Bicycle Powered Tree House Elevator

[@TheUninator]

Thank you! Yes, I did more or less freelance this project, as you put it. Of course I had to use physics and obey is laws when building it, but I didn't use any math or calculations, just my basic understanding of how things work. I have never taken a physics class, but I still have a pretty good understanding it from observing and building things like this. :)

[@FabianoCruzAnimations]

"And if you are not that capable, you probably shouldn't be trying to build something like this..." In other words: "Nah, I ain't going to teach you to build this

[@TheUninator]

You are welcome to try it however you want, but the "traction cable" going over the pulley at the top does reduce the force required on the pedaling, because it creates twice the length of cable to be spooled in the same distance of vertical lift. I originally had it just going to the top without a pulley, but it was too difficult to pedal. Below the tube that the cable runs through, there is a pulley to re-direct the cable to the rear wheel.

[@TheUninator]

The cable that spools around the wheel accounts for two of the four cables, because it goes over a pulley at the top and back down to the bicycle to make pedaling easier. The other two cables, at front and rear, go over and through the tree house and come together at the counterweight. If each one had its own weight, it would allow the front or rear of the bicycle to go up faster or slower than the other end depending on weight distribution.

[@Monyornothin]

Just saw your appearance on Treehouse Masters. I was happy to see you get some publicity as I have seen your bike elevator before and I think it's an awesome idea. Great design on your tree house and how ironic using the tire tube to seal the leak !

[@TheUninator]

The pulleys at the front and rear of the bicycle go over four pulleys on the roof structure to a counterweight of about 100 pounds, which also helps stabilize the bicycle as it goes up. The other cable spools up on the rear wheel, and runs over a pulley at the top and back to the bicycle frame for added advantage and ease of pedaling. The gear ratio has also been changed to make pedaling easier. On decent, speed is modulated simply by using the brake on the rear wheel.

[@robclijnk6996]

Respect! The world need brains like yours...

[@OK55OK55OK]

All you need to improve this is a shorter chain to hold it down. Great idea, I've always wanted to build an elevator, but, intend to use counterweights only. Yours is great! good work!

[@nuelaguirre5390]

Did I just see a bear at 0:16 at the top left corner??

[@sajidullah]

+Emmanuel Aguirre either a bear or a goat ...but must be a bear

[@TheWizardofOblivion]

One of the cooler things Ive seen on the tube. Thanks dude, now I just have to have one! Really cool idea! btw- nice tree house too.

[@7positron7]

Dude, this is the embodiment of awesomeness!!!!! Could you please show us your tree-house? :)

[@TheUninator]

It is now. It was originally a 20-something speed bicycle, but first gear wasn't slow enough, so I cut the large sprocket off the front, and welded it on the rear to get a lower gear. I also had to do away with the de-railers and make a new chain tensioner.

[@ZTubeUserName]

Your tree house is Awesome! The bike is so much faster than the ladder!

[@nikipontes]

That's amazing! Plus, I've seen your pictures on building the house. Wow. I am really impressed with your job! Congratulations. Now imagine if people started to live like this? haha

[@Cohonees]

Interesting solution plus I must give you guys creds for a extremely well made tree house!

[@pshapiro]

Ingenious. Beautifully constructed.

[@trixiestorm4577]

You would be wrong. He lived with his great grandmother, and there was no one to help him. He did build it himself, he WAS 12, and the following Sept, without ever seeing one, he build an incubator to hatch chicken eggs that worked, only knowing what temp, humidity it had to maintain. He made it out of a wine barrel using parts from a toaster oven. Now he does industrial projects for others. Here's a link to a crane he built for a museum ship. Scroll down to see the pics and all.

[@lazlopink]

This is wonderful! I wonder how difficult it would be to mount your system to a small platform to allow the easy transport of cargo or passengers. I now have both tree house and elevator envy.

[@bsstry]

0:16 - The best escape from the bear EVER!

[@cynthiachan913]

You were on an episode of treehouse masters

[@bellowphone]

The first time I watched this, my jaw went slack, and the second time I watched it, I just started laughing for pure joy.

[@Camerashooter]

Great design...that's what I like about "backyard engineers" they never stop thinking. The counterbalance makes it look rather effortless.

[@candisbrendel7396]

now that was slick Ethan!! you know the show tree house masters? you need to apply for a job with those guys!! you would take over real fast as the lead builder VERY COOL DUDE!!!

[@alexardov]

Really cool Ethan and very well spotted zoinks!

[@SteveDonie]

Well, we got our version of the elevator finished last night, but we are having some significant problems that I was hoping Ethan could help me with. I did take your advice and run the traction cable up and around a pulley and then back down. The bike that we used has a coaster brake - it appears you are using a 'conventional' multi-speed rear freewheel. Did you do anything special to the wheel? Do you know what your gear ratio is? The main problem we are having now is that the cable comes unspooled from the read wheel - what are you doing to prevent that? It appears you may have some sort of cable tensioner near the bottom pulley - is that true, or is that just a guide? I'll post a video of what we have soon!

[@TheUninator]

I would have to see it to be certain, but I don't think the coater brake would pose a problem. If anything it might be a bit safer. Mine was originally a 21 speed bike, I believe, but it is now a fixed gear, because I swapped the largest sprocket from the front to the rear for lower gearing. I don't know what the ratio is precisely, but it is slower than 1:1, maybe something like 1.4:1... that's just a guess. Either way, it is lower than anything you will find on a standard bicycle, so you pedal at a higher frequency of rotation than the rear wheel. You could use a higher gear, but it would require a heavier counterweight. Speaking of counterweights, I would recommend something that is adjustable. I used an old water heater tank, which can be adjusted by adding or removing water. The cable unspooling or slipping off the rear wheel is certainly the largest issue I still have, but it is reduced by a pulley to guide the cable as close to the wheel as possible. Since the video, I have partially redesigned the bike. Now the drive cable runs around a pulley just below the and in front of the handlebars, through the headset and top frame tube along the length of the bike, and around another pulley which is nearly touching the rear wheel. I did this modification for various reasons, such as comfort and aesthetics, but it also helps keep the cable from coming off the wheel, though it can still happen with an inexperienced rider... I can think of two ways to completely negate this issue: 1) Have something that creates a bit of drag and tension on the cable and possible the rear wheel, so there is never slack in the system, though this would also create extra friction, which means more energy is required to lift the bicycle. 2) Completely enclose the rear wheel in a fender-like structure that would make it physically impossible for the cable to slip off the sides of the wheel. The bottom line for me, is that it just isn't an issue 90% of the time, and basically never for me personally. I could fix it, but I just don't feel the need to right now. I hope this helps, and good luck! :)

[@SteveDonie]

Ethan Schlussler Thanks for all the details! I added a 1/2" square guide tube to the bottom of ours, and then a flat steel piece that rubs very lightly against the wheel - that helped a lot with the unspooling. I considered a completely enclosed option, but it seems like way too much work, and would be difficult to fabricate. The coaster brake is working well. We still need to tweak the counterweight, and we definitely need to improve the gear ratio. Right now we have been testing it by having a couple of helpers haul down on a rope attached to the counterweight to help going up. There's a video up on Facebook: facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152056101923523

[@ecko3r]

I'd actually like to see more of the tree house. Cool lift though!

[@everyday1968]

That is one of the best things I have EVER seen in my lifetime!

[@zoobiewa]

Yes! This is just what we need for an indoor treehouse we are building out of recycled electrical conduit!

[@fitmtnmama]

the ride down seems interesting. Can you hoist yourself up with stuff? As in- groceries etc?

[@1viva]

Pretty ingenious "elevator". Now, can we please see inside?!. Looks like a cool place. Congrats! :-)

[@thewiikster]

That is an incredible setup you have

[@TheUninator]

I've certainly considered this idea, and I may work on it some day, but it would add a great deal of complexity...

[@daltondogger]

Very cool and the tree house is really cool.

[@toddoz7537]

Ethan, Looking forward to seeing this next week. Your across the road neighbors Todd & Liz , Owen and Charley.

[@HigherPlanes]

that bear knows what you guys are doing up in the tree house.

[@seattleheretic]

Nicely done. Obviously you have some kind of braking system. Details on that and how the pulley system works would be nice.

[@gagelove24]

Amazing Idea! what if you could design it as a ride on, ride off system. Your could make your bike unique to your elevator system and it could essentially be the key to your treehouse.

[@kronnie1000]

great position wit the boulder, great safety net for when the ropes break...

[@samtemplar]

That is fücking awesome. Nice treehouse. The bike just needs a basket and ET on the front.

[@Capnmax]

Brilliant. Now you just need panniers or a luggage rack for groceries!

[@TheFishingGuideGuy]

bad ass vids. i like the snow ones. we dont get snow like that in texas. i just watched this on tree house masters ( its a show, with pete, he went to the tree house) i applaud you man..

[@TheFishingGuideGuy]

i subbed

[@athiker7209]

What percent of the operators weight is the counter balance weight? I assume the smaller cable is attached to the rear wheel rim and coils up on it, which allows to the brake to slow the descent. Pretty neat idea! A very light person may only need to sit and may go up automatically, however coming down may be a problem for them.

[@johntelogic6549]

Good timing escaping that bear at 0:17.

[@amt253]

This needs to be in a movie NOW.

[@Michaelichaelmay]

I'm shocked by how much I freaking love this.

[@minimootoo]

Tree house: awesome, elevator: awesome, bear in your backyard: super awesome!!!

[@TheUninator]

Unfortunately, I did not engineer it to be used by more than one person at a time. It cannot be lowered from the top because of the counterweight, which is necessary to make pedaling possible on the way up. I thought about it for a long time, but decided that it was not critical enough to be worth all the extra engineering. There will always be some sort of backup system anyway, such as a ladder, for other people to use.

[@jcalerre]

That's really cool and he has to give a tour when the treehouse is finished. Though I would still have a ladder. Just in case.

[@RainbowZen999]

(That was a dog, not a bear) That bicycle elevator is such a great invention, & if you rig it up so it generates electricity & charges a battery, every time you use it it will be even more awesome.

[@TheUninator]

The counterweight is somewhere around 100 pounds, and the rider (me) is 145 pounds. You assume correctly. I have not had a very light person try it yet, but yes, it could pose a bit of a problem.

[@TheElectrix777]

pretty slick, tree house is cool too, good job!!!

[@SharpLady53]

Very clever! Congratulations!

[@MikeClarke85]

Some bear just casually walking by. WTF!? lol

[@the1stMoyatia]

What's with the comments about a Bear? The Bike Powered elevator is the best thing I ever saw so far on KZbin! XD

[@AdeptFitness]

Do you have a video that tours the treehouse? It looks amazing.

[@mattadams6996]

Eathon I like your thinking, you may like this for your next project? check out the bicycle powered hot air balloon, a smaller balloon(1 man size) propelled by pedal power to the propeller, please let me know if you like it and if you're going to build one? ripstop nylon for the canopy is fairly cheap.thank you Matt

[@KingKron360]

very cool hope u get the finishing touches done and show us how u do

[@SEXYLADYWOLF]

Awesome! Love to see it done! Contragulations!

[@rorystimpson2733]

I know you said you weren't looking to make a tutorial, but i was really interested in doing this and i could use some starting pointers. I couldn't quite see how you attached the cords to make the pedals power the bike up. If you could explain that would be super helpful!

[@TheUninator]

If you scan the comments on here (I know, there are a lot), you will find that I have answered a lot of questions about the bicycle elevator and how it works. That said, I am not sure if there is an answer to this specific question just yet. The cable that lifts the bike (not the ones going to the counterweight) is attached to the hub of the rear wheel, goes through the hole where the valve stem once was, wraps around the wheel as it is turned by the pedals, is redirected by a pulley through the top frame tube of the bicycle (this is how it is now, which is slightly different from what you see in the video due to ongoing modification), through another pulley in front of the handlebars to direct it up to the tree house, where it goes around yet another pulley and finally back down to the bicycle frame near the rear. It is important to have most or all of the cable attachment point well above the center of gravity of the bicycle and rider. If the attachment points are below the center of gravity, the bicycle could flip over laterally.

[@earthkeyper]

Too Cool! I think the look at the top was like, yea, bad ass huh.

[@prwexler]

Pretty slick. What if two people want to get into and out of the tree? If the "elevator" is downstairs, is it possible to pull it up to the tree without actually being on it?

[@margauxbirdsall9079]

Haha, that's not a bear, that's his dog :) Significantly nicer than a bear

[@ItsBumbles]

South American Tree House Elevator: CHOP TREE DOWN. IT'S AT GROUND LEVEL NOW.

[@naudikuslewis3509]

why does almost everybody hate this video because I really really really really really love it this video I hope you make more because this video is awesome

[@IowaDudes]

If you ever forget to clip the chain to the rock you're in trouble, lol

[@baddoggie101]

Very cool. I love to see clever stuff like this.

[@TheUninator]

I could carry a small amount of stuff with me, but too much weight would make it difficult. The counterweight is only about 100 pounds, so the more weight you add to the bicycle side, the more difficult it is to pedal.

[@jill20095]

Saw this on tree house masters, so cool.

[@TheUninator]

Treehouse Masters is actually coming out to film this with me sometime on October. :)

[@TiagoBarufi]

Kudos, man. That was beautiful.

[@MaskedDuchess]

Thats amazing! What happens if you forget to tie up the bike though? How would you get back up?

[@PineappleKickFR]

The level of magic is amazing.

[@BeFrisson]

Dogs do walk like that, so do most large four legged animals xD

[@johnsands810]

HOW THIS WORKS: back wheel has the tire missing and has a cable wrapped in the groove. When he pedals, it is like reeling in a fishing line, except the line is anchored to the tree house so he rises. There is a metal tube in the middle which contains the cable. only the left middle cable pulls him up. outside 2 are attached to counterweights. Looks like he had a mishap and the welds holding the back of the bike up broke, so he added a heavy chain and right middle cable as backup.

[@AdinaIspas]

Are you the guy from the "Treehouse Masters" episode? Ha, brilliant stuff! I thought I would have a hard time finding you online. I forgot what era we're in. Anyway, I'm now your fan. I grew up with "Macgyver" on tv. Brilliant work, man! And the... the... "dynamic roof mount"! YAAAASSS! :D I think you might have some Dacian ancestry there (dé Danaan).

[@tonny1351]

BEAR? "just passing by your cool treehouse dont pay attention to me"

[@candisbrendel7396]

now that is cool!! let us know what they say ok, good show hopefully right? thanks for your fast reply, most youtubers don;t even bother

[@Ryan_1997]

haha the way he made his face expression going down.

[@selador11]

Is it allowed by law for me to say that is just too cool! ??? You go, kid! I think I would put a post in the ground next to the rock, to provide a place to hang that hook, and keep it within easy reach, for after you descend. How do you get the bike back down to the next person if you want more than one person in the treehouse?

[@Scarletdevilist]

It's so good, his friend didn't even have time to say "Incredible"

[@DukeOfWupass]

Awesome, though you might want a safer way to climb onto the platform other than over/thru that guardrail. Perhaps a gate that be closed again to prevent any gap for when people are walking around.

[@its4theshah]

that is awesome :) have fun in your tree house

[@Jesus-gy7li]

This is clinically hilarious.

[@JohnKkim96]

I think I'm more impressed about the actual tree house. A child's dream

[@TheUninator]

The counterweight rests on the ground when the bicycle is at the top, therefor the bicycle hangs at perfect height and stays there. I built it that high because the tree was not large enough for me to build it higher...

[@FuriousCoder]

Better than Myst. Nice work!

[@tenhirankei]

Did you come up with this on your own or have you studied engineering in college? Genius in simplicity! Hurry up and get the patent.

[@daggett588525]

The theme from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial just popped in my head!

[@asid2012]

Super cool. Very creative

[@Megashanny100]

0:17, bear just photobombs the whole video

[@StinoFtw]

At the very beginning of the video it is a cat, but at 0:16 it's definitely a bear.

[@SteveDonie]

I am starting to build a replica of this, and it seems to me that what I am calling the 'traction cable' that spools around the wheel does not need to go around a pulley and back down to the bike. The pulley just re-directs the force down, but doesn't reduce the force required. I was also wondering if you had done anything to reduce friction in the area where the traction cable makes the turn from vertical around to the rear wheel.

[@89Valkyrie]

This is one of the most creative contraptions i have seen in a while. I'm wondering something though; did you just free lance this awesome project or did you used physics to help you construct this apparatus and its mechanism?

[@ShawnFaherty]

You need a crank system at the top so you can reset the bike for another rider to come up. But the bike would have to unravel the cable from the wheel so that might be too tricky to do.

[@Duckifyable]

This is the best thing I have ever seen

[@Iife]

"Hello? Cops? Yeah you're not gonna believe this, but my elevator has been stolen."

[@poetlionheart]

You are one very clever fellow!

[@theadventurenextdoor]

This is really, really cool.

[@naturallyrational]

Just curious to know...when u get to the top do u have something to hold the bike in place while u get off it? And why did u build it up so high? Awesome job!

[@alisgiaunole43]

This is a really cool idea! Do you have plans available, and how would one get them?