I have used black Paracord and black dacron kite string successfully. Because they are twisted lines internally I ended up needing several swivels in the line so they could work out the twists. Some folks have used crab line.

Kiteline can be found at -> http://www.goodwinds.com/merch/list.shtml?cat=flyingline

Cheapest place for Paracord is -> http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/MHR-305

 

I have used black Paracord and black dacron kite string successfully. Because they are twisted lines internally I ended up needing several swivels in the line so they could work out the twists. Some folks have used crab line.

Kiteline can be found at -> http://www.goodwinds.com/merch/list.shtml?cat=flyingline

Thanks for the link. Received my spool of 200 lb test black Dacron line today. Think it's gonna work great.

 

What are you using for Pully's?? What are Charger Plates??

I suspect that the problem isn't with your line because that line should be sufficient. It could be a pully alignment issue or a tension issue, or even a problem with the design of the pully's you are using.

I exclusivly use Power Pro braided 80# test for the last 8 years. The catch with using such a thin line is to make sure your pullys have a smooth area for the line to run in. A lot of pully's are a two piece design with a weld bead where the line needs to run. That bead needs to be smoothed out sometimes. Otherwise it's been a challange to find affordable pullys. I also found some "Greaseable" 12" pullys that just needed some grinding to make them smooth eniough to use.

 

Thanks for the input,

Here are some pics of my set up.

I glued the metal charger plates together with JB Weld epoxy and then ran a bead of the epoxy around the seam to make sure the thin line wouldn't get pinched. While not totally smooth, I did trowl the epoxy with a rounded coffee stirrer to try to make a smooth groove for the line to run in.

As for alighment, all the pulleys are within 2" vertically of each other. Tension is provided by a 1/2 diameter utility spring, but I don't have a way to determine the pounds of pull. Don't really seem too tight to the touch.

 

Have not taken the leap to build the axworthy. Made a pully out of plates last year. Screwed mine together with machine screws and then used hot glue in the groove. As I stated, have not built it but my thouts was the hot glue would be soft enough to provide traction for the line with no hard edges. Do you think epoxy could have a hard edge? Also, how about those plates? Charger plates are usually plastic and might have some rough extruded edges. All would stress the line over time. Braided line is very durable and handles nicks well. How did you make your other pully assemblies ?

 

Take this for what it's worth, (seeing as how my ghosts were a miserable failure).

I used a metal braided wire (think back of a picture frame). Lowes has couplers to make them connect that you only need a pair of pliers to crimp. I also used these to create a loop for each ghost.

The main reason for my failure was that I didn't have anything solid to attach the pulleys to, I put them on 2x4's sunk in concrete buckets in the ground, but the poles would eventually bend inward, creating slack on the line, causing the line to fall out of the pulley.

Something like this http://www.lowes.com/pd_62933-37672-122036_0

 

Wow that truely is a work of art you made there. Very ingenious. I like it.

Looking at the pully design, I'm inclined to think that the weight of your ghosts as they pass around your pullys might cause the line to sag and make contact with the rough outer edges of your pully (Shown). It doesn't take much abrasion to sever any line, especially fishing line,

How heavy are your ghosts and how are they attached to your main line??

Sorry for the questions, it will help us diagnose what is actually going on. Like I said, My line lasts at least a year (I leave it up all year long). I usually replace the line 1 week before Halloween.

I would check your tension. You might have had it too loose which let the line sag and hit the outer rim of your pully.

I also have one of my pully's "Self align". It's mounted in trees with some heavy rope attached to a mounting plate which also holds the pully. It is allowed to go at any angle, but the axworthy line pulls it into alignment under tension. The ropes in the trees holding the plate are on tiny sail pullys and are secured at ground level with boat anchor clasps. I can adjust the tension in 20 seconds at ground level with no ladders.

I really need to do a complete video tutorial, at least as a reference.

I don't want to Hijack your thread any more than I already have, but I do have a decent Youtube video of my ghosts. I've only had 2 line failures in 1500+ hours that weren't caused by falling branches. and those two were due to leaving Tikki Torches too close to the ghosts and they got thier tails caught and the drive motor burned through the line.

 

Nice work on the homemade serving plate pulleys.

After several years of using different lines, I finally got a spool of the black crab pot cord originally mentioned by Scott Axworthy. It works great and does not stretch. It's the cord that people use for tieing to crab traps and pulling them up out of the water.

My setup uses 12" aluminum pulleys (from surplus center) with 18" aluminum serving plates attached to just the bottom sides to keep the line from dropping off the pulleys. I use about 8 inches of cord to attach my 3 ghosts to the main line so that they clear the serving plates.

 

You are probably right in that my ghosts do cause the line to sag and rub against the sides of the pully plates. I pulled the line pretty tight, although I don't know how many pounds I put on it. One pulley is spring loaded to keep tension. I may be able to increase thetnesion, but am a little concerned about how much load/moment I can put on the extended shaft of the wiper motor. I used a 1" threaded coupler to extend the shaft to get the pully to clear the motor housing and frame.

The "rough" inside shown in the picture isn't really all that rough. The rim of the metal plate was stamped with a pattern. While the underside is not perfectly smooth, I didn't think it would abrade the line that fast.

The ghosts are store bought, consisting of a large (about 4") plastic egg for a head, about 18" of wire folded into arms, covered by some material. About the lightest I could find or make, unless I went just with a styrofoam ball heaf and cheese cloth. I do want some outstretched arms rather than just a Tootsie-Pop shaped ghost.