How to Align Pulleys

A pulley is a device that allows the flow of rope over a roller for mechanical advantage when lifting and lowering heavy objects. Pulleys operate on a one-to-one ratio, meaning when you use just one pulley you are pulling the exact weight of the object. Add a second pulley and your ratio becomes two-to-one, halving the amount of weight you lift via the system. When you add pulleys to a mechanical advantage system, the pulleys need to be aligned so the rope runs along the pulley rollers in the same direction.

Things You'll Need

  • Rope
  • Pulleys
  • Carabiners
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Attach your pulleys to the enclosed mechanical advantage system by pushing open the metal slider end on the pulley. Push it up and open, then thread the rope through the roller so the rope follows the same direction as the prior pulley. Make sure the working end of the rope (the open end) is moving through each pulley in the same direction.

    • 2

      Hang the pulley to the rock, tree or pole (if using a vertical system) via a nylon webbing anchor or a piton. Use a carabiner to clip the pulley to the anchor, preventing direct contact and the potential for friction burns to the pulley attachment point or anchor.

    • 3

      Attach the working end of the rope to the weight or cargo. Pull the lifting end of the rope and add tension to the pulleys. Check that the pulleys have straightened down from the anchors and that the ropes are moving in the same, aligned direction.

    • 4

      Pull the rope hand over hand, keeping one hand on the tensioned rope at all times. Do a visual check of the pulleys every three or four hand-over-hand pulls on the rope to ensure the rope and pulleys are still aligned in the same direction.