The development results of a single-point contact system set up as a pendulum to study the laws of rolling resistance to contacting bodies at a distance significantly reduced compared to the elastic contact spot size. The designed device uses a physical pendulum sustained by only one ball on a flat polished surface. The problem of stability of the pendulum swing plane is solved. A phenomenological theory of rolling resistance is described. The surface tension of solids on the contact zone, parameters of the frequency-independent internal friction and the pressure of the adhesion forces are found.