Here's a shot from the end of the zipline. Reid hits the new and improved braking system. Stronger bungee cords and a new brake block make for a safer end to the ride.
I cut a section of the cable and connected that to a tree. The bungee cords connect to that with a carabiner. The other end connects via carabiner to a wood block with a screw eye. The wood block has a 1/2" bore through which the cable runs.
I bought the bungee (and my carabiners) at REI. REI sells any length of bungie you want. For my zipline, I decided I wanted the bungee to start braking about 8' from the tree. So I bought about 48' so that I could have 3 loops of that cord connecting the tree to the trolley.
@jaspererwin -- That's funny -- good observation, though -- there are actually two sets of bungies. The white ones (which are harder to see) are attached to the tree on the left and do the actual braking. The black ones don't really do much. They simply keep the stop block from shooting back up the line after the rider hits it. I don't even use them anymore.
Also, the black bungee you see really doesn't do anything except keep the brake block from bouncing too far back up the line. I ended up doubling the white cords which ironically made for a softer brake. It turns out I was heavy enough to reach the stretch limit of the bungee, so it was a pretty scary end to the ride. By adding more bungee, I never hit a hard stretch limit, and the stop was smoother.
I cut a section of the cable and connected that to a tree. The bungee cords connect to that with a carabiner. The other end connects via carabiner to a wood block with a screw eye. The wood block has a 1/2" bore through which the cable runs.
I bought the bungee (and my carabiners) at REI. REI sells any length of bungie you want. For my zipline, I decided I wanted the bungee to start braking about 8' from the tree. So I bought about 48' so that I could have 3 loops of that cord connecting the tree to the trolley.
@jaspererwin -- That's funny -- good observation, though -- there are actually two sets of bungies. The white ones (which are harder to see) are attached to the tree on the left and do the actual braking. The black ones don't really do much. They simply keep the stop block from shooting back up the line after the rider hits it. I don't even use them anymore.
Also, the black bungee you see really doesn't do anything except keep the brake block from bouncing too far back up the line.
I ended up doubling the white cords which ironically made for a softer brake. It turns out I was heavy enough to reach the stretch limit of the bungee, so it was a pretty scary end to the ride. By adding more bungee, I never hit a hard stretch limit, and the stop was smoother.
tremendous..how did you rig the brakes with bungee cords..looks like a steel spring..any insight solicited. thanks