How to you fasten a pulley to a vertical length of square pipe?

Question

I have a balcony fence between my balcony and the adjacent one. I'm on the first floor and my garage is directly below me. I would like to fasten the vertical square bar of the fence (cast iron) to a pulley that hangs a rope of out over the balcony so I can hoist items from storage up or down whenever I want. I also want to do it on the cheap if at all possible. Does anyone have any ideas aside from attaching an extension to the metal piping to create a triangle overhang. That seems far too expensive for the circumstances. It is mainly light items I'll be ferrying up and down. Taking things around the block to reach my garage is very annoying and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

if the items are very light, just hoist them by hand.

Else make a pole that hooks onto the horozontal top of the barrier fence and has the pulley on the end

Pulley on the font end, downward facing hook in the middle and and an upward facing hook at the back end. a twine or bungee cord to hold it in place while unloaded

Answer 2

Personally I'd make a braced frame out of wood (vertical, horizontal, and diagonal members). This would go against the railings, and need clamping at the top and bottom. Then I'd attach a cheap block and tackle at the far end - no need for anything expensive, though upgrading the cheap ones to braided rope instead of twisted is a big help. Wooden, I probably wouldn't leave it out year-round in my wet climate, even treated.

Don't rely on woodscrews, but bolt through and out the other side for all joints, and size the timbers up beyond what you think you need.

I haven't given dimensions as I don't know what you'll be lifting or how you're attaching it. For comparison I use something similar to this into my loft (attic) to shift a tent that fills that hatch and is too heavy for an overhead lift while on a ladder. The block and tackle is rated to 180kg (400lbs). I've tested it with my own weight (less than half that), and the tent is less than half my weight, so it's overrated by a factor of 5. I only needed to use 2x2" timber for a short span above the hatch. It's also very useful for smaller items combined with a sturdy bag, but I still don't stand underneath the load