Gin pole

A gin pole is a mast supported by one or more guy-wires that uses a pulley or block and tackle mounted on its upper end to lift loads.

These are manipulated to move the load laterally,[1] with up and down controlled by the pulley or block.

In addition to being used as simple lifting devices in field operations such as construction, logging, loading and unloading boats, and emergency repairs, gin poles are well suited to raising loads above structures too tall to reach with a crane, such as placing an antenna on top of a tower/steeple, and to lift segments of a tower on top of one another during erection.

They can also hold a person if strong enough (thus opening stage uses, such as in magic shows).

Gin poles are mounted on trucks as a primitive form of mobile crane, used in combination with a typically front-mounted winch for lifting and relocating loads, and in salvage operations in lieu of a more capable wrecker.