Platform Gateway
Equipment
- 8 x 4m (12ft) spars
- 20 x 2.5 (8ft) spars
- 56 lashing lengths
- 4 x 10m guy ropes
- 8 very large tent pegs
Method
Prepare two identical frames using 2 x 4m (12ft) spars and 4 x 2.5m (8ft) spars as below.
Stand the frames on edge on spar AC so that AB and CD are vertical approx m (10ft) apart.
Lash 2 x 4m (12ft) spars to join the two frames at point A and point B. These are the handrails for the platform.
The sides of the platform are 2 further 4m (12ft) spars which are lashed parallel to the ones above approx 1.2 metres from the handrails spars.
The platform is formed by lashing 2.5m (8ft) spars between these two 4m spars – you will need about 12 spars, maybe more if they are of small diameter.
Ensure that they will be on top of the supporting spars when the gateway is raised.
Tie guys to the platform then raise the gateway into position. Guy it firmly and put in pegs at the bottom of each leg and lash the uprights to these pegs to stop the gateway moving.
You could either prepare a rope ladder or do as we did, and use an ordinary ladder which was firmly tied to the platform.
This is the basic gateway. We replaced spars AC with longer spars and hung lanterns on the end of them. We also embellished the gateway with some fancy ropework (diagram B) to form an arch under the platform. This was most effective and was achieved as follows: A rope was tied to each corner of the platform and a line of clove hitches tied around the leg, equidistant along it – the number of clove hitches should equal half the number of spars used to make up the platform. The bottom of the rope must be firmly anchored to the base of the leg. A long length of rope (we used 10mm polypropylene) is tied to the bottom clove hitch and taken up and round the end spar forming the platform; back through the second clove hitch from the bottom and up and over the next spar etc. This is repeated with each leg and forms a nice arch through which to walk.
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