A mechanism for spanning a
crossbow. The string is pulled back by a winding device fastened on a
ratchet bar.
This allowed more powerful crossbows, since the strength of the crossbowman no longer was a limiting factor, but greatly reduced the rate of fire. An archer with a longbow can fire up to five times as often as a crossbowman with a cranequin, due to the many steps involved in cocking and loading the crossbow:
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Fasten cranequin on crossbow.
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Rewind cranequin to starting position.
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Fasten string in cranequin.
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Wind back the cranequin.
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Secure the string.
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Remove cranequin.
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Load a bolt.
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Aim and fire.