I found a really clever way to do this with only two golems:
As you know chain tensioning is probably the only mechanism that'll pull the chain off the plates. As you also know, this is difficult to orchestrate. This was my trick:
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×Use a single rock by the last plate you cover around which the gentryii will wrap and tension itself, which will close the loop you made around the plates and release all the plates. The other rock is helpful to keep the gentryii head in place so he doesn't get into trouble. I can be more specific if needed.
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If you need to think outside of the box, then you didn't build a good enough box.