Backyard Ski Lift (Rope Tow)
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- 200' Rope Tow ski lift and how it works.
Electric motor, gear box and pully from a 110V boat lift (free)
400'- 5/8" 3 strand polypropylene rope. ($110)
Electrical switches/ plugs ($130)
Miscellaneous steel (free)
Miscellaneous hardware ($50)
Pulley and come along for tension (free)
Martins Lake, SK, Canada
uncle terry, everyone say hi terry and thank you for gifting him the engine
It's a motor, not an engine. 😁
Engine: a machine that converts various forms of energy into mechanical energy. Usually electricity, petrol, diesel or steam
Motor: a machine, especially powered by electricity or internal combustion that supplies motive power for a vehicle or another machine with moving parts.
So yes, an engine can also be electric.🙂
@@alexanderbjork6451 Engines converts chemical or thermal energy into mechanical, mostly internal combustion. An electric motor is not and can't be considered as an engine.
Guy: builds a ski lift which he puts a lot of effort into
Snow: doesn’t come all year
This describes my situation well lol
@@MackenzieGodwin same here hahahah
@@MackenzieGodwin You should build a snow machine then, they're pretty simple to build, and you can generate more snow than you'd ever need with a pressure washer and air compressor if you want to do extra. That is, if you have the air temp under ~35 degrees.
@@MackenzieGodwin Next step: get a power washer and put in snowmaking! 🤣
@@MackenzieGodwin next step would be to make it public and start making money.
*a wild Canadian in his natural habitat*
As a Canadian, can confirm.
@@Noor-oh4jq you guys sled all winter? Im in america and i only get snow December - March.
@@MurphyRacing depends what part of Canada, as someone from Ottawa I can confirm I just went sledding yesterday and I’m about to go skiing tomorrow.
@@MurphyRacing in MB it can get cold as fuck in Jan/Feb & a lot of those days we don’t feel like braving the elements and just stay cozy in our igloos. Then its a mad rush to get all your winter activities done in march before it gets too warm in April and melts it all in a week.
I am surprised to learn Minnesotan winters are longer than Canadian winters, and we’re farther south, hmmmmmmm. It’s also an almost constant -10 or below, sometimes it gets warmer
Thanks uncle terry
Uncle Terry is the best!
That guys a legend!
*uncle terry*
You know its cold when the skiis sound like that
i know this is 2 years old but this is beyond impressive with the stopper in the middle for some DIY backyard shit
Appreciate it boss
You are awesome! I'm going to make something like this for this winter but have been stuck thinking about how to make a safety trip. You have by far the easiest and least expensive way of accomplishing this, thank you!
Man, I love this!
This is not that different from Dave McCoy's beginning in Mono County, California. [Near Crowly Lake.] It was a decline in snowfall that drove him farther up the Sierras to what became Mammoth Mountain. His "bad luck" made him rich and gave us a huge, wonderful resulting ski area.
In my family we have all been taught to ski as soon as we could walk. So we relate very well to this. Through the years all 6 of us have worked and ski'd at many ski areas. So we are cheering you on.
Michael Dougfir yes I agree
So you're saying there are benefits to global warming?
Mike Marchlik climate change its called
While the rope tow was in use he lived next to it in a small trailer........What a success story, and Mammoth, wow what a GREAT HILL
This is genius!!! I am really impressed with the safety bar thing.
The safety bar was a nice touch. Nobody looses fingers in the pulley!
What a backyard you have! 😍 Love all the safety thoughts you have. 👍 The rope, however, looks a bit slippery to me. 😙 Great work! Thanks for sharing!
It really works best if you can catch a spliced section, it's a bit thicker there!
My dad made one for us kids , he used an old rambler car , rope went around the rear rim at the rear end , put the car in gear and off it would go . Used car rims on there spindle and bolted them to the trees as rope guides . Would pull any amount of people who got got on up the hill . Everyone in the neighborhood learned how to ski at our house . Great memories.
Did you guys just lift the rope over the rims or did hands get pinched as they pass over the rims on trees?
@@MackenzieGodwin rope was up in the trees on rims and the other loop was on the ground , like a big loop. So no as the rope went around half was up above about 10 12 feet so you would just grab onto a single section of rope no pinching
When he said “motor” I had my suspicions. But once he said “garage” I knew
Immediately went to the comments when I heard garage lmao
Knew what?
@@BowzKnows you know...
@@jacobwright4653 knew WAT?
@@maknyc1539 oh come on ah you knew
i was thinking how to build one, and i couldn't get past my 4yo's hand getting sucked into the drive wheel. simple and elegant solution!
Awesome video, this is the first time I've seen an electric rope tow
Snowcrest Mountain Sports i would find a 220V motor lol. This thing is right maxed out pulling a 200lb person up the hill
Haha thanks for the heads up
Very nice, especially the kill switch. My old school could have taken a safety lesson from you. Their bus engine-powered rope tow tore up a 5th grade girl's hand to the tune of a half dozen surgeries.
You over complicated it with all that safety business haha. This is incredible! It’s pretty fast considering. Nice job.
That's awesome! I always wanted to do that, but never had a yard big enough!
Awesome, but to avoid pulling some limbs in half you should probably put a pulley in the middle of the return side so it can hold the rope out and keep that side ouf of the way of the rider. Worked alot on an actual anchor ski lift system and I might be a bit situationally afraid but every once in a while some dude throws the anchor and it snags an anchor on the return line. This often tears the wire of the rollers and are a part of the > 5 minute stops due to some climbing needed :-) Not really the same thing but I instantly though "whoa, you never go close to both sides of a wire feed system". I am just imagining a kid falling, snaging any side of the rope and then scoops up the other line which starts burning and while flailing some worse shit or death happens :-D Sorry :-D Awesome anyways!
Amazing. One brief idea might be to put a small roof over with a light under the small roof. For various reasons to help with the safety of it in undesirable weather. Or for others that might want to build one
Outstanding upcycling...bloody well done from a jealous Englishman. 👏👏👍
Thanks Terry! What a awesome idea!!! Thanks for making this video!
Mercury switch was brilliant. Why a kid would hold on to long and get hurt is ridiculous but they definitely would.
*Best backyard in history*
Was that a diamond hill? Where's the ski Lodge
double black
I wish I love double blacks.
My favorite is lower shays revenge at snowshoe
Drewskii. BTW mine is rumer at gore
The safety gate is a nice touch.
Very cool ! Maybe another safety trip switch down by the snowmobile wired in series with existing safety switch 😎
Alright, thanks for the info. I appreciate you replying so quickly.
Harry Zeimet XD
Years ago the Bump in Hamilton Ma. Was a great little hill. The three first lifts were powered by a chevy 6 with standard tranny. Had and elec cord & plug that went to coil to kill engine if someone didnt let go on time at the top. Little hut on top for the operator to stay warm. Who would then run out plug cord back in and start it up. Operator was a local teenager most of the time. Had a compressor & water pump to make snow. Imagine 4 teens at 2 in the morning making snow. Playing with the Imp snow machine & then their friends start showing up. 🤪
Was it 3 rope tows or did they have other styles of lifts?
@@MackenzieGodwin 3 1 on the south side the other two north side by side poles had lights for night & air & water lines ran up the middle. Late 70s a J bar was added to the far left it was electric.
A J bar is definitely on my list. It's a far more permanent install than the rope tow. If I could get ahold of some used t-bars i would. Resort equipment does show up used on occasion.
Epic. I'm sure it would be sick pulling the GT up too. Non stop laps.
So the mercury switch is for the safety gate I'm guessing. Very nice. I'm trying to design one for a bike. It hooks up with a rope attached to a peice of canvass on the end. They wrap the rope back around the seatpost and then sit on the canvass tag to lock it in. if they fall or stand up it releases. It will need a spring reel on it like a t bar to give someone time to hook up. Thanks for the great video, it's a bit crude but it does the job. I love low tech.
I think you did a great job for what your using it for. 👍🏻⛷❄️❄️
So jealous you have snow let alone your own ski field in your backyard!!! 😩
Fuck snow lmao
1 hp / person seems like a pretty good rule of thumb.
His motor is 1/3 have the exact same motor
@@DozeProductions Seriously? That's only a 1/3 HP motor? If so it does a great job. And if that's the case, a 1HP motor would do wonders. Sourcing the wheel might be an issue though. Anyone have a source for motors that would handle the duty?
@@ajpags built the same exact setup works great
Where’s you find the wheel?
Here before this thing blows up
will a 96 Polaris Indy work?
ridebikes as long as there is a strong tow hitch any sled should work
No it will not work
Thanks Aidan Ill try to find a 95 instead.
Darkness make sure it is the same cc and the same colour
Ok I got it all set up but it won't turn on. Gonna try to trade it for a red one.
That's pretty great. The safety bar is awesome, too.
The video is pretty old so it won't probably matter anymore I guess but I would suggest you protect or somehow cover the end of the rope that runs towards the pulley. I mean the one below, next to the anchor so no kid grabs it by mistake and runs the hand towards the pulley. Pretty ingenious I love recycling old stuff. When I was a kid my father built me a hovercraft with an old vacumm cleaner's engine.
Respect the lift.....respect the sled......RESPECT THE LINE SKIS!!
That is awesome! Always wanted to do that to hill we sled on had almost the same idea however considering we only get a decent snow once every few yrs. Just walk it or give rides back to the top with a utv.
So cool good idea with safety gate
car rims work good for rope guides.
Yes... Clap Clap Clap.. I have a hill on my farm... Must do this here in Canada also..
Safety gate was a smart touch.
thanks Terry 👍
Thanks from Norway uncle Terry
Thanks Uncle Terry
Well done man!!
good one on resourcefulness, using what you have, great idea
Thats wild! Great job
Wish I could do that in my backyard...
even had a safety shut off! im impressed sign me up
Max Goldman 'pretty damn slick' Gustafson
Nicely done
I love this! I’m gonna build one similar to this!
Nice work!
Cool, I like it. Well done.
dang it, took about one mowter, one garaj, and one uncle terry to know this guy was canadian
I’m amazed 😲
Pretty dam cool honestly
Nice setup. One thing I'd be concerned of is if a kid grabbed the wrong rope too close to the bottom pulley.
Hi u can also use 3KW electric motor with 48V Battery
Won't have enough juice i think
This reminded me the time when I was young. All the ski places in my country were run by dudes like you and had only a tiny bit more serious setups. But they ran steel cables. Visitors would have to come with their own hooks. like it this video ruclips.net/video/TQWq9gxaaow/видео.html Rider would come to the cable and hook oneself up. There is a piece of wood attached to the rope forming a T to sit on. Often somebody would fall while riding up, get that rope-seat thing wrapped around the leg and get dragged all the way up until he triggers the safety endswitch. Abrupt stop of the cable would release everyone hooked to it because lever is held on only by tension and everyone on the cable fell backwards. Also the place where cables frayed ends were fastened together would tear out a piece of your hip(or head, if you are a kid) if you were inattentive... Fun times.
This is very cool, thanks for sharing👍🏻
Perfect for kids could be a good sled run as well
Nice recycling!
Cool to build you’re own ski area.
A couple suggestions.
- just about any other rope would be better than that yellow polypropylene crap.
It’s slippery
It will fray if bent
- you’re wiring...let’s just say, I doubt it meets code.
- are you running all the power (8-10A) through that mercury switch?
Hey Siri Fail, I'm sure your criticism is much appreciated everywhere you go. This was a budget based prototype. Not for public use or constant use. Merely tested a few times. Much like a homemade gokart won't pass a crash safety test, this is not a ski area rated lift. You should take a look at the cost and splice difficulty difference between 200ft of poly rope and literally anything else, then you will understand why it's used here. Yes that mercury switch handles the power draw no problem. It was originally mounted to the motor from the factory, simply repurposed.
@@MackenzieGodwin
Sorry for the suggestions.
I had no idea you’d be so offended.
@@sirifail4499 All good, everybody learns from a good discussion.
It looks like it beats the snot out of repeatedly walking up the hill. Regardless of the low powered motor. ;)
Well done!
I wish I could ski in my backyard
The way you say “garage” is so canadian lol
Better than a $135 lift ticket.
back away from the fireworks terry
How much for a lift ticket? The prices down in Colorado are insane right now
Does the anchor have to be a 1995 polaris indy?
thanks terry
I can see a terrain park going in next
Awesome. I can get all the lift parts. But, where did you get the hill?
Smack in the middle of Saskatchewan hahaha. Pretty flat province.
Is the rubber pulley/wheel part of the Boat Lift Motor?
Correct.
I’m trying to make this happen in my back yard, but cannot figure out how to reduce my motor speed. Any suggestions? I have a 3 hp electric motor that runs at one speed, 3600rpm. I am thinking maybe a worm gear reducer is the way to go, but please let me know!
You need a 20:1 reduction with an 8" pulley. Check the specs to make sure your gearbox can handle a few hundred pounds of side load (rope tension). New video up in the next day or so showing our new setup!
Do you use gasoline in the motor? Because i want to make one but gas is expensive. What should I do?
cool idea dude!
Do you allow boarders? Me & my son are coming over! Let's build some kickers!
so you don't need a pully with counter weights to help with tension? Now I want a property with a big hill on it, just so I can have a tow rope for my kids!
The counter weight /anchor is the snowmobile. The comealong provides the tension.
Where did you get the pulley that is attached to the motor?
Looks like some lineman rigging.
Same idea was used for years at ski areas. You’re problem is possible electrical shock.
RadarNC that would take a lot of water considering the rubber wheel nylon rope no? The safety gate has a plastic sealed gravity switch and taped merrets inside the box.
Your*
There's a not so small safety issue remaining - especially for kids: If they grap the wrong rope at the bottom of the hill there fingers got get into the pulley...
Jan Schwedhelm For sure. As of now i supervise the bottom of the lift very closely. I plan to install snow fence between the two ropes, as well as beside the pulley for the bottom 5 feet. Currently the frost is too deep to drive posts in the ground, so that will have to happen each fall
Put a ground anchor in instead of the snow mobile
Not to worry, falling down sking will do more damage. Or you could just lock the kids away, until they are adults. Maybe bubble wrap.
you lucky to still have snow
Pretty cool
It looks like motor that uncle Terry took out of the garage and gave you
Why wasn't the rope moving when you were at the bottom? You pulled the rope, and all the sudden you were moving. Had the motor stalled or something, and you just had to give it a kickstart?
it never stopped, it keeps running all the time till u go through the safety gate
Old motor kicking around in the what?
Thats awesome!
Very cool. If I’m seeing that correctly the rope doesn’t move until you add friction? Does it “burn” in place where it spins on the pulley?
It always rotates. You're thinking more like a capstan style winch.
I didn't see anyone skiing down the hill. There is a hill isn't there?
Total genius
Brilliant, thank you!
@Mackenzie Godwin - any more info on the safety gate wiring and components?
Really great Idea!