Gauging Interest in Pulley Blocks

[landcruisnman]

I'm thinking about producing these and getting them UL certified. They can handle up to 1"rope. Machined pulley with a Bronze bushing on the shaft, waterjet plates and welded. Uses 3/4"hardened bolt. Would be available Zinc or plain steel. The UL cert costs a pretty penny, so I would need to sell about 10 a month. I'll be hitting up the Rescue Gear and Arborists also. Cost would be $100ea plain and $120 Zinc plated. Feedback from the peoples..........

 

[roalco]

IMHO they look nice, but just wondering if you've thought the liability issue through... nobody wants to be sued by some idiot, only the lawyers win.
In my experience people using rigging fall into two camps, those who use high quality, tested, name brand gear (like Crosby) and value their lives and property more than the higher cost, and those who use "farm supply" gear from anywhere (offshore), because it's dirt cheap and it looks like the real thing.
Not sure if you're going to hit either of those markets.
Have you pulled one to destruction yet? What sort of load did it fail at?
Good luck!

 

[landcruisnman]

I will be sending these to United Laboratories(UL) for testing and certification. They will do all the testing and tearing apart required to has the UL stamp on them. They will give me the weight rating and monitor us to maintain the UL stamp. They will be high quality.

 

[80t0ylc]

............... Cost would be $100ea plain and $120 Zinc plated. Feedback from the peoples..........

I'd say, get your cost down. Very few people are going to spend that much money on a new, unproven product, when they can get a Warn snatch block , which is more versatile, for much less. Just an opinion.

 

[landcruisnman]

I appreciate the feedback. The more I can make at a time, the cheaper they will be. Stay tuned...

 

[77TLCFJ40]

How will these work for 4x4 rigging? More specifically, how do you recommend they be attached to a tree saver strap?

 

[spressomon]

How will these work for 4x4 rigging? More specifically, how do you recommend they be attached to a tree saver strap?

Bow/D shackle I assume? And how will they be better than the Warn snatch blocks?

 

[IBCRUSN]

One question I have that hasn't been asked is what is your designed working load and safety factor for these units?

Is it necessary to design for a 1" rope when commonly used synthetic ropes are rarely larger in diameter than 7/16"? Could you reduce your cost (list price is a different topic) by designing for a 1/2" diameter rope? (less material, machining, etc)

They look promising, keep up the good work. Liability is an issue but complete your R&D then address how to handle the legal issues.

 

[77TLCFJ40]

Bow/D shackle I assume? And how will they be better than the Warn snatch blocks?

So you would have to remove the bolt in the pulley block to get the shackle in there?? Well it's a 1" pulley, but maybe the shackle could be worked in?

 

[Corbet]

They look great but at $100 a piece you may have a hard time meeting your sales goals. A lot of other units on the market for less from quality makers.

I think you'll need another market larger than us to make it worth your while.

 

[craptabulous]

I'd say, get your cost down. Very few people are going to spend that much money on a new, unproven product, when they can get a Warn snatch block , which is more versatile, for much less. Just an opinion.

worthless if you have a big winch and run 3/8 cable .

a more comparable item is the arb 9000 . ARB Recovery Gear - Snatch Straps - Snatch Blocks - Tree Trunk Straps - Shackles

i don't see any sort of grease nipple on your unit , am i correct ?

 

[prado t]

Bronze bushed so no grease gets on the rope.

 

[landcruisnman]

You'd remove the bolt to get the strap connected.
Not saying they're better that the ARB's. Have not finalized any design. Made for a 1"rope because I have a buddy the is an Arborist and the current supplier went out of business. They use up to 1" rope. Working load and safety factor will be determined my UL(United Lab's). I might consider making one that handles up to 1/2" to lower costs. No grease fitting needed with Bronze bushings. Keep the feedback coming. That all helps me decide what I'm doing or not doing. Thanks again guys....

 

[cartercd]

Rope is weaker when it is bent, so pulley diameter is an important consideration when assessing recovery gear strength. Your pulley diameter looks smaller than ARB or Warn, which will reduce the load capacity of the rigging. Do a search for "sheave diameter and wire rope strength" to get an idea of what % reduction in strenght a rope will have depending on how tight a bend it has. Food for thought.

 

[Rock_Hugger]

Is there enough room to feed the winch hook between the two side plates without taking the bolt out?

 

[fzj75macka]

before you get going approach a commercial insurance broker and see what it will cost to protect you from stupid people. Most business owners forget the insurance and it can kill you depending on the product.

 

[fhultgr]

I want at leat one if you beef it up som. I need a bigger ruller with possibilities for greasing. If you can deliver, I want it
Frode

 

[craptabulous]

ya i forgot bronze dry bushings don't wear out about 50x faster dry then they do if you grease them all the time . nope i have never witnessed that as a heavy duty mechanic , every day on machinery with bronze bushings and steel pins mixed with a lazy lube tech .

in reality its going to take a lot of winching to wear out that bushing but if its not a huge pain i would just disassemble it and grease it periodically .

i still like the design , hard decision over then arb .