$1300

Structure
Climbers is a vertical helical track, 9" high, with fourteen turns,containing seven 1/2" diameter balls. The balls are enclosed between turns of the helix so that they cannot fall out. Exits at top and bottom are closed. A rod end bearing (resembling a universal joint) is mounted on a pyramidal pedestal below the helix. A rod mounted inside the helix near the bottom projects downwards into the pedestal after it is mounted through the vertical hole in the rod end. The end of the rod fits into another rod end mounted eccentrically on a 10 RPM motor shaft. As the shaft turns the helix describes a circular waggling motion, not rotation, like the motion of the hips of a hula hoop user. This motion tilts the track progressively, causing the balls to climb to the top.
 
Effect
What follows is a typical scenario. Note that any particular sequence is seldom repeated. The action is random: Balls one through seven start together from base camp. At turn 3, ball 7 breaksaway from the group and returns to base. The others push on, but at turn 8 balls 5 and 6 break away but do not achieve the momentum needed to descend all the way. They stop together at turn 7 and begin again to climb one turn of the helix below balls 1 through 4. All goes well until the 11th turn. Ball 4 cannot go further, and rolls back to strike ball five. This impact causes ball 6 to shoot backwards and roll quickly back to collide with 7. 4 and 5 continue upward behind 1,2 and 3, while 6 strikes 7 on the 4th turn, which sends them both down to base. 1,2 and 3 reach the summit, gaze at the view for a moment, then hasten downwards to collide with 4 and 5, still plodding upward. But this does not halt their progress. All 5 balls continue to the summit, then quickly separate and roll downwards to collide in turn with 6 and 7 on the 6th turn, and are halted by them. All seven balls continue to climb together, and so on in infinite variation

For information about purchasing, please contact Dick Cretser: 607-387-5242 or cretser@htva.net