1. Older Lifts
Some of the older lifts in use today have welded shafts in the bullwheels. A lot of these have already broken, and if you have one I would strongly suggest it be replaced. When shafts are welded it sets up a stress point at the weld. In most cases it will shear off as if it were cut with a saw. When you change this have it keyed and use set screws; Do not weld it!
Some have long drive shafts. These can also be a problem if they develop a whip. Check at least every year. Whip will break a shaft. Care should be taken to keep them in alignment.
2. Internal Bullwheel Bearings
When you change cables it is a very good time to check to see if you have trouble coming. On most lifts these internal bearings, with proper care, will run for many years. External bearings can be checked at any time by removing the cover while the cable is in place. While we are talking about older lifts, are you wearing out more sheave liners than normally? Check for wear on sheave assemblies; bearing surfaces could be worn to the point of being very loose, and in some it could be rusted to the point that there is no movement at all. A lot of the older lifts have a very close-fitting shaft, and are prone to freeze. This can cause excessive wear. It also can be dangerous.
3. People
Let us talk about maintenance personnel. Are you paying your employees enough to get the loyalty and dependability you need? To know that a job is really done the way it should be done? A case in point: this year I have pulled two bullwheels to replace bearings. In both cases, the maintenance log for the last five years showed an almost perfect grease record. Yet, when the bearings were removed, we found very little grease. In my opinion neither had been greased for a very long time. The upper bearings and race were pitted, the roller cage was very badly rusted. The only thing that really got done was the log-book sheets.
Yours’ is a big business, with a very large investment. Do what you must to protect it.
4. Platforms
Loading and unloading platforms are causing trouble at some areas. Two broken legs on one person were caused by letting snow build up to the point where chair bottoms and boot tops get locked together. In most cases the best height, chair to snow, is about 16 inches. Effort should be made to maintain that height.
5. Cable
To my knowledge we have not as yet established a maximum life for lift cables. However, we are finding more cables with metal fatigue in a short period of years. Due to the short length of time, with 12 to 13 hours a day of operation, a lift with a 3-minute ride will turn the bull wheel twenty times per hour. A 15-minute lift will turn four times per hour. We are finding more valley breaks and wear on short lifts in the first few years of use due to the increased number of times the cable turns the wheel.
It is my opinion that all cables should be inspected as per code. Open and check for valley wear, also for rust inside the cable. The plastic core that most wire rope companies are now using will not absorb any oil. Therefore there is no oil to keep water out. Some wire companies will tell you, “If it won’t soak up oil it won’t soak up water.” This is true; however, water will lay long enough to rust simply because there is no oil present to keep it out.
The plastic core will also walk inside the cable. Check the ends of the tucks on your splice. If you find a strand that is beginning to pull into the center it could very well be that the core has walked away from where it was cut during the splice. We find this happening after five or six years of running. This can be repaired by opening the cable and inserting a short piece of core. When replacing your cable, make sure to get vegetable fiber core. Your supplier can have your cables prelubricated with the proper oil to help eliminate internal rusting.
6. A request
To help establish some kind of record for cable life I would like to have a 20-foot piece of cable sent to me if you know the hours of operation, length and speed of the lift and also lubrication records. I will be happy to pay the freight. With this study I hope someday to repay you for your time and trouble. I feel this study will help all of us in the ski industry. I have already had some tests run, but do not feel at this time I have enough to set any kind of pattern.
