Tow Rope Doubles Sledding Fun

Tow Rope Doubles Sledding Fun FARM HOME Novelty Items Boyd Brue’s 14 grandchildren their spouses and five great-grandchildren get double the fun out of downhill sledding thanks to his pickup-powered sled tow that pulls sledders back up after every downhill run “The tow will pull up to three sledders at a time up the hill on their sleds ” says Brue “Meanwhile I stay warm in the cab ” The sled tow consists of a length of 3/4-in poly rope with three grab bars attached to it with carabiner clips The rope is attached to the upper end of a 3/16-in steel cable and at the lower end of the return rope The cable and rope total about 800 ft for a 400-ft long loop The cable passes through two pulleys at the top of the hill and the return rope through two pulleys at the bottom of the loop When the grab bars for sledders are near the top of the hill the rope portion of the loop is at the lower of the two pulleys about 7 ft above ground From there the steel cable passes through the lower pulley to a second higher pulley attached to a tree farther up the hill The steel cable portion of the loop travels down the slope and across a fairly level area where it’s attached to the front of the pickup A rope attached to the rear of the pickup runs to two pulleys on a wooden yoke close to the ground The two pulleys are spaced about 4 ft apart and are required to keep the return rope of the loop out of the path of the pickup A separate rope attaches the wooden yoke to a hand winch that is mounted to a 2 by 6 board It in turn is anchored to a stake in the ground The winch allows Brue to tighten the loop for sledding use or for storing the cable off the ground “With the cable and rope attached to the pickup it’s part of the loop ” says Brue “As I back up the grab bars and the sledders travel up the slope Driving forward retracts the grab bars to the start position ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Boyd Brue Rochester Minn ph 507-269-4087; boyd brue@gmail com

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