Hula hoops and jump ropes are a staple found in many PE departments across the country. Using them is a great way to have fun and keep fit at the same time, but the issue of how to store them arises. This also happens with smaller gyms and fitness instructors. But is a bigger problem with public schools where class after class has to use these items.
We found some FORMUFIT customers that saw fit to make their own solution using our PVC furniture grade products. One such customer spotted a PVC jump rope/hoop rack online that was not only of sub-par quality, but was very expensive. They desperately needed a solution to keep all of these items organized, as both the hula hoops and jump ropes are commonly used together. They are also both extremely difficult to store without creating a jumbled mess.
They took the dimensions of the completed version to build their final product, but were able to incorporate FORMUFIT colored PVC fittings to spruce up the final design
To get started, they purchased the following parts directly from FORMUFIT:
- (1) – 1-1/4” Cross Furniture Grade PVC Fitting Connector
- (4) – 1-1/4” PVC Casting Fitting Insert
- (6) – 1-1/4” Furniture Grade PVC External End Cap
- (4) – 1-1/4” 3-Way Elbow Furniture Grade PVC Fitting Connector
- (1) – 1-1/4” 4-Way Tee Furniture Grade PVC Fitting Connector
- (8) – 1-1/4” Tee Furniture Grade PVC Fitting Connector
They then purchased from other vendors the following extra materials:
- (4) – “Off the shelf” diameter post casters that can be used to fit inside of our Caster Fitting Inserts
- 33 ft. of Schedule 40 PVC Plumbing Pipe
After all the materials were purchased, the next step was to measure and cut the following sizes below using a chop saw.
- 12 cuts of 8-1/4” - for short sides and middle base and 6 rack supports on top
- 4 cuts of 12-1/4” - for long sides of base
- 2 cuts of 12-1/2” - for top supports between racks
- 3 cuts of 56” - for jump rope poles
- 1 cut of 4-1/2” - for middle extension
- 1 cut of 6-1/2” - for tallest extension
Once all the pieces were cut and fittings arranged, they then put the pieces together (you can reference the image above which is their finished product). They made sure all of the fittings were in place correctly before doing a final fit, then used PVC cement to secure the pipe and fittings together. They initially ran into some difficulty with inserting the casters, but once they found this tutorial on our FORMUFIT website they completed this last step easily.
End result: a safe, portable and tidy way to store all of your hoop and jump rope equipment, and done at the fraction of a cost for what other vendors offer.
For additional sports storage solutions, be sure to check out our PVC Athletic Ball Storage Cart and our PVC Storage Bin Organizer, both with free plans you can download.
