Buying a chairlift, like other major purchases, means making decisions. As the magnitude of the purchase increases, buyers tend to build up fear that they may not get what they really need and at the price they feel they ought to pay. The result: a defensive attitude which can prevent some of the clear thinking needed for the decisions.
What is the answer to this dilemma? How to gain that precious insight to determine if the type of lift, quality and the price are right? There are probably as many answers to these questions as there are prospective buyers: write a tight specification, use a knowledgable consultant, make a rating sheet, ask for and inquire with references, inspect recent lifts, combinations and variations of these, and many more.
However, the item of key importance is that you the buyer will be satisifed that the purchase will, as completely as possible, meet your specific need. Emphasis here is on “you” and “satisfied” and “your specific need,” for the new lift will have to meet your expectations in numerous ways. It will have to realize the service you intended to the new lift to provide, with respect to its type, alignment, speed, capacity, reliability, operating features, configuration of terminals, type of carriers, layout of approaches, marshalling areas, loading and unloading arrangements, providing the overall desired uphill service, ride characteristics, protection from elements and avalanches, overall aesthetics, all within the budgetary constraints which you feel justify the investment for this lift. In other words, the central idea is that the price that you pay be commensurate with the value that the lift will provide for your need.
But how can you be sure it will? The key to this lies in becoming thoroughly informed on all the options and their implications. This applies as well to the general overall design criteria (items enumerated in the preceding paragraph) as well as to the specific lift hardware characteristics. It involves a learning process of weeks —perhaps months—of searching for facts from articles, your own lift crew, other owners, and consultation with various knowledgable individuals.
A useful aid, to keep tab of the many times that will come up for consideration and their relative importance to you, is to prepare a multi-column “features tabulation” of these items listed under several headings such as: “mandatory”, “important”, “less important”, “optional” or similar. As you progress with your analysis and your insight improves, you will want to change items from one column to another. By the time this tabulation is reworked over a period of time it will yield a good picture of your values and preferences.
For consideration of options of general design criteria for your lift, it is also helpful to arrange the information in tabular format so that the items of importance to you can then be picked out and transferred to the features tabulation. A typical design criteria tabulation is shown in Tabulation No. 1.
A note of caution in discussing the needs for your lift with others: be certain that you constantly bear in mind your specific needs at your specific conditions factors which those offering you advice may not be sensitive to. Hence, it is necessary to develop a flexible, analytical approach.
When you have narrowed the range of general criteria for your proposed lift, the next step is to become acquainted, as thoroughly as possible, with the hardware charactertistics and equipment design considerations of potential designers/suppliers of the lift equipment. It is of utmost importance that this step precede any review of equipment proposals or price comparisons, as the reverse procedure will often tend to cloud the desirable selection of features for your particular need.
This step again will demand considerable self-education involving review and discussion of features with potential suppliers, consultants, owner/operators and other knowledgable individuals. Again, a tabulation of features, with headings defining some order of importance, will be helpful.
In the way of guidelines, the following brief hardware and design concept considerations are offered for your own further more detailed investigation as they may apply to your situation.
- Chair weight: A lighter chair is more comfortable to load at higher speeds (impact force on the skier is proportioned to the mass of the chair and the square of its velocity), but is less stable in the wind. Is either item a consideration on your lift? Get the facts.
- Tower design: Plumb or inclined? Plumb towers are easier to install, generally easier for working on sheave assemblies; inclined towers are easier to climb and are shorter (this becomes significant on steeper slopes) hence less susceptible to vibration and will generally require less concrete for the foundation, other variables remaining the same. Are any of these considerations of material importance to you?
- Grip design: See Tabulation No. 2 for an analysis of features of different types. Evaluate items of specific importance to you.
- Sheave assembly design: Up to how many sheaves per tower are used? Less sheaves per tower generally means more towers to install and maintain, but more sheaves per tower may imply heavier tower loading, hence stronger, possibly heavier towers. Some of these may have cost implications for you to consider. Investigate how it would affect your project.
- Sheave construction: What bearings are used, how are they mounted, what lubrication methods are used? These items will affect the useful life of sheaves. Is the web of the sheaves solid or spoked? If your location encounters severe icing problems, this item could be one to consider. What is involved in changing worn liners? Are the sheaves of bolted or boltless construction? Due to the large number of sheaves per lift, these items may be worth looking into. How much load does the designer allow per sheave as a maximum? The ANSI standard specifies minimum loadings, but the designer sets the maximum loading. What kind of liner life (hours of operation) will these loadings allow? Are options available? Get effect on price/ride/expected life. What cost factors could be involved over a span of years?
- Variable speed drives: What options are available and how may they affect your situation? An outline of comparative features of three commonly used variable speed drive systems is shown in Tabulation No. 3. Are any aspects of concern to you? Investigate.
- Finish of steel surfaces: A chairlift is mostly constructed of steel. Does the climate at your site act adversely on steel? Investigate the finish given the steel surfaces: chemically cleaned and primed, sandblasted and primed, or galvanized. Are any of these of substantial benefit to you? Think. Are options available? Check them out.
- Level of pre-assembly: Are sheaves delivered mounted in assemblies or shipped loose? To what level are components prefabricated or preassembled? Of course if you’re buying a turn-key installation these items would be of no concern. But if you are going to install or contract the installation, these items may matter. What cost implications does the level of assembly have for you? Investigate.
- Inclusions/Exclusions: Whether your purchase will be turn-key or equipment only, make a checklist of items you consider important to be furnished with the lift, another of items which you prefer to supply. Then find out what is offered by the supplier(s) as standard or optional items. Tabulate the information, highlight items important to you.
- Services: Tabulate services offered as a standard item, those offered as option. Are any particularly necessary or desirable to you? Find out and decide.
Such an investigation completed, with items of particular significance to you sorted and tabulated, in their order of importance to you, a fairly good picture of your planned purchase will emerge. Matching this to the supplier or suppliers, which your investigation shows could furnish you a package of equipment and services most desired by you, will then indicate the most promising sources for a priced proposal for your specific planned purchase.
If your preferences leave room for options or alternates, it would be well to indicate these when requesting priced proposals, giving the prospective supplier(s) some measure of latitude to best match your preferences to his most advantageous options, enhancing the probability of a beneficial price/value selection, tailored to your specific needs and requirements.
Having thus become cognizant of the specific criteria for your purchase, and having related these to design/equipment parameters of one or more potential suppliers, your final selection/decision-making process will be clearer. It will also be free of the potential defensiveness which could cloud the final and all-important decision of placement of the order for your next chairlift.
| Higher Speed | Lower Speed | |
|---|---|---|
| Time interval between chairs | same | same |
| Distance between chairs | greater | lesser |
| Number of chairs required | lesser | greater |
| Trip time | shorter | longer |
| Number skiers held on lift | lesser | greater |
| Passenger preference: short lifts | no | yes |
| long lifts | yes | no |
| Loading impact | higher | lower |
| Loading-unloading | harder | easier |
| Equipment cost | lower | greater |
| Spring Acutated | Insert | Sleeve | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety Disengagement or abrupt slippage due to extraneous obstruction | Will slip along rope when force of pull exceeds 3 to 4 times design | Will not slip but can disengage from rope | Will slip after rupture of rubber sleeve |
| Passenger comfort Grip/rope/liner mating | Excellent on support sheaves as grip contacts liner to limited extent | Excellent Grip does not contact liner | Poor Grip always contacts liner |
| Grip Relocation | Simple | Difficult | Difficult |
| DC motor with SCR | AC wound rotor motor with grids | AC squirrel cage motor with fluid coupling | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed control variable | Voltage | Current | Oil fill/bypass |
| Stepless speed control | Yes | No | Yes |
| Intermediate speed retention at varying load | Excellent | Poor | Medium |
| Principal components | SCR converter Motor | Controller Grids Motor | Starter Coupling Oil cooler and piping Motor |
| Potential problems | SCR components motor brushes | Contact points motor sliprings | Impeller imbalance Fluid leaks |
| Motor replacement availability | Special | Special | Standard |
J. Eward Immergluck has been active in the chairlift industry in various sales/marketing positions for the past 18 years. He is a member of the Tramway Safety Committee of the Utah Department of Transportation and holds the positions of President of the Association of Recreational Tramway Authorities and member of the ANSI B.77.1 Committee.
