Aerial Hoop Safety
All of our aerial hoops are built according to high standards and tested to destruction on a regular basis. Each type of hoop has a Working Load Limit (WLL) based on its materials and construction.
To give you a WLL, we use an industry standard and apply a Factor Of Safety (FOS) to the deformation of the hoop, not the breaking point. The FOS we use depends on the materials used, in this case it's steel, so we use 5:1.
For example, our 1 point hoops were recently tested on a simulated single point hang up to a maximum weight of 1200KG. The test was stopped at 1200KG.
The WLL is based on a 700kg load– at this point the hoop was permanently deformed, though nowhere near broken.
700kg with a Factor Of Safety (FOS) of 5:1 gives us a WLL of 140kg.
All of the aerial equipment made in our workshop (including our hoops) is individually serial numbered, so if you need to know when your hoop was made down to the day we can tell you. Whether that’s for insurance reasons, inspection logs, or just so you can throw it a birthday party.
How we build our hoops
Weatherproof powder coating
Powder coating is a super high durability process that protects your hoop from the elements. A hoop that hasn’t been powder coated or protected will eventually rust, even if it has been taped.
Moisture will work its way through the tape during use and storage, and rust underneath the tape, so you might not even notice until you go to retape it. Our powder coating can be retaped indefinitely and will always keep your hoops protected from moisture.
TIG welding for higher quality
We use a high quality TIG (tungsten inert gas) welder that can achieve very high penetration welds very neatly and results in stronger, cleaner welds than the cheaper MIG (metal inert gas) machines can.
MIG has telltale splashes of metal that have to be aggressively ground back to remove, meaning a lot of the material you’re welding gets taken back off again afterwards. With our processes, all it takes is a little bit of neatening
surface welds with low penetration into hollow tubing
Enclosed steel hanging points
For our 1 and 2 point hoops, these welds are applied to a single continuous piece of steel that wraps around the bar, giving an extra thickness to the attachment point, and allowing more material for the weld to penetrate.
high penetration welds that wrap around the tubing, with the tab enclosing the hoop entirely
Reinforced 0 point welds
For all of our 0 point hoops, we weld all the way round the tube into a reinforcing spigot inside the tubing, which allows each end of the rolled tube to join onto something other than each other increasing the strength of the weld hugely as you’re not relying on a single seam of weld to support your weight.
We choose not to grind these welds back as this makes the hoop much easier to inspect for any damage to the weld. If these critical welds are ground back and then taped over, it would be impossible to see damage to the hoop even during regular inspections.
High penetration welds that are easy to inspect and penetrate to the reinforcing spigot within.
One of our hoops super-safe and snug in the packaging.
Safety and Peace of Mind
All of our aerial hoops are shipped to you with a thick foam tubing, like a pool noodle, wrapped around the hoop like a protective hug. This protects the hoop in transit and can be used to protect your hoop when it is not rigged. Shipping is usually very reliable but in the unlikely event you encounter any problem our customer service team is here to help you. We take responsibility for your hoop until you receive it, and fully support you after sale with anything you might need.
We have 20 years of experience in logistics and pride ourselves on offering the best customer service around. With a Firetoys Aerial Hoop you’re buying much more than safety and security in the air, you’re buying peace of mind and customer care for years to come.