Pioneering

Building a continuous line crane.

This is ideal for indoors or outdoors. Split each patrol in half then each half builds a free standing ‘tripod’ at each end of the hall. Use 8-foot spars for the uprights.

The continuous line is obviously twice the length of the gap between the tripods.

The ‘crane line’ has a hook on the end and has to be long enough to cross the gap between the tripods too. The pulley it goes round is tied to the continuous line by a short piece of sisal.

Thus the teams can work together to move that pulley towards either tripod by pulling the continuous line, while the crane line can raise or lower the hook.

The task is to lift a packet of crisps, placed in a small bucket, by hooking the bucket handle, and getting the bucket to one of the tripods. Then set a line of enough tubs for one for each Scout under the continuous line. Then, of course the full tub had to be hauled up and along one way or the other. Who gets the first one? Various flavoured crisps also made for difficult decisions!

• Useful Pioneering Link -
  www.mag-net.com/scouts/pg/gadgets.htm