- Have you checked alignment of your towers? Not just the sheave train, but also the center line of the tower. This may, in some cases, require the services of an engineer. If you have sheave sides that have been worn by the cable, and this situation cannot be corrected by moving the sheaves, chances are you have a tower problem. This could have developed during construction, or resulted from ground movement. I would be more inclined to go along with the former. I will not try to give you the ways this problem can be corrected, as each type of lift presents a different problem. I would suggest that you talk to your lift manufacturer.
- I have found a few areas that have dirt around steel towers. This is a very bad situation, and will cause structural failure. If this happens, I could not imagine the damage it could cause. The diagonal strut or knee brace is usually the one I find under dirt. You should remove the dirt down to the concrete, clean and rough up the top of the footings, then pour concrete at least four inches thick around the steel up to grade.
- Tower footings where grout is used should be kept well painted to keep water out. In most cases expanding grout is used. If this is left to the weather it will sometimes crack out, thus losing the bearing surface it is intended to provide. This material has metal flakes to rust and expand, and this happens in the first few hours. If left to the weather, further rusting may occur and will crack the grout. It is also a good idea to paint exposed concrete to help prevent weather pitting.
- I would recommend that you start in the drive terminal, check your motor, gear box, and all the components that are joined together in any way. Couplings are very important: open them up and check for wear! Chain couplings are subject to excessive wear when not properly greased. If you have a low-speed or shaft coupling, open it up, check again for alignment and wear. Some of these couplings will take very little misalignment.
- Rust is your worse enemy. It will grow between two pieces of steel and distort the configuration of the steel. One important place to check is anywhere you may have shimmed a bearing, motor, gear box, etc., or any area that is subject to dampness. After you do this, give the rest of the lift a tune-up. I am sure you will find other things that need attention while the weather is good.
- Counterweights are another danger spot. If you have cable clamps with a U-bolt and saddle, the U-bolt should all be on the short (or dead) side of the cable, the saddle on the live side. “Never saddle a dead horse.” On a wedge socket type, the load cable goes in the straight side. Lubricate all of the counterweight cables in order to keep out moisture.
A final thought: Let’s make this the year of the hour meter. This inexpensive device logs the actual hours of running time — an invaluable maintenance tool.
