Ethan Schlussler of Sandpoint, Idaho, built this clever bicycle-powered treehouse elevator to make it easier to reach his nearly 30-foot-high treehouse.
“I got tired of climbing a ladder six and a half million times a day, so I made a bicycle powered elevator to solve this problem,” he writes.
“It was originally a 20-something speed bicycle, but first gear wasn’t slow enough, so I cut the large sprocket off the front, and welded it on the rear to get a lower gear. I also had to do away with the de-railers and make a new chain tensioner.”
The treehouse is not yet complete, but Ethan says, “I will be building walls and insulating it in the next few weeks, and eventually I intend to live (or at least sleep) in it. ”
A heavy chain keeps the bicycle from being pulled up by the counterweight.
Ethan pedals his way to his treetop hideaway.
Bike’s eye view.
On the way down (feet off the pedals).
Preparing for touchdown.
[Thanks, Phil!]
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