To haul the heavy granite blocks up the pyramid flank it is very important to plan each step and only use the most experienced hauling teams. The granite block should move up the flank on the tracks in one uninterrupted movement. Every time the sledge with the stone has to be stopped and started again it uses a lot of force because you have to overcome the static friction (stiction). To hoist the block over the edge to the pyramid plateau an additional team operating on the pyramid frustum is used.

On the pyramid flank (probably on the eastern side) a heavy duty track system with counterweights is installed. This track system consists of three (not two) rails and an additional pair of rails to the left and to the right for the stones serving as counterweights. Then ladder-like rigs for the hauling teams are also installed on each side. Additional ladder-like rigs are installed between the main rails for the men controlling the ascend of the granite beam.

After all, on 21 meters height where you start to use granite blocks for the Grand Gallery, there are enough limestone blocks lying around to be let slide down the flank as counterweights . To counterbalance a granite block of 50 tons you need 8 limestone blocks of 5.6 tons (2m x 1.2m x 0,9m at 2,6g/cm³), that was a common weight for larger blocks used while building Khufu's pyramid. These 8 blocks are hauled up in the usual way and then used as counterweights until all the 90 heavyweight granite beams are hoisted up. If you take in count, that over 2'300 000 stone blocks were moved in total, you must realize, that moving those blocks was a ludicrous minor additional effort.

On the pyramid flank Franz Löhner's rope rolls can also be used for the heavyweights, but not only with humans as haulers. A 50 tons load including the sledge (300kp) would demand more than 670 haulers, even if using rope rolls. Actually this large number could be put to haul, if you make groups of 30 haulers using 23 rope rolls, but it can also be done more smartly, more economical and with less risk.

For the granite blocks a separate route which goes from the harbor to the foot of the pyramid is installed with heavy tracks and rope roll stations about every 75 meters. The weight of the huge stone blocks is distributed among more rope rolls and of course for these large weights you need more haulers per team . It is also possible, that instead of two hauling teams per section there were four teams with ropes of different lengths, so they could walk one team behind the other. The granite beams are hauled up lengthwise to produce less friction. We calculate that eeven when using rope rolls you need between 300 and 500 haulers for a 40 tons stone.

The large granite blocks arrived in the harbor of Giza (the Nile channel lies on approx. 17m above sea level, the exact position of the harbor is unknown) and had to be transported over a distance of 500-600 meters and overcome 40 meters difference in height to the foot of the pyramid. Most of the route is not very steep - the average angle of inclination is about 4° - but there are some stretches with 8° to 24° inclination, that have to be negotiated, until you reach the rock plateau at the base of the pyramid. The pyramid building yard (illustration of differences in height)

The granite blocks were cut in the quarry of Aswan to the dimension and shape ordered. So when they arrived in Giza, they could be transported to the foot of the pyramid and then up the flank without any stopovers whatsoever (doctrine = the granite beams were cut to size on the pyramid).

A lot of methods for transporting, that just barely work for the normal 2.5-tons stone blocks, don't work for these heavyweights. If you distribute the enormous weight on several rope roll stations this problem can also be solved. Ramp models described in details

In the pyramid of Khufu the hard granite stones were used in the interior for the Grand Gallery and the King's chamber as well as for the sarcophagus. Huge granite beams weighting 48 to 52 tons (1.3 x 1.8 x 8m with a density of 2,6 - 2,8 g/cm³) were used for the King's chamber. The pyramid temple had granite columns and an extensive basalt pavement was layed down around the pyramid [ 1 ]. The pyramid of Khufu and its chambers and shafts Cutting granite with iron tools

Illustration - with and without ropes (mouse over) To scale / cross-beams used to anchor the tracks are omitted Granite beam ( A ) / Counterweights ( B ) / Intermediate rope-roll-stations for the counterweights ( C ) / Rope-roll-stations ( D ) for the hauling teams ( E ) / Rails and ladder-like rig to secure the granite beam ( F ) / Rails and ladder-like rig to secure the counterweights ( G ) / Rails for transporting the granite beam from the harbor to the pyramid ( H )

6. The ropes attached to the granite beam are released and each counterweight stone is hauled up separately to its starting position by hauling teams (the upper stone series first) and the next granite beam is brought to the base of the pyramid.

5. At the edge there is an additional hauling team which is hauling on the pyramid plateau and the granite beam is carefully lifted over the edge with the help of levers.

4. When the granite beam has reached the edge of the pyramid plateau, the counterweights are slowed on their way down and nearly stopped.

2. The counterweights have arrived at the foot of the pyramid and are stopped just shortly before they reach the ground. At the same time the second series of counterweights start to move down, sliding over the first intermediate rope-roll-station and stopping a short distance further down (they could be lowered more, but for safety reasons the ropes shouldn't be too long).

1. The granite beam ( blue ) lies on a sledge at the foot of the pyramid, the 8 counterweights on sledges ( red ) are anchored below the first intermediate rope-roll-station ( green ) on 20-25m. The counterweights are slowly released and glide down while the granite beam is lifted to the height of the first intermediate rope-roll-station.

Illustration of the procedure to lift a granite beam up to the edge of the pyramid plateau (here on 65m) by using counter weights on a heavy duty track system ( Granite Beam / Counterweights / Intermediate Rope-Roll-Station ). Hauling teams are not shown.