Pulley end of the laminated beam extension for the boom

While waiting for decent weather to build, I have been making a boom extension for the “crane” we will use to raise the remaining three arches.  The four laminated 2 x 6 planks (milled from our trees) will increase the reach of Dozy’s backhoe boom high enough to lift the arches into position.  From the picture below, it looks as if Dozy would topple over if any weight were applied to the end, and it probably would.  However, when in place, this boom will be braced 3/4 of the way up against the apex of the outer most arch, acting like the third leg of a tripod.

An 8000 lb. winch attached to Dozy’s 3-point hitch will do the heavy lifting.  Thanks, Khat for the loan of the winch.

The cable runs up through a snatch block (green pulley), then to the pulley at the end of the boom.  I picked up the snatch block from a boat yard for $20. It was a bit rusty and the wheel didn’t turn.  With a bit of elbow grease, a new bolt and some paint, it’s as good as new.  Considering they cost $230.00 new, I thought that was a pretty good deal.  It’s certainly overkill on capacity but it sure looks cool.