monkers wrote:
I am helping a friend build a pig cooker out of a propane tank (about
30" in dia. by 4'long +or-) the lid is pretty heavy and I would like to
make up a spring and cable to help lift it, I just dont know how to
arrange it. Do I have to build a "mast" that would be higher than the
height of the door in the opened position, with a cable attached to the
door and going over a pulley connected to a spring with a turnbuckle?
How big of a spring should I use? I can connect it to the frame of the
cooker. Will it work without making the "mast" sticking up in mid air?
What about a pulley mounted behind the lid, attached to the spring? Any
help would be great.
Thank you,
Craig

wouldn't a counter weight be a simpler option?
I have seen them built that way, both with a stright angle iron mounted
counter weight and also saw one with a elevator cable pully to a mast
system. It seems it would be easier to adjust the right amount of
weight to make the lid lift easy than to find a spring with the right
amount of pull.