Porch Signs Diy QuotesDiy SignsSigns SignsPorch QuotesDecor SignsPorch CrewFriendship'S FreePorch NightsBrown SignForwardCome sit on the porch with me blue and by OldBarnRescueCompanyBY, DEE DEE TOMATOS AND ANDY JAMESON Wait your turn, lower the bar, quickly judge if the people next to you are friendly enough to converse with, and that’s it, nothing to it. The chair magically sends you to the top of your run. Easier than hiking, cheaper than a helicopter, and a lot more quiet than a snowmobile, it’s no wonder chairlifts are the most popular uphill people mover. But how do they work? Below we walk through the basic mechanics of the two most popular types of chairlifts: the classic fixed grip, and the high speed detachable. Most other lifts are variations of these two technologies. for technical knowledge and pictures. If you’re old enough to (legally) drink a beer, you’ve spent a good amount of time ridding the classic fixed grip chair. Save Magic was kind enough to supply us with some background on Magic Mountain’s 1971 Heron-Poma fixed grip double chair, which we’ve used as an example.
We are going to really simplify the process for those who never think about what they are riding. A chairlift is basically a looping steel cable with a large pulley at each end (the bullwheels). Carriers (the chairs) are hung from the cable and held in place with a mechanical grip. The grip functions similarly to a vice and is tightened around the cable to keep the chair from sliding back. A chair gradually slides back a bit each season, which is why lines are often painted on the cable. The paint mark provides the lift mechanic with a visual indicator of how far the chair has moved. Don’t worry if the paint mark is far away, chairs are often moved every few seasons to ensure even wear on the cable. Positive Jaw Grip The Red Chair’s Summit Bullwheel A series of towers form the line and keep the cable from dropping to the ground below. Towers are installed with either a crane or a helicopter depending on the budget, terrain, and weather.
The towers are topped with cross-arms that hold sets of wheels called sheaves. The cable can go either above or below the sheave assemblies. On the vast majority of towers the cable travels over the sheaves, exceptions are when the lift is about to climb a steeper section, traveling under adds tension to the cable allowing it to achieve a more drastic angle. Cable Traveling Under Sheaves Helicopter Installing a Tower So what makes the bullwheel turn? Today most lifts are driven by electric motors but have secondary diesel backup drives. Mad River’s single chair ran exclusively on diesel until 2007, when it was completely refurbished. Today’s electric motors are cleaner and less expensive than their diesel ancestors. Chances are if you hear an engine running, the lift is operating on its back-up diesel for one reason or another. The engine can be located at either the summit or the base of the lift depending on the engineer’s recommendations.
What keeps the cable from getting too loose? On older lifts a large counter weight provides tension to one of the bullwheels, ensuring that the cable remains taught. Newer lifts use hydraulic tensioning (giant shock absorbers) for easier adjustability and improved ride quality. Red’s Counter Weight Sits on Railroad Tracks Modern Hydraulic Cable Tension System Magic’s Black Chair has a highly visible summit counterweight. We all know that high-speed detachable chairs are much faster, and as the name implies, the chair “detaches” from the cable. In fact, high-speed chairs are 2.4x the speed of their fixed grip brethren. These detachable chairs typically travel at speeds of 1,200 feet per minute (14 mph, 22 km/h, 6 m/s) versus a typical fix-grip speed of 500 ft/min (6 mph, 9 km/h, 2.5 m/s). Theoretically, a fixed grip chair could move just as quickly; however, getting off and on a chair traveling 14mph could be very painfull and embarasing.
High-speed detachables work in a very similar manner to fixed grip chairs, with one key exception. The high-speed detachable has a grip mechanism that allows the chair to release from the cable at the loading and unloading stations. The cable continues to run at the faster speed while passengers load and unload at easy slow speeds reducing the number of stops the lift must take. To detach or not to detach? Traditionalists favor the fixed grip for many reasons. Fixed grip lifts are well suited to service tougher terrain where the capacity of a high speed lift is not necessary. They provide more time for recovery and plenty of time to chat with your neighboor, enjoy a beverage or whatever else suits your fancy. Most importantly, powder is not tracked out as quickly. In the West detachables are a treat as there is much more acreage over which to dispense skiers. Resort designers in the East must carefully consider where to place detachables and and how they affect skier traffic.
Detachables also help get new skiers using lifts quicker as loading and unloading is almost at a standstill. Founded by Victor E. Hall in 1954, Hall was once one of the largest ski lift manufactuers in North America with over 800Today, many of its lifts are still in operation and can be found throughout North America.Meet our Colorado workers and learn more about why we are so proud to call Grand Junction our home.Before the chairlift, skiers had to climb the mountain while backpacking skis. Then came towropes, gondolas, tramways and T-bars. The chairlift revolutionized skiing and opened the door for millions of new skiers to ascend to the top of the mountain repeatedly with relative ease. There are two types of chairlifts: fixed grip lifts and detachable lifts. They are built to hold anywhere from two to eight people. There are double chairs, triple chairs, high-speed quads and high-speed six passenger (six-pack) chairs. Types of Chairlifts Before the chairlift, skiers had to climb the mountain while backpacking skis.
Fixed Grip Fixed grip lifts are the most common type of chairlift. The chair is welded onto the cable. Since the chair is fastened to a fixed point on the cable and the cable never slows down, loading and unloading can be challenging. Detachable Lifts Detachable chairlifts are not directly connected to the moving cable. They use grips to clamp onto the cable, which then moves them up the mountain. This allows the chair to slow down for loading and unloading by loosening the grip on the cable (also called rope). Because of the more stable design, detachable lifts can move at faster speeds. High-speed lifts use detachable chairs. Cables, Terminals and Towers The chairlift moves up the mountain using a hydraulic tensioning system passing over compression towers placed at regular intervals. There are at least two terminals for each chairlift and sometimes more if the lift is long and has multiple locations for unloading. A bullwheel at each terminal directs the cable around the wheel using pulley assemblies.
The bullwheel at the base terminal is called a drive bullwheel and is where the primary braking system is located. The one at the top of the mountain is called the return bullwheel. Some chairlifts have the drive bullwheel at the top and the return at the bottom. Between the bullwheels, the cable is tensioned to compensate for variations in temperature, passenger weight and sag. Hydraulic rams or a counterweight system is used, which automatically adjusts the position of the bullwheel carriage to maintain the proper tension. Engines Chairlifts are powered by electric motors with diesel backup engines. The most common type of motor is the DC electric motor because they are more economical, but AC drives are also used in some locations. Some chairlifts use an auxiliary drive that can be powered by a snowmobile engine. In case there is a power outage, they can clear the line and get everyone off the lift. Safety All chairlifts have a restraining bar, also called a safety or retention bar.