Rope Maker Made From Reel-Type Lawn Mower

Rope Maker Made From Reel-Type Lawn Mower FARM HOME Lawn Mowers (31h,38) 26-1-7 Orval Higdon, Vancouver, Wash., makes his own ropes with an old-style rope-maker that he made from the drive wheel gear off an old reel-type lawn mower. The rope maker stands 30 in. high and is equipped with a metal hand crank. It takes two people to operate it - one to turn the crank and one to run the guide. The drive wheel gear is enclosed by a pair of 1/2-in. thick steel plates. One of the plates welds to the top of a steel pipe that sits inside another pipe. The height of the unit can be changed by loosening a set screw and raising or lowering the inside pipe. There are three hooks on the outer face plate. Guide rings are used to keep each strand of twine separate. "I demonstrate the unit at our local county fair, where it's a big hit," says Orval. "Kids get to make their own 6-ft. long ropes. Last year I went through 100 lbs. of binder twine. It makes ropes up to 1 inch in diameter. I can use many different materials, such as baler twine, cotton, wool, rawhide, and even llama wool, to make ropes." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Orval M. Higdon, 12317 N.E. 76th St., Vancouver, Wash. 98682 (ph 360 892-4078).

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