How to lift something heavy up and out of a 100ft ravine using no modern technology just some sticks, junk boards, used nails, rocks found on site, and rope (the only thing I had to pay for, $5).

I made this video for my grandpa. For years he's been complaining about this rusty eyesore that the farmer missed into the creek and winters had washed down into our land. I'd been thinking lately about different ways of moving heavy objects, so I decided to give one of those methods a try. This is a simple capstan, like ships used for hundreds of years to raise their anchors. I had no idea what to expect, but it worked with surprising ease, with few problems.

The principle is quite simple. I have a handle that gives me really good leverage on turning an axle. For each rotation I travel a long distance while the rope gets pulled only a short distance, so the amount of work required to pull the rope gets distributed over a longer distance. It looks like I'm struggling at some points this is because I'm just tilting the branch to get clearance to make the rotation. (I should have sawed the loose end of the forked branch a tiny bit shorter. ) The amount of reduction is actually quite comfortable.

At one point the barrel got snagged on the cliff face, turning got difficult, and the whole capstan contraption started to slide despite all the rocks holding it down. I realized it quickly enough before things became unstable.

I took a break and finished after dinner before it got dark. All done in an afternoon.