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Kitemare stories of broken pulley/bridle death spirals have increased my attention to my pulleys and their freedom of movement at preflight. The problem is that it is difficult to free the pulleys at the launch if they are really jammed without some kind of tool, as the bridle line just slides on the slick plastic wheel, and i can't get enough grip on the wheel with my pinky finger. Is there some kind of small tool that would help that I can carry in my pocket to help spin them? Maybe like a stiff rubber stick or rod to push against the pulley wheel when trying to spin it to get more grip? I wrapped some rubber tape around a popsickle stick as a temporary measure. It works great, but maybe there is a better technique or tool/ material out there?

Take the line that runs through the pulley "pinch" it so it tightens on the pulley wheel. Wiggle the pulley a little and it should free it. Also, water will help get sand out.

later
pebbles

pebbles wrote:Take the line that runs through the pulley "pinch" it so it tightens on the pulley wheel. pebbles

I don't know why i didn't think of that. There might be enough grip on the wheel that way with the line all the way around it pulled tight. Thanks! It would be cool if they striped the pulley wheels or something to make jams more obvious when just pulling on the bridle pigtails.

Pulleys can be a real pain. I have learned to check every pulley before I launch the kite. I would say that 80% of the time the pulleys are either completely stuck or somewhat stuck. I usually get the rolling again by blowing on them, using water on them, and breaking them loose with my fingers. I will try pebbles method next time. One thing that I started doing is making sure that they working properly at the end of a session and then covering them with Velcro in order to keep all the sand away. This has definitely helped in insuring that they are loose and it forces me to go around and remove the Velcro from each of the 4 pulleys.

I wish a kite manufacture could design a pulley that would keep sand out or maybe a new product that would replace the temper mental pulleys.

Sloberdog wrote:Pulleys can be a real pain. I have learned to check every pulley before I launch the kite. I would say that 80% of the time the pulleys are either completely stuck or somewhat stuck. I usually get the rolling again by blowing on them, using water on them, and breaking them loose with my fingers. I will try pebbles method next time. One thing that I started doing is making sure that they working properly at the end of a session and then covering them with Velcro in order to keep all the sand away. This has definitely helped in insuring that they are loose and it forces me to go around and remove the Velcro from each of the 4 pulleys.

I wish a kite manufacture could design a pulley that would keep sand out or maybe a new product that would replace the temper mental pulleys.

what does "covering them with Velcro" mean, what does it look like ?

liv2surf wrote:

Sloberdog wrote:Pulleys can be a real pain. I have learned to check every pulley before I launch the kite. I would say that 80% of the time the pulleys are either completely stuck or somewhat stuck. I usually get the rolling again by blowing on them, using water on them, and breaking them loose with my fingers. I will try pebbles method next time. One thing that I started doing is making sure that they working properly at the end of a session and then covering them with Velcro in order to keep all the sand away. This has definitely helped in insuring that they are loose and it forces me to go around and remove the Velcro from each of the 4 pulleys.

I wish a kite manufacture could design a pulley that would keep sand out or maybe a new product that would replace the temper mental pulleys.

what does "covering them with Velcro" mean, what does it look like ?

Here you go:







I'm thinking of putting our new sewing machine to good use and somehow make these easier to use and more difficult to loose.

I have no trouble with the pinch and twist method.

What I would like is to have coloured stripes or a pattern on the pulley so you can see it move when you test it.

Yeah, some sort of indicator would be cool. I also use sailcote every once in awhile to keep lubed. A good thump helps too.

later
pebbles

OzBungy wrote:I have no trouble with the pinch and twist method.

What I would like is to have coloured stripes or a pattern on the pulley so you can see it move when you test it.

I agree completely, without a marking on the sheave it is hard to tell initially if it is turning or if your fingers or the pinched line is slipping. Once it starts turning freely it gets a bit earlier to tell... but a yellow line on the black sheave would be great.

Sloberdog wrote:Pulleys can be a real pain. I have learned to check every pulley before I launch the kite. I would say that 80% of the time the pulleys are either completely stuck or somewhat stuck....

I wish a kite manufacture could design a pulley that would keep sand out or maybe a new product that would replace the temper mental pulleys.

You can replace the pulleys with ones that drain sand easier and won't clog up. I've posted this before, but on my '07 bow kite I replaced the pulley shown below on the left, with the one on the right. You'll notice that the one on the right is similar in look to the pulleys you may have at your bar. For some reason, most manufacturers but the right version on the bar and the left version at the kite. I can't keep the red pulleys from binding up with sand, but the black ones never do.

Anyway, if you replace them, the pulley won't stick, it is a stronger pulley, and your bridle lines won't wear nearly as fast. Poke around and you'll find the single or double pulley that meets your needs. I think that is your best bet;