Ethan Schlussler, from Sandpoint, Idaho has built tree house in the stunning woods near his home with very unique mode of access. He has built his very own human powered elevator as a means to gain access to his recently constructed treehouse. Ethan thought it would be boring to build a 30ft ladder to the treetop platform he hopes to one day call home so he came up with rope pulley system to get him off the ground. The bicycle-powered treehouse elevator is exactly what it sounds like. And yes, it is spectacular. Almost definitely incredibly dangerous, given the risks if anything should fail mechanistically, but spectacular.
After we saw this, we admit that the bike-powered tree house elevator is the world’s coolest way to climb a tree and this gorgeous backyard tree house is a childhood dream come true. Enjoy our article and let us know what do you think.
Ironically, the 23-year-old doesn’t watch TV and hadn’t even heard about “Treehouse Masters” when he started building last summer. Within a few months, though, a producer from the popular reality TV show contacted Schlussler.
“The basic idea of using a bicycle to power the elevator came from a good friend. I was telling him that I wanted to build something more interesting, faster and easier than a ladder. We were just throwing around ideas when he suggested using a bicycle.” Starting with his mom’s old bike and a counterweight made from a water heater, he manipulated the bicycle’s gear ratio and added an extra pulley to create more advantage for lift as he fine-tuned his invention.
While making the bicycle elevator, Schlussler took advantage of re-using old scrap materials, including a broken chain from his snow blower, some old car parts, a segment of an old hand rail and an old water heater tank which he uses as a counterweight and can be easily adjusted by adding or removing water. “I did have to buy the pulleys and cable of course, all of which are far stronger than necessary,” says Schlussler. “Each of the five support pulleys is rated for at least 525 pounds [238 kg] and each of the four strands of cable is rated for more than 1,500 pounds [680 kg].”
The video below demonstrates the bicycle elevator in action and since filming it Schlussler has adjusted the treehouse entrance, making it easier for him to get off the bike and onto the treehouse deck. His amazing bicycle tree elevator has gained him fifteen minutes of fame and over one million hits on YouTube. Check out the video to see his clever invention!
