page updated March, 2007.
Whole unit shown. The reel can be separated and hand carried away from the base.
My previous attempts tried to keep the reel compact but didn't have enough cranking power for my 78 inch Rokkaku kite.
I like the crank handle way larger than the spool so I have enough leverage to reel in against the wind if I get in trouble. Also, the protruding ends don't snag as much as I worried. They are handy for anchoring lines, and if the reel is spinning too fast, I just push it to the ground where the ends dig in and put on the emergency brakes.
When flying a 78 inch Rokkaku over trees, there ain't no better way down but to haul it straight back to the reel.
I can reel it fast enough to make 2 miles per hour, enough to gain a little speed to keep the kite flying to me if the wind quits.
This picture has black plastic sides from a tv wire spool, but it wasn't strong enough. See notes below.
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The reel can be separated from the base.
I can run and play with it.
After the kite is up and I don't want exercise any more, I take the spool to the base.
The spool has a PVC plastic pipe axle that I hold in my left hand.
I can grip it to act like a poor brake, or let it spin. Works best with cloth gloves.
I can hand crank it with one hand, until the wind gets strong.
I do wind with the line under tension. And I turn the spool a little from side to side to get an overlap so the string doesn't cut into lower layers and bind when I want to unwind again. If the line seems extremely tight or wet, I re-wind it later.
I also have ribbons attached to the line, and wind them up as I crank. The line does crush ribbons into wrinkles. I only have 300 yards of 100 # line, it could hold more but I rather use the space to allow fast winding with less risk of the line going over the side. And I have very few problems with the line catching the large wooden crank.
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base shown below. I used plastic and wood because it is inexpensive and easy to work with, and electrically insulating if I get in trouble. The gray pipe on the left is a parking brake, I slide it near the wooden crank to lock the reel. The steel axle bolt has a dry-wall toggle bolt on the end. |
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The green iron weights are about 10 lbs of scrap iron. I can put my foot or knee on it to hold it while I crank. .
Picture below, Sliding the winch onto the spool steel bolt axle. |
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The toggle bolt's spring-loaded ears keep the reel on the steel axle. Flip ends in to allow removal of the spool.
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The whole thing lays on its side when not being cranked. I can carry it, set it down on the grass anywhere, and if the wind is less than 10 mph it usually isn't dragged far. It will slide on blacktop roads. I think of dragging as a pressure release, if it's that windy, I get fair warning. As the wind blows harder, the reel often raises above the ground. If the wind is blowing too strong, the whole thing will slide on the grass. It will slide faster than I can run if I set this on ice! |
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The winch base has been dependable. After I started with this design, the main improvement has been a stronger core roll. Now I use 1/4 inch thick plastic plumbing pipe and toilet tank flanges on the sides. That has held up well to line winding during strong winds.
The base weight digs into snow as a poor anchor, although this tree branch frozen into the lake is convenient.
Sometimes I wish the base wasn't 10 lbs of iron.
I have made skate wheels to roll it along sidewalks.
I put it on a plastic sled for long treks over snowy lakes. Just hold the kite string; walk the kite and the sled at the same time.
And I have bolted the winch base to a bicycle. Return to my index page for the link to those pictures.
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. . . . . . And if you want more line control,
. . . . . . consult with the expert.
Link to my main Kite page Sky Hi Point kite index
Link to my railroad hobby page, Bruce's RailRoad Pictures
Wrote March 19, 2006; March 17, 2007.