Nature Playground EquipmentRobinia, Larch and Timber-Look Steel Play for Natural Sites
Robinia balance trails, stepping posts, climbing frames, towers and huts on galvanized steel post shoes, or the same forms in timber-look powder-coated steel.
- Timber uprights in steel shoes
- Every piece photographed with its number
- Replacements drilled to the original drawing
- Steel shoes · 10-year warranty
Nature Play Equipment RangeBalance Trails, Stepping Posts, Robinia Climbing Frames, Towers, Huts and Sand Tables
Our nature playground equipment comes in three materials: debarked Robinia, larch for parts that stay off the ground, and timber-look powder-coated steel. Robinia and larch pieces are made by our partner timber workshop to our drawings; the steel post shoes, brackets and plates they stand on come from our steel fabrication workshop, as part of our commercial playground equipment line.
We supply parks departments, schools, landscape architects, community developers, dealers and installers planning play along a path, a woodland edge or a landscaped courtyard, or a whole natural playground.
01Balance trails
Robinia beams and logs laid in a line or a loop at ground level, for walking and balancing.
Robinia
02Stepping posts
Groups of Robinia posts in steel shoes, for stepping and jumping from post to post.
Robinia · steel shoes
03Robinia climbing frames and walls
Hand-shaped Robinia poles bolted into frames and walls for climbing.
Robinia
04Robinia towers
Timber decks on Robinia posts, with slides from our slide range and rope nets from our rope line.
Robinia + slides and nets
05Play huts and teepees
Timber shelters for role play and quiet corners.
Timber
06Sand and mud play tables
Timber tables for sand and mud play.
Timber
07Log seating edges
Robinia logs along the edge of a play area, for sitting and for marking the boundary.
Robinia
Timber-look powder-coated steel is offered in place of Robinia or larch for sites that want low maintenance. Larch is used only where a part stays off the ground.
A nature trail can share one drawing and one container with swings, structures and surfacing from our commercial playground equipment range.
Material SelectionRobinia, Larch or Timber-Look Steel by Part and Site
Each part gets the material that suits where it sits: Robinia where timber meets the ground or takes the climbing, larch only up in the air, timber-look steel where a site wants the look of timber with the upkeep of steel.
Robinia · ground contact and climbingRobiniaRobinia pseudoacacia, also sold as black locust: a dense hardwood that lasts outdoors on its own durability, without chemical treatment. for ground contact
Robinia is debarked, the SapwoodThe pale outer band of the trunk under the bark. It is softer and less durable than the heartwood, so it is taken off. is removed, and each piece is hand-shaped, sanded and rounded at the ends.
It is used without chemical preservatives or paint, and relies on its own durability. Every Robinia upright still stands in a steel shoe above the surfacing.
Larch · parts off the groundLarch for parts off the ground
Larch goes into parts that never touch soil, concrete or surfacing. Uprights and anything near the ground are Robinia or steel.
Timber-look steel · low maintenanceTimber-look steel for low maintenance
Sites that want the look of timber with the upkeep of our steel line choose timber-look powder-coated steel: the same forms on our Ø114 mm galvanized steel, finished with a wood-grain surface. How it is made →
Weathering
Robinia and larch weather naturally to a silver-grey. Timber-look steel carries its wood-grain finish on coated steel. How timber ages →
Age zones and standard
On the layout, each trail, frame or tower belongs to a 2–5 or a 5–12 zone.
We design timber pieces to ASTM F1487 and the CPSC handbook, or to EN 1176 if your tender asks for it, and every piece is checked on the drawing for head and finger entrapment gaps, fall heights and protrusions. More on playground safety standards.
2–55–12What you get
Each piece on your layout with its L number and material, and its dimensions on the item data sheet.
- L number · material
- Item data sheet
Nature Play Specifications
Every row below points at something you can hold: a Robinia post end in its steel shoe, a larch offcut, a timber-look steel tube and the part tag that goes on each piece.
| Part | Specification |
|---|---|
| Robinia | Debarked, sapwood removed, hand-shaped, sanded, ends rounded; no chemical preservative, no paint |
| Larch | Parts off the ground only |
| Surface ageing | Robinia and larch weather to silver-grey |
| Post shoes and sleeves | Steel, hot-dip galvanized and powder coated, cast in concrete; our steel fabrication workshop |
| Brackets and plates | Steel, hot-dip galvanized and powder coated |
| Bolts | 304 stainless steel tamper-resistant through-bolts, capped heads |
| Bolt holes | Drilled by the partner timber workshop to our drawing, edges chamfered |
| Timber-look steel | Ø114 mm galvanized steel; polyester powder base coat on our line, wood-grain heat-transfer finish at a partner coating plant, cured |
| Part numbers | L for freestanding timber pieces (e.g. L1-007); timber on a play structure keeps its S number |
| Warranty | Timber 2 years against structural failure; steel shoes and connectors 10 years; timber-look steel 10 years |
| Export documents | Fumigation and phytosanitary documents for timber pieces, per destination |
| Lead time | 20–30 days after drawing approval |
Every timber upright stands in a steel shoe cast in concrete.The timber stays above the surfacing.
- Steel · in the concrete
- Timber · above the surfacing
- 304 · through-bolts, capped
Timber FootingsSteel Post Shoes Cast in Concrete, Timber Bolted Above the Surfacing
On our nature play, the part that goes into the ground is steel. Every Robinia upright stands in a steel post shoe or sleeve, and that shoe is cast into the concrete footing.
The timber never goes straight into soil or concrete, and its base sits above the finished surfacing. It is fixed to the shoe with 304 stainless steel tamper-resistant through-bolts.
Robinia: timber sits in the steel shoe, bolted through, its base above the surfacing.Timber-look steel: the Ø114 mm steel post runs into the footing like the rest of our outdoor steel. Either way, everything below the finished surfacing is steel and concrete.
What the shoe is
Post shoes and sleeves are made in our steel fabrication workshop, then hot-dip galvanized and powder coated in the same system as our Ø114 mm play structure posts. Galvanizing is done on the finished welded shoe, so every weld is covered.
How the timber is fixed
The upright drops into its shoe and is fixed with 304 stainless steel tamper-resistant Through-boltA bolt that passes right through the steel shoe and the timber and is nutted on the far side, so the load is carried across the whole piece., with capped heads. The holes are drilled by our partner timber workshop to our drawing, edges chamfered; beams join uprights with galvanized, powder-coated brackets and plates.
The footing drawing
Our footing detail drawing covers every timber upright on your site: the footing size and the shoe position for each one. Excavation and concrete are by you or your local installer, working to that drawing, with footings placed around the trees, slopes and paths you mark.
Warranty
10 yearsSteel shoes and connectors, like the rest of our outdoor steel.
Footing detail drawings for every upright, shoes and anchoring hardware in your shipment, and installation drawings with part numbers and bolt sizes. Setting timber in its shoes on site, and the optional supervisor from our yard team, are covered on playground equipment installation.
- Footing detail drawings
- Shoes and anchoring hardware
- Installation drawings · part numbers · bolt sizes
The footing and the part inside it are the hardest parts of a playground to replace, and on our nature play they are steel.
Timber Piece Inspection and Trial Fit
Our partner timber workshop makes every Robinia and larch piece to our drawing. Then each piece comes to our pre-assembly yard, where our QC team inspects it and fits it to the steel it will stand on.
The QC team is independent of production and checks partner pieces the same way it checks parts from our own workshops. Our four QC checkpoints →
- Species: Robinia, or larch for parts off the ground
- Debarked, sapwood removed
- Surfaces sanded, ends rounded
- Dimensions and bolt hole positions against the drawing
- Hole edges chamfered
Trial fit
The timber pieces are fitted into their steel post shoes, brackets and plates and bolted together as they will stand on site. For a Robinia tower, that includes the decks with their slide and rope net connections. Every connection is checked at this stage.
If a piece fails
A timber piece that fails the check goes back to the partner timber workshop to be corrected or remade, and is fitted again before packing.
- Back to the partner workshop
- Corrected or remade
- Fitted again
Video
The trial fit is filmed with the L part numbers in frame, so the video shows your own pieces going together in installation order.
Every Piece Photographed With Its L Part Number Before Loading
Natural timber pieces are never exactly alike. Each timber piece is photographed with its part number, and the photos are sent to you before loading.
You can check the piece that will stand in each position on your layout before the container is sealed.
L1-001Upright
L1-002Upright
L1-004Upright
L1-008Deck bearer
Point at a photo to see where that piece standsL1-001 · position on your layoutL1-002 · position on your layoutL1-003 · position on your layoutL1-004 · position on your layoutL1-005 · position on your layoutL1-006 · position on your layoutL1-007 · position on your layoutL1-008 · position on your layout
- 01Photos sent
- 02You check each position
- 03Container sealed
Packing
After the trial fit, the pieces are taken apart, packed by installation sequence under their numbers, and listed against a packing list keyed to part numbers.
Export documents
Timber pieces carry fumigation and Phytosanitary documentsThe plant-health paperwork a destination country asks for when timber is imported, issued with the fumigation record for the shipment. documents arranged for your destination.
Schedule
The partner timber workshop is scheduled to the same loading date as our steel workshop, inside the 20–30 days after drawing approval.
Partner timber workshop · same loading date as our steel workshop · 20–30 days after drawing approval
Surface Checking, Silver-Grey Weathering and Timber Care
Surface checkingFine splits that open along the grain on the outside of natural timber as it dries and weathers. They stay on the surface.
Robinia and larch are natural timber and form surface checks as they dry and weather. Checks are part of normal ageing.
Color
Robinia and larch turn silver-grey over time, which is how the timber ages outdoors.
Inspection guide
The inspection and maintenance guide that comes with your project covers timber: how to look for checking, when a check is sanded, and when a piece is replaced. It sits beside the steel, bolt and surfacing checks, and the installer's completion checklist is used before your inspector visits.
Bolts
The through-bolts and bracket bolts are on the same inspection schedule as the rest of the playground's tamper-resistant fasteners. Security bits for them ship in the spare hardware kit, with a touch-up paint in the steel's color for handling marks.
Normal ageing
- Surface checks
- Silver-grey color
Sanded or left as the inspection guide says. Surface checks and silver-grey weathering are the normal ageing of natural timber and are not covered by the warranty.
Structural failure · when to call us
- A through-crack
- Rot that affects load-bearing
Covered for 2 years. Send a photo and the L part number, and our QC confirms it against your part list. L1-007
Send your site plan with trees, slopes and paths. The layout comes back in 3 working days.
Layout · every timber piece · every steel shoe footing · 3 working days Send Your Site Plan- Trees to keep
- Slopes
- Paths
- Drainage
Timber Piece ReplacementL Part Numbers, Same Drilling Drawing, Same Steel Shoe
Every timber piece is recorded under its part number, with the drilling drawing its bolt holes were made to. A replacement is made from that record.
When a piece needs replacing, your crew unbolts it and the shoe and footing stay where they are. The replacement is made to the same drilling drawing, so it bolts into the same holes.
- Shaped · drilledTake a Robinia climbing upright numbered
L1-007. The partner timber workshop shaped it and drilled its bolt holes to our drilling drawing. - Fitted · filmed · photographed · packedIn our pre-assembly yard it was fitted into its steel shoe, filmed, photographed with its number and packed under L1-007.
- Years later
- Through-crack reportedYour maintenance crew sends a photo and the number L1-007.
- QC · inside 24 hoursQC matches the photo to L1-007 in your project file and answers your crew inside 24 hours on a business day.
- New piece · same drilling drawingThe partner timber workshop makes a new upright to the same drilling drawing and hole positions. It is checked in our pre-assembly yard and ships under the same number. The shape and grain of natural timber will differ from the original; the hole positions are the same, so it bolts into the same shoe and brackets.
- 1
Unbolt the upright from its shoe and from the brackets joining it to the rest of the piece.
- 2
Lift it out, and set the new upright in the same shoe.
- 3
Bolt it back with the same 304 tamper-resistant through-bolts.
Timber on a structure
Timber pieces on a play structure keep that structure's S number and are replaced the same way.
Warranty and ordering
Within the 2-year timber warranty, a structural failure is replaced under warranty.
Outside the warranty, any timber piece on your part list can be reordered by its number, on its own or with a later shipment. Warranty terms sit in each quotation; how quotations are built is on playground equipment cost.
Timber-Look Powder-Coated SteelWood-Grain Finish on Our Ø114 mm Steel System
For sites that want a natural look with steel upkeep, timber-look powder-coated steel is offered in place of Robinia or larch.
Steel
Posts and frames are Ø114 mm galvanized steel from our steel fabrication workshop, the same system as our play structures.
Finish
A polyester powder base coat is applied on our own coating line. The wood-grain Heat-transfer finishA printed wood-grain film is wrapped over the powder-coated steel and heated, so the grain pattern transfers into the coating; the film is then removed. is then applied at a partner coating plant, and the finish is cured. The full coating process is on playground equipment manufacturing.
- 01 · Powder base coat · our coating line
- 02 · Wood-grain heat-transfer · partner coating plant
- 03 · Cured
Fixings and footings
Timber-look steel pieces use the same 304 stainless steel tamper-resistant fasteners and the same footing detail drawings as the rest of our outdoor steel.
Timber-look steel carries the 10-year steel structure warranty.
One site can combine both: Robinia climbing frames in a woodland corner and timber-look steel pieces along a busy path, drawn on one layout.
Nature Play ComparisonRobinia, Larch and Timber-Look Steel
One layout · one container plan
Robinia |
Larch |
Timber-look steel |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Used for | Uprights, climbing, ground-level pieces | Parts off the ground | In place of Robinia or larch, for low maintenance |
| Made by | Partner timber workshop, to our drawing Partner · to our drawing | Partner timber workshop, to our drawing Partner · to our drawing | Our steel workshop and coating line; wood-grain finish at a partner plant In-house steel · partner finish |
| Treatment | Debarked, sapwood removed, no preservative, no paint | No preservative, no paint | Powder base coat + wood-grain heat-transfer finish |
| Ageing | Weathers to silver-grey, surface checks | Weathers to silver-grey, surface checks | Wood-grain finish on coated steel |
| In the ground | Steel post shoe cast in concrete | Stays off the ground | Galvanized steel in the footing |
| Warranty | 2 years structural; steel shoes 10 years | 2 years structural | 10 years |
| Export documents | Fumigation and phytosanitary | Fumigation and phytosanitary | Standard steel shipment |
Nature Play Use Zones, Surfacing and Footings
Use zones
Balance trails and stepping posts run along paths and between trees, so their use zones are drawn around the trees and paths you mark, to the CPSC handbook values or EN 1176. More on playground safety standards.
Surfacing
Under climbing frames and towers, the surfacing thickness follows the critical fall height of the piece, and every zone appears in the surfacing plan and area table. The timber base of every upright stands above the finished surfacing level. Surfacing materials are on playground surfacing.
P1 · ASTM F1292 / EN 1177
Footings
Your shipment carries the footing detail drawings, steel shoes, anchoring hardware and numbered parts. Your local installer digs and pours to that drawing and sets the timber. The steps from site plan to shipment are on how we build playgrounds.
- Footing detail drawings
- Steel shoes
- Anchoring hardware
- Numbered parts
- Dig
- Pour
- Set the timber
Nature play can be drawn into a themed or custom site; see custom playground solutions. Dealers receive layouts and data sheets unbranded or under their brand; see wholesale playground equipment.
What to Send for a Nature Playground Quotation
- Site plan with dimensions, marking trees to keep, slopes, paths and drainage
- Age zones: 2–5 years, 5–12 years
- Forms and quantities: balance trails, stepping posts, climbing frames or walls, towers, huts, sand and mud tables, log seating edges
- Material for each form: Robinia or timber-look steel
- Any slides or rope nets wanted on a Robinia tower
- Destination country, for fumigation and phytosanitary documents
- Standard named in your tender or brief (ASTM F1487 and the CPSC handbook, or EN 1176)
- For a replacement piece: a photo and the
Lpart number from your packing list L1-007