Rope pulley

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Thomas Maddox
Posts: 580
Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2021 5:23 pm
Location: Sulphur, Louisiana

I'm looking at a home made gourd rack-pole set up to possibly add next year. It says it has a rope pulley. Any of you dealt with such a set up? Thoughts? Thanks
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Martintown33
Posts: 1366
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2021 6:21 pm
Location: Laplace,La
Martin Colony History: Colony started in 1998. 2 s&k modified houses and gourd rack

Hi Thomas.. I currently am using rope pulley systems.. they work fine, but I notice as I add more gourds, and they get filled with martins and their babies, they are starting to get a bit heavy. I plan to change them out to winches and cables in the off-season, but the rope/pulleys work well… you can always change out to winches , later , if you decide..
Rob
PMCA member
Laplace, La
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Thomas Maddox
Posts: 580
Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2021 5:23 pm
Location: Sulphur, Louisiana

Thanks Rob! The system I'm looking at is 12 gourds. Hopefully, not too heavy!
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dcronwell
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue May 31, 2022 7:23 pm
Location: Florida
Martin Colony History: Panama City, FL
2026 - 24 gourds - ...
2025 - 15 gourds - 14 nests - 72 eggs - 64 fledged
2024 - 12 gourds - 12 nests - 61 eggs - 45 fledged
- Single pole 6 over 6; (4) SG R; (2) TH C; (3) TV C; (3) TV R
2023 - 12 gourds - 9 nests - 42 eggs - 36 fledged
- Single pole 6 over 6; (4) SG R; (2) TH C; (2) TV C; (2) TV R; (2) natural gourds R
2022 - 12 gourds - 11 nests - 54 eggs - 30 fledged (raccoon attack mid-season)
- Single pole 6 over 6; (4) SG R; (4) TV C; (2) TV R; (2) old Heath one piece R
2021 - 10 gourds - 4 nests - 18 eggs - 15 fledged
- Single pole 6 over 4; (4) SG R; (2) TV C; (4) TV R
2020 - (6) SG R gourds - first year; no nests but did see investigators
2018 - Hurricane Michael tore down many trees to open up habitat - set up array Feb 2020

My colony is a 12-gourd rack on a galv round pole with a fixed pulley at the top of the pole and a pulley on the rack that raises and lowers. It isn't too heavy and has worked well for several years. The pulley system is a good start in my opinion. Good luck.
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C.C.Martins
Posts: 3368
Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:15 am
Location: Corpus Christi Tx
Martin Colony History: 2016- Visitors.
2017- 5 pair. 15 fledged
2018- 18 pair. 85 fledged
2019- 17 pair. 81 fledged
2020- 25 pair. 111 fledged
2021- 28 pair. 118 fledged
2022- 33 pair. 151 fledged
2023- 33 pair. 165 fledged
2024- 40 pair. 185 fledged
2025- 40 pair. 181 fledged
HOSP:
Home colony: mix natural, super, Troyer and excluder gourds, enlarged compartment house. All SREH.

Satellite colony: Oso Bay Preserve: 49 PMCA excluder gourds; 16 room Lonestar Goliad with Modified Excluder entrances.
2019: Visitors
2020: 3 pair, 11 fledged
2021: 10 pair, 30 fledged
2022: 11 pair, 35 fledged
2023: 18 pair, 101 fledged
2024: 39 pair, 181 fledged
2025: 51 pair, 216 fledged
PMCA member

You will like it, guess it depends on how home made it is. Like the others have the PMCA gourd racks, and one lone star gourd rack with winch. Two of the racks have 12 PMCA excluder gourds, those are heavy gourds but the systems have double pulleys. Never had an issue raising and lowering. Hard to compare the two but if I had to, I like the rope and pulley.
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
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flyin-lowe
Posts: 3792
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:49 am
Location: Indiana/Henry Co.

I have 2 T 14's with winch/cable set ups and two AAA gourd racks with rope and pulley. The T 14's take a little longer to raise and lower but is slightly less work as the winch does the work. The rope/pulley set ups are a little quicker to raise and lower. I don't really mind one much more over the other.
2026 HOSP 29
2025 62 pair HOSP 20
2024 60 pair, HOSP 44
2023 60+ pair, HOSP 8
2022 60 nests with 262 eggs, HOSP 14
2021 62 pair, HOSP 9
2020 42 nest, HOSP 8
2019- 31 pair
2018- 15 pair 49 fledged
2017 3 SY pair, 12 eggs , fledged 10. 4 additional lone SY's
2016 1 pair fledged 4
2015 Visitors
2014 Visitors
2013 Moved 6 miles, 1 pair fledged 2.
2012 30 pair fledged 100.
2011 12 pair 43 fledged.
2010 5 pair 14 fledged.
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Dave Reynolds
Posts: 2444
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 4:35 pm
Location: Little Hocking, Oh.
Martin Colony History: Satellite Site “Oxbow Golf Course”..
2018 - 15 Pair, 36 Fledged
2019 - 26 Pair, 97 Fledged
2020 - 30 Pair, 137 Fledged
2021 - 30 Pair, 144 Fledged
2022 - 27 Pair, 125 Fledged
2023 - 31 Pair, 130 Fledged
2024 - 41 Pair, 198 Fledged
2025 - 44 Pair, 168 Fledged

Home Site "Little Hocking, Ohio".
2019 - 1 Pair, 5 Fledged
2020 - 1 Pair, 4 Fledged
2021 - 8 Pair, 36 Fledged
2022 - 13 Pair, 46 Fledged
2023 - 16 Pair, 84 Fledged
2024 - 22 Pair, 104 Fledged
2025 - 28 Pair, 83 Fledged

I have one wooded rope and pulley rack with 16 gourds. The wooden home made rack was not to bad to raise and lower, until I started getting in my sixties. I still have and use the wooden rope and pulley system but, I switch the pulleys over to two "Double Pulley" system to make it a lot easier .. And it helped a lot with the weight.. Good Luck

Dave
PMCA Member
Little Hocking, Ohio
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Thomas Maddox
Posts: 580
Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2021 5:23 pm
Location: Sulphur, Louisiana

Thanks for the replies. I have a winch on my Trendsetter house and really like it. A local place makes steel poles that comes with a rope pulley and it comes with a really good price that I'm thinking I can't pass up.
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