevent decay from the elements and longer life.
