Waldteufel (forestry)
The Waldteufel (also called Reutelzug or Höllenzwang ) is a lever device that was used in forestry to transmit great forces. This made it possible to move trees to be felled or to move trunks lying on the ground.
The device consists of a wooden rod several meters long, at one end of which three chains are attached next to each other at a short distance (approx. 10 to 15 cm). The device is attached to a fixed point (e.g. a rhizome) with the middle chain, the two outer chains are hooked into another chain attached to the trunk to be pulled. If the lever is now moved, one of the two outer chains is pulled while the other outer chain is relaxed. At the dead point of the lever movement, the relaxed chain is hung around so that it is as tensioned as possible and transfers the tensile force when the lever moves backwards. This allows force to be transmitted with every movement of the lever.
A forest devil was served by several workers. Two or more workers operated the lever, another hooked the chains at the dead points of the lever movement.
In the forestry sector , the forest devil was replaced by the reach train , which has since been displaced by the cable winch . A forest devil is on display in the Rafz local history museum .