Pulley Operated Clothes Line

[Merryterry]

The wife is moaning about the clothes on the clothes line (20M long), blowing against the hedge (one metre away), in windy conditions. This is mainly due the the line having to be slack to allow her to peg the clothes on and then the Props, (two of them) swinging over in the wind. Is there a pulley system on sale anywhere that will allow her to pull the line taught after pegging and yet will be easy for a woman to haul up considering the weight of the wet clothes and loads of them. Do you think a visit to a Yacht Chandlers would be of use?

Merryterry

[Owain]

Use longer props. Use more props.

Prop from both sides of the line.

That will place the line at the top of a triangle and it shouldn't go anywhere.

Owain

[Harry Bloomfield]

Merryterry wrote on 07/04/2013 :

You might be interested in my solution, with bits bought from ebay...

A pulley mounted high under the eaves of the house, all done in stainless steel wire, with a counter weight pulling the line taught dangling from the above pulley. The counter weight runs up and down in a length of plastic drain pipe so it doesn't swing about in the wind.

The actual part where the washing is hung, consists of two pulleys with a loop so the washing line can be pulled back and forth so washing can be hung up/ taken down from one place, where there is a table.

The entire contraption is some 50yards long and fixed to a post at the extreme rear of the garden at 10 feet. So the slope starts at around 18 feet under the eaves, sloping down to around 10 feet.

To enable the line to be pulled down close to the house, I fitted a small handed cranked winch to pull the line down to load and unload it. As its so high, it lifts clothes well up in the air to catch the breeze and they are well clear of anyone walking below it.

It took 3 pulleys with eyes, a length of bare stainless wire, a length of plastic covered stainless wire (for the actual line), four U clamps,

60 pounds of steel counterweight and some sort of reel to make a crank to pull it down to working height.

[The Medway Handyman]

Traditional way is to use pulleys.

One pulley at the top, one lower down with a loop of rope through both. Same at other end.

Actual washing line goes between.

[fred]

If it is a long line that will hold lots of wet clothes you might consider a block and tackle instead of a single pulley. A single pulley gives very little assistance in lifting a heavy load.

[newshound]

block and tackle instead of a single pulley. A single pulley gives very little assistance in lifting a heavy load.

Double pulley blocks used to be common on the indoor, multi rail airers but for outdoors I would be more inclined to go for Harry's winch. Often called a boat winch i.e. device for hauling boat on to a trailer, rather than for rigging. Remember that Chandlers have a factor 2 premium for anything to do with boats, Machine Mart have a couple of different sizes.

[Sam Plusnet]

block and tackle instead of a single pulley. A single pulley gives very little assistance in lifting a heavy load.

But don't accept a Machine Mart credit note.

[Harry Bloomfield]

My winch, is just a small (5" ?) welding wire reel, with a bolt through the centre to fix is and an arm + handle to crank it. A loop of rope latches on to the handle to retain it once it is under tension.