Leg Powered Winches

[Mike Kushy]

Any experience/photo's?

...or even better a set up they wouldn't mind parting with

 

[Pitlamp]

If Norman Flux sees this he might be able to give you useful gen?

 

[JAA]

@Goon may well have some snaps of the GSG winch at Rana Hole? (Which I think was designed by Norman whom @Pitlamp mentioned above)

 

[Maj]

There is this Farcebook video of Rana Hole, the winch can be seen but not in use.

7 comments | Sistem Uamh an Claonaite - Rana hole, najdublja i najduža spilja u Škotskoj. Dužina 2886 m, dubina -110 m. Prvo su spilju otkrili roneći izvor, a nakon 12 godina kopanja ušli "pješice". Složen je sistem koloture sa tri bicikla koji su sl

Sistem Uamh an Claonaite - Rana hole, najdublja i najduža spilja u Škotskoj. Dužina 2886 m, dubina -110 m. Prvo su spilju otkrili roneći izvor, a nakon 12 godina kopanja ušli "pješice". Složen je...

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[langcliffe]

BPC had one at Klondike about 20 years ago.

 

[Loki]

We used Flux-tech winches on crematorium pot above Bradwell. Can’t vouch for the later versions at Rana but the Crem ones used the bikes wheel brake to lower the empties back down if I remember right. I’m sure 2 bikes are required, the rear end of the second being mounted upside down in front of the rider with the cable drum attached in the rear drop outs. Other than that it’s in the distant past!

 

[Mike Kushy]

We've been contemplating converting the winch we have.

Have been looking at recumbent exercise bikes like this:

Unsure about the best means to connect the pedal/drive to the winch handle/drum.

Maybe a bar would be best, or a chain added to the internal bearings somehow. I've never tool an exercise bike apart before though, so may be a slightly risky experiment.

 

[ChrisB]

As a bike, it's well accepted that recumbents are not as good as upright bikes for power generation - the advantage of recumbents is low air resistance, which is irrelevant when stationary. So I'd forget using a recumbent exercise bike, just use an ordinary bike. Apart from the power efficiency, the chain is easily accessible, you can have a gear shift on the chainwheel, and it's more weatherproof.

 

[Fred Ratbag]

Langcliffe mentioned one we had at Klondike Pot but that was a hand cranked one not leg powered.

 

[langcliffe]

Langcliffe mentioned one we had at Klondike Pot but that was a hand cranked one not leg powered.

Apologies! It was a distant memory, and I don't think I actually saw it in operation. I remember that Mike and I were well impressed by all the mod. cons.

 

[Ian Ball]

The YCC are leg winch maestros I believe

 

[paul]

Here's a winch system used while digging in Water Icicle Close Cavern in the Peak by Orpheus CC. It's made from part of an old bike frame and a small winch used for pulling boats onto trailers. The old golf umbrella diverted drips from the winch "driver":

:

 

[Mike Kushy]

Here's a winch system used while digging in Water Icicle Close Cavern in the Peak by Orpheus CC. It's made from part of an old bike frame and a small winch used for pulling boats onto trailers. The old golf umbrella diverted drips from the winch "driver":

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Looks like a good set up and likely we will using something similar to this..thanks all.

Don't want to go electric yet as that will require a track, also it's not as fast.

Our hand powered winch is okay for now, but feeling it alot more now we're at 10m deep and going fast, having 125 buckets (average) a session.

 

[langcliffe]

Here's a picture of the leg-powered winch used when Gouffre Vouay on Dent de Crolles was being opened up. The frame is bolted to the roof.

 

[Bob Mehew]

The Rana bicycle started as one and developed into a 3 bike set on scaffold frame which all had chains driving a shaft on which a drum was placed. The rope went up to a tripod, through a pulley and then back down the shaft, some 30 metre deep. The 'bucket' was around 25 litre capacity (from a distant memory) and apparently lifted 50kg. It was as indicated, designed and constructed by Norman Flux who lived in Sheffield. He's no longer a member of the Grampian and I'm not sure if anyone has kept contact with him from what must around 20 years ago. I have asked Goon to check the few images listed of Rana entrance but fear they will not show the 3 bike version in any detail. There is an image in the recent edition of the Caves of Assynt, available for purchase see https://www.gsg.org.uk/about/publications/ as well as in Series 4.3.4 of the Bulletin. But neither show much detail. I'm not sure if I can get access to the original image. The video previously mentioned shows the set up but not in detail. I think the pedals were linked to a standard sized cog wheel and the shaft cog wheel was of similar size. It was a fixed wheel set up. I can't recall the braking system. My memory is a blank about most details.

 

[Chris Curry]

This is the North York Moors Caving Club winch bike, engineered by John Cameron, modelled by Andy Brennan and photographed by Connor Stokes

 

[Mike Kushy]

This is the North York Moors Caving Club winch bike, engineered by John Cameron, modelled by Andy Brennan and photographed by Connor Stokes


View attachment 24328

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That looks comfy and well engineered! Is it still in use?

 

[Chris Curry]

That looks comfy and well engineered! Is it still in use?

Can confirm! Absolutely, it circulates around various projects as required. Currently at the infamous Mutton Butty dig. I'll pass on your compliments to the engineer.

 

[Ian Ball]

Apologies NYMCC not YCC. I seem to remember a lesser beast in use at maybe Jenga.

 

[Bob Mehew]

For what it is worth, the 3 bicycle winch at Rana managed to extract around 14.5 tonne of material (359 kibble loads) in one day. (GSG Bulletin "Rana Hole - The Statistics of a Dig" Series 4 vol 3 no. 4 pages 47 - 49.)