Anyone want to buy a trebuchet?

“This trebuchet is a fully functional medieval style siege weapon that I shoot regularly and it features heavily in loads of You Tube videos for my channel TodsWorkshop. and also on TV documentaries and even a film with Max Fosh.

You can see it in action in this sales film here https://youtu.be/F97pgOCcSc0?si=-mLard0yeyvutmpI and a full listing of the other films are given below.

I originally made it for the launch of the ‘Age of Empires IV’ computer game about 3 years ago and since then I have used it for messing about myself, but now it is time to move it on.

The frame is made from European oak and stands 3.5m high and the arm is made from ash and from the pivot is 5m long, so from ground to tip of the arm it is 8.5m high. The base is 6m long and 3.8m wide. The machine certainly looks and works the part.

It is operated by a windlass and takes one person around 12 minutes to winch down and set all the ropes and sling into position and to be ready for the next shot. It shoots bowling balls around 140m, though calculations suggest with a little tuning it should shoot around 180m. It currently has around 500kg of blocks in the counterweight box.

If you really want to get an idea of what this trebuchet is all about, I suggest you watch some of the films.

The trebuchet is located at a farm on the outskirts of Oxford, UK and the successful bidder will be required to pay for the machine on winning and collect within 2 months. Payment to be made by bank transfer. I will not deliver.

I have previously transported the complete machine from Oxford to Bristol and back by lorry, so it may be possible to do this within the UK, otherwise it can be dismantled. Purchase price will include me helping dismantle, training and explaining. If required I can be hired to assist with reassembly at the other end. A telehandler will be required to disassemble and I can arrange this at £300/half day.

I anticipate quite a lot of ‘I am really interested, but I have to come and test it before I bid’, type messages, so there will be no viewings. Sorry, but I hope you understand, however there are loads of films all about it, shown below and I can of course answer questions.

Comes with several bowling balls, knight targets, sling and ratchet bar.”