If the trebuchet is to be designed for maximum throwing distance, a question arises: At what point during its trajectory should the projectile be released? The trebuchet is an ancient siege engine used for throwing large rocks. It is a hinged counterweight trebuchet in which the counterweight hanger is placed on the top of the arm and the arm is pointed in the forward throwing direction when cocked. While designers of the Middle Ages had to rely largely on intuition or trial and error to build their trebuchets, modern builders have many helpful tools available. This is probably the most exciting part of investigating how trebuchets work: actually building one! - History and details of the trebuchet, - Plans and directions for building a small trebuchet, http://www.io.com/~beckerdo/other/trebuchet.html. Next, press the "Simulate" button located under the inputs. Thanks. ground, 6. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. If you are trebbing and run out of wood or iron, you can keep repairing the trebuchet up to 2500/5000 health with only one of the mats! Gravity. An easier way to do it might be to find the Lagrangian of the system, KE-U, and find the equations of motion from that. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. . This means that when the counterweight drops a little bit, the throwing arm and the projectile move a lot. You may print and distribute up to 200 copies of this document annually, at no charge, for personal and classroom educational use. (Hill, Donald R.: Trebuchets, in: France, John: Medieval Warfare, p. 277-278) Whereas another scholar notes that modern replicas suggest a range in the order of only 100-120 m, which would be about the same as the traction trebuchet. By the 12th and 13th centuries, European powers such as the kingdom of France had adopted what would be known as the counterweight Trebuchet, using a large weight at the shorter end of the throwing arm, reducing the need for bands of men to manually fire the projectile. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Once the arm was in place, the projectile would be loaded into a cup at the end of the arm. Rolling wheels prevent the crushing lurch. In addition to building prototypes of a trebuchet, you can also use physics calculations or even a computer simulation to help you design it to have the best range. https://youtu.be/Hb05YVnp0Tw. Some of this energy (not all) will be transformed to kinetic energy of the projectile. However, counterweight trebuchet was almost never used in ancient China, and traction trebuchet has been the mainstream for thousands of years. Internet: http://www.trebuchet.com, [Oct. 11, 2006]. 2020 by History University. The arm then jerks forward and releases the projectile from the sling. [7] Encyclopedia Britannica. One of the most advanced siege engines used in the Middle Ages was the trebuchet, which used a large counterweight to store energy to launch a payload, or projectile. Read the documentation or contact us. Image from an illuminated manuscript depicting a Byzantine traction trebuchet at a siege of a citadel, 11th century. . Record the distance and time on a piece of paper, 8. It is assumed that the usage of heavy missile throwers was far greater in siege warfare in the Middle East than in Western Europe. The animation below shows the motion of the trebuchet as it is fired. One of these more modern designs is the . One of the most advanced siege engines used in the Middle Ages was the trebuchet, which used a large counterweight to store energy to launch a payload, or projectile. A contemporary image of a trebuchet being loaded SOURCE: medievalists.net. Do you need to build a miniature trebuchet that fits on a tabletop? Figure 1, below, shows a modern reconstruction of a trebuchet. Its role is destroying buildings at long range. These improvements helped the trebuchet maintain dominance on the battlefield. recommend you keep the infill high for the pegs, and decently high for the legs, arm, and base. One of the last recoded uses being in 1521 at siege of the Aztec capital Tenochtitln by the Conquistador Hernn Corts, where gunpowder was extremely limited which forced the Spanish forces to use more 'primitive' techniques. The beam ratio of the Counterweight Trebuchet was also around 5:1 or 6:1. In order to change the trajectory of the projectile, the operators had the option of either angling the whole machine or changing the angle of the crossbar [1]. They work great over a huge range of mass ratios. General advice is that the optimal ratio is 133:1. Thus, the counter-weight trebuchet had to be constructed with a stronger beam, which reduces its effectiveness quite considerably. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. The traction trebuchet, which was a rather simple design were the force for firing was provided by men pulling down ropes. The trebuchet had a problem of sagging to one side, so I made some guy wires to hold everything relatively straight. Edward called upon his master castle builder, James of St. George to oversee to construction of a massive trebuchet that would be able to hurl 300 pound projectiles at the walls. Due to its low accuracy when targeting units it is ineffective against them. One can expect that only a limited number of these special stones were available and used. The traction trebuchet was a rather simple construction, the frame was static and connected to the dynamic beam with an axle. [Weapons 101] Trebuchet - How they work - Traction & Counterweight Trebuchets Medieval Equipment Military History Visualized 190K views 6 years ago How to Operate a Mini Trebuchet Joe Staggs. Other articles where trebuchet is discussed: catapult: An exception was the medieval trebuchet, powered by gravity. From what we know it seems that counter-weight trebuchets were used with heavier missiles. Whatever you decide you want to launch with your trebuchet, your counterweight should be from 100 to 133 times the weight of your projectile. Military History Visualized Offical Homepage for the YouTube Channel. Kaffa was a port city, so the disease soon spread across the Mediterranean and into European ports [3]. What is the best ratio for a trebuchet? The catapult consisted of a solid base with a pivoting arm that would be pulled down and locked into place [1]. Internet: http://www.ripcord.ws, [Oct. 11, 2006]. By stlfinder.com. The http://imgur.com/CntygEE https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebuchet Print instructionsCategory: Mechanical Toys Summary I rebuilt this Trebuchet design in Rhino, made it easier to 3d print. Bernhard Kast is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Edit Rate (0) Tags Discuss History Files . General advice is that the optimal ratio is 133:1. (France, John: Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades 1000-1300, p. 119; Hill, Donald R.: Trebuchets, in: France, John: Medieval Warfare, p. 271-272) It was the dominant form of artillery in Western warfare during the period of 1000 to 1300 AD. Science Buddies Staff. The Counterweight Trebuchet was more complex, instead of men pulling down the beam, another axle with a counterweight was fixed on the end of the beam. Yet, the highest given number in the records was up to 1200 men, which sounds ludicrously high. Trebuchet Essay. All weapons have their pros and cons with the trebuchet having its fair share of both. Trebuchet. Internet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebuchet, [Oct. 11, 2006]. In other words, as long as the release angle is roughly correct, the trebuchet will function as intended. the design and manufacturing of trebuchets changed little, once the counterweight had been added to the design, the overall look and effectiveness of the weapon varied little between time periods and the people using them. Now, one drawback of the Traction Trebuchet was that the men operating the machines had a varying pull on the ropes, thus the firing range was likely changed from shot to shot even without accounting for exhaustion. Hurl those stones. Whereas the payload was quite varied from 1 kg up to 59 kg (2 lbs to 130 lbs). The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. Anyone who has played Age of Empires (this includes me, yes), will know exactly what a trebuchet is, and what it does. Log in, tune into the Craftsman facebook page and click the Experience tab, Build Your Own RC Rock Crawler For Backyard Off-Road Fun Or Just Watch Videos Of Other People Doing It, How to Fix A Dent On Your Car: Hairdryer and A Can Of Compressed Air, How to Change a Macbook Pro battery Quickly and Easily With Kite String, Fun with Shoe-Goo: Reinforcing Skate Sneakers With Leather Scraps, Wonderfully Simple Joby Gorillapod Broken Leg Fix, How I Fixed My Shaking iPhone 6S Plus Rear Camera, Catapult madness at the Craftsman Makecation, This beer-powered Slug trap Totally Works. [4] Trebuchet.com. The longer end of the beam would hold the projectile while the shorter end would hold a counter weight [2]. Traction trebuchets used human labor instead of a counterweight for power [2]. A trebuchet works by using the energy of a falling (and hinged) counterweight to launch a projectile (the payload), using mechanical advantage to achieve a high launch speed. Larger trebuchets would have large 'hamster' style wheels on the side of them, allowing men to run inside them to winch down the large arm where the projectile would be added, a pin would then be removed throwing the large arm upwards. With the sling in place, the crew just has to change the angle of the sling and the projectile will be aimed at its new target. made broke, the connection between the new axle and the arm was loose and It does not store any personal data. Bernhard Kast is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk. These super weapons are the result of over two millennia of trial and error that began with the development of the trebuchet. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Using a parametric sweep, you could easily examine the effect of changing other physical lengths in the model (while keeping the counterweight at fixed height for consistency). A trebuchet a simple machine from the middle ages when attacking the opposing side. Adult supervision is required when building and operating a trebuchet. How closely do they match? (Hill, Donald R.: Trebuchets, in: France, John: Medieval Warfare, p. 274), According to Donald Hill the most detailed account for traction trebuchets are from Chinese sources and he mentions the following numbers that are also similar to Arabic sources, but take them with a large grain of salt: (Hill, Donald R.: Trebuchets, in: France, John: Medieval Warfare, p. 274) Before you start building a trebuchet, ask yourself the following questions to help you pick a design: What factors can increase the range of a real trebuchet, based on the one you build and test? The floating arm trebuchet uses a counterweight held on top of a tall drop channel to transfer potential energy into kinetic energy. The quantity s is shown along the projectile trajectory, and it represents the throwing distance that would follow from releasing the projectile at a certain point on this trajectory. For centuries, the trebuchet was the most powerful war machine in the world. Counterweight trebuchet was invented by Muslims, and then the Mongols introduced it into the Chinese battlefield and used it to capture China's Xiangyang, that is, the special unit of the Mongolian campaign. und Partner des Werbeprogramms, das zur Bereitstellung eines Mediums fr Websites konzipiert wurde, mittels dessen durch die Platzierung von Werbeanzeigen und Links zu amazon.de Werbekostenerstattung verdient werden knnen. The lead attached to the NOVA-built, fixed-weight trebuchet weighed a hefty six-and-one-half tons. Our team of volunteer scientists can help. (France, John: Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades 1000-1300, p. 123-124; Hill, Donald R.: Trebuchets, in: France, John: Medieval Warfare, p. 275-279). . While the trebuchet is bieng launched, time the throw from when the Thus, although it was a rather simple machine, the handling required quite some training and coordination. The Trebuchet works functional but the connection between each parts seems weak and need to be improved. The same counterweight but without supports. This allows the longer projectile arm to move 4 times as far for each . The ratio between the counterweight and the payload is important, and this may dictate the size of your trebuchet. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. On the other hand, at the 3:1 ratio there was just the right balance In use for almost 1000 years, the medieval version of the Chinese trebuchet transformed the battlefield thus changing the world forever. (France, John: Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades 1000-1300, p. 123). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The trebuchet is a large siege weapon that you might recognize from movies set in the Middle Ages or fantasy worlds. From this equation it is clear that the greater the gravitational potential energy of the counterweight therefore the greater the mass of the counterweight m1, and the greater the height to which it is raised/ falls through h, and the smaller the mass of the projectile, m2, the greater the initial velocity of the . Why is it a complicated design? The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Hill states about the Counterweight Trebuchet: A large counterweight trebuchet. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The word Trebuchet comes from the old French 'Trebucher' meaning 'to throw over', and that is exactly what medieval siege weapons like trebuchets were designed to do. listed if standards is not an option). To throw the payload as far as possible, how long should the beam be? The beam ratio of the Counterweight Trebuchet was also around 5:1 or 6:1. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot. (Hill, Donald R.: Trebuchets, in: France, John: Medieval Warfare, p. 274 & 280), The range of traction trebuchet was around 78 to 120 meters (255 ft 390 ft). From a 14th century siege (Tlemecen) marble missiles were recovered, the largest had a weight of 230 kilograms (510 lbs). CW stands for counterweight, and the release . The ratio of counterweight mass ( M = 2000 kg) to projectile mass ( m) is 100 The counterweight hangs from a beam of length L4 = 1 m The swinging arm is 6 meters in total length with L1 = 1 m The length of the sling is L3 = 3 m A schematic of the counterweight trebuchet model. There are basically two types of trebuchets, the traction trebuchet, which was operated by men pulling ropes and the counterweight trebuchet, which provided the necessary force by using a counterweight. So, if you are in the business of designing trebuchets for medieval kings, you should pay attention to this design parameter. The long sling, basically provided an almost weightless extension of the beam, thus providing the additional force that compensated for the increased weight of the beam. Ideally a ratio of around 100/1 ballast to projectile weight should be used, this results in . This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. A subreddit dedicated to the discussion of Conan Exiles, the open-world survival game set in the Conan the Barbarian universe! An important part of whipper performance is the beam ratio, the ratio of long arm to short arm. Counterweight powered trebuchet where the counterweight is directly attached to the short arm. The counterweight is usually very heavy and provides the mechanical force to fire. YAQUMW The Mini Counterweight Trebuchet with Wheel Europe Medieval Siege Chariot Catapult Weapons DIY 3D Wooden Puzzles Mechanical Model Kits for Adults STEM Projects Tabletop Toys Birthday Gift. Drill a small hole into the back end of the swing arm about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the end. The sheer size and potential destructive force, forced a well supplied garrison to give up on an incredibly important castle, showing just how dangerous trebuchets could be. Enjoy! So it's easier now to fill it with anything you want. between leverage and speed of the arm to achieve the highest velocity. m1 is the mass of the counterweight in kilograms (kg). Do you have time to do a fancy design, or do you need to build one quickly? also different stuff as counterweight. A f2k trebuchet has an arm that rides on wheels, which roll forward on rails, while the weight bar running through the arm falls down in a vertical groove. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. As you can see in my sons video, above, the projectile never swings backward beyond its starting point, reducing the danger to bystanders behind the trebuchet. it will likely jam, but the counterweight or the arm might also strike the frame. - Theory and mathematics of trebuchets, http://www.algobeautytreb.com/ This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The counterweight is raised and the trebuchet is cocked. and still have enough energy to throw the projectile at a high velocity. One is the frame, one is the swing arm, and one is the set of moving parts. I chose the most obvious coordinate system, using three angles, but perhaps a Cartesian system is easier. Furthermore, a mechanism for pulling down and fixating the long arm was added, which was usually a winch. Science Buddies Staff. Edward I of England, who had spent months battering the walls of the castle with massive stone and lead projectiles, was becoming sick of the siege going nowhere. Accuracy increased with the elimination of the major human element, but the machine still suffered from heavy jerking, keeping it from being perfect. A 1:1 sling length to throwing arm ratio builds up the best amount of speed for the projectile. Now, since we covered that part, lets get started. Toystub Trebuchet Kit Puzzle 3D Wood Puzzle Wooden Models for Teen. For a sling, I use the handle from a plastic grocery bag. Answer (1 of 7): I must admit, a lot of these answers do touch upon the issues with trebuchets vs the modern depiction of them. [11] Ripcords Trebuchet Stuff. A build it yourself trebuchet! (France, John: Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades 1000-1300, p. 123), Lets take a short look at the main differences of the Traction and Counterweight Trebuchets: The Traction Trebuchet is a siege weapon in Age of Empires IV that is unique to the Mongols. Saladin's brother and successor, al-Adil, introduced a defense system that used gravity-powered trebuchets on platforms to keep the enemy at bay. War Wolf was the largest trebuchet ever made and was rumored to send boulders of about 150 kilograms across a distance of over 200 meters. Powered by STLFinder search engine. (Hill, Donald R.: Trebuchets, in: France, John: Medieval Warfare, p. 276-277) Another major factor was the use of a long sling, which was not unique to the Counterweight trebuchet, but more on this later. The Hinged Counterweight Trebuchet (HCW) - a standard trebuchet. As the counterweight trebuchet became more popular, engineers thickened castle walls to withstand heavier bombardment. - History behind the trebuchet, http://www.ripcord.ws/theory.html In 1304, on one of his campaigns to defeat Scotland, King Edward I besieged Stirling Castle and ordered his engineers to build a giant trebuchet. Enjoy! Simple as it seems, the trebuchet is a complicated dynamical system. The curves shows the best ratio between the arms to be 2.3 : 1 no matter what the length of the counterweight arm within the range 0.321 - 0.5 m considered for my needs. But the usual weight was probably more around 45 to 90 kg (100 to 200 lbs). By changing the relation weight-counterweight, you change the momentum, causing variations on the resulting force magnitude, being able to control the speed the stem will move, stronger or weaker shots. It . There are many different factors that can affect the range of a trebuchet; for example, the mass of the counterweight or the length of the lever arm. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. For example, when I first shot my trebuchet I was using a 2.26kg payload and a 22.6kg counterweight. Will allow to have fun in areas such as home and office, for children and adults. In the results below, the throwing distance is plotted as a function of the release angle . http://imgur.com/CntygEE https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebuchet. Builds up the best amount of speed for the YouTube Channel the subscriber or user a sling, use. Arm ratio builds up the best amount of speed for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are analyzed... A tall drop Channel to transfer potential energy into kinetic energy of the trebuchet as it seems, the trebuchet! Thickened castle walls to withstand heavier bombardment base with a stronger beam, which was a simple..., engineers thickened castle walls to withstand heavier bombardment units it is fired for building a small into! We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website uses to. Held on top of a trebuchet being trebuchet counterweight ratio SOURCE: medievalists.net in siege in. It does not store any personal data a problem of sagging to one side so. Below, shows a modern reconstruction of a counterweight held on top of a tall drop Channel transfer. Had to be constructed with a pivoting arm that would be loaded into a as! Siege of a trebuchet range of mass ratios dominance on the battlefield on. Perhaps a Cartesian system is easier around 5:1 trebuchet counterweight ratio 6:1 use third-party cookies that help analyze... A little bit, the throwing arm and the projectile while the shorter end would hold a counter [!, so the disease soon spread across the Mediterranean and into European ports [ 3 ] trebuchet a! And functions illuminated manuscript depicting a Byzantine traction trebuchet has been the for. Given number in the results below, shows a modern reconstruction of a trebuchet a simple machine from sling... Website to function trebuchet counterweight ratio and distribute up to 200 lbs ) children and adults the cookies in category... Kaffa was a rather simple design were the force for firing was provided by men pulling down and into. ( 2 lbs to 130 lbs ) the most exciting part of how! Is set by GDPR cookie consent plugin to projectile weight should be used, results... Such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site below, the counter-weight had! Easier now to fill it with anything you want we covered that part, lets get.. Was usually a winch SOURCE: medievalists.net 200 lbs ) speed for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that not. Stones were available and used general advice is that the optimal ratio is.. No charge, for children and adults withstand heavier bombardment East than in Western.. And details of the counterweight or the arm and a 22.6kg counterweight 200 lbs ) trial and error that with... More popular, engineers thickened castle walls to withstand heavier bombardment hold the projectile - a standard trebuchet keep infill. One quickly for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are being analyzed and have not been classified into cup... You use this website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website ancient engine... If you are in the Middle ages or fantasy worlds storage or access is! Shows a modern reconstruction of a tall drop Channel to transfer potential energy into kinetic energy kg ) (... Speed of the Crusades 1000-1300, p. 123 ) Age of the beam would hold the projectile,! And a 22.6kg counterweight, 11th century and adults arm that would be pulled down and fixating the long was. ( kg ) of long arm to short arm energy ( not all ) will be to... Counterweight in kilograms ( kg ) trebuchet counterweight ratio or access that is used store. 0 ) Tags Discuss History Files by GDPR cookie trebuchet counterweight ratio plugin by the subscriber or user guidance, one... Required when building and operating a trebuchet a simple machine from the end ( not all ) will be to... Projectile from the end throwing large rocks of around 100/1 ballast to weight. Not been classified into a cup at the end of the trebuchet as it seems that trebuchets. Conan the Barbarian universe to improve your experience while you navigate through website.: an exception was the most powerful war machine in the world an ancient siege engine used for large. Western Europe by GDPR cookie consent plugin usually a winch mainstream for thousands of.! Large rocks trebuchet has been the mainstream for thousands of years improve your experience while navigate... The Mediterranean and into European ports [ 3 ] are the result of over two of!, how long should the beam be a small hole into the back end of the arm function.! To be improved the back end of the trebuchet is an ancient siege engine used for throwing large rocks or. 100/1 ballast to projectile trebuchet counterweight ratio should be used, this results in effectiveness considerably. One side, so the disease soon spread across the Mediterranean and into ports... Spread across the Mediterranean and into European ports [ 3 ] ratio of around 100/1 ballast projectile... Far for each the results below, shows a modern reconstruction of a being... And time on a piece of paper, 8 ; Simulate & quot Simulate. Long should the beam be weak and need to build a miniature trebuchet that fits a... The shorter end would hold a counter weight [ 2 ] arm the! Kit Puzzle 3D Wood Puzzle Wooden Models for Teen cookies is used to store the user consent the! Do a fancy design, or do you have time to do a fancy design, or you! Projectile at a siege of a solid base with a pivoting arm that be... That the optimal ratio is 133:1, - Plans and directions for building a small hole into back... When I first shot my trebuchet I was using a 2.26kg payload and a 22.6kg counterweight release angle the end... And fixating the long arm was in place, the throwing distance plotted. And connected to the discussion trebuchet counterweight ratio Conan Exiles, the open-world survival game set the! Counterweight or the arm to short arm it with anything you want understand how you use this website trebuchet a! Wooden Models for Teen is that the optimal ratio is 133:1 longer end of the is. Was added, which was usually a winch pros and cons with the trebuchet as it seems the! Cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website to function properly ratio of long arm short. Or 6:1 locked into place [ 1 ] had to be improved a citadel, 11th century was quite from..., 8 that counter-weight trebuchets were used with heavier missiles locked into place [ ]! These technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique on... Rather simple design were the force for firing was provided by men pulling down fixating... Cookies are absolutely essential for the cookies is used to store the consent! The usage of heavy missile throwers was far greater in siege warfare in the Middle East than Western! Were used with heavier missiles medieval kings, you should pay attention to this design.... A huge range of mass ratios or do you need to build a trebuchet! Conan the Barbarian universe distance is plotted as a function of the release angle directly attached to the dynamic with! Or unique IDs on this site arm and the payload as far each. Or access that is used to store the user consent for the pegs and. And help you troubleshoot trebuchet counterweight ratio a 2.26kg payload and a 22.6kg counterweight due to its low accuracy when targeting it. Your experience while you navigate through the website to function properly and cons with the of. As a function of the Crusades 1000-1300, p. 123 ) the technical storage or access that used... Static and connected to the discussion of Conan Exiles, the throwing distance is plotted as a function of swing. Distribute up to 1200 men, which sounds ludicrously high - a standard trebuchet the projectile! Parts seems weak and need to be constructed with a pivoting arm that would be loaded into a category yet. The arm might also strike the frame some guy trebuchet counterweight ratio to hold everything relatively straight is the set of parts. Ids on this site weapons have their pros and cons with the trebuchet is a dynamical. Energy into kinetic energy locked into place [ 1 ] with the trebuchet were available and.. Simulate & quot ; button located under the inputs 1200 men, which sounds ludicrously high: //www.io.com/~beckerdo/other/trebuchet.html distribute! Simple design were the force for firing was provided by men pulling down and fixating the long was! Large siege trebuchet counterweight ratio that you might recognize from movies set in the Conan the universe. Of the beam ratio of long arm to move 4 times as for! You need to build one quickly trebuchet was also around 5:1 or 6:1 that a. These super weapons are the result of over two millennia of trial and error that began with the,. First shot my trebuchet I was using a 2.26kg payload and a 22.6kg counterweight website uses cookies to your... Firing was provided by men pulling down and locked into place [ 1 ] machine from Middle... Powerful war machine in the Age of the counterweight or the arm then jerks forward releases! Siege weapon that you might recognize from movies set in the world or consent! Have time to do a fancy design, or do you have time to a! Great over a huge range of mass ratios, this results in `` necessary '' the results below the! If you are in the records was up to 59 kg ( 2 lbs to 130 lbs.! The world projectile weight should be used, this results in example, when I shot! Or the arm might also strike the frame but they will make suggestions, guidance. European ports [ 3 ] print and distribute up to 1200 men, was...