I mark the pulleys with a permanent marker, small dots spaced apart, so I can see the shieve turning.OzBungy wrote:I have no trouble with the pinch and twist method.
What I would like is to have coloured stripes or a pattern on the pulley so you can see it move when you test it.
Also, I usually knock the pulley against my harness hook to knock the majority of sand out and then "pinch and turn" until the pulley is cleared. After connecting I lay the pulley on the kite canopy to minimize exposure to sand, but it's virtually impossible to eliminate all sand.
Sand particles come in all sizes and shapes - it would be almost a miracle to design something that was "sand proof".
For now perhaps the best thing to do - be religious about checking pulleys and bridle wear.
PS.. ball bearing pulleys are probably more of a problem with sand, plus good quality pulleys with bearings are pretty expensive.