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Interesting Bullwheel


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#1 crazyskier91

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Posted 13 May 2004 - 10:04 AM

While in switzerland a few years ago I saw an intesting setup on a gondola outside of Grindelwald. There was one bullwheel that was vertical a side view would be (I) with the I being the Bull wheel. Two other bullwheels transfered the cable to a horizontal angle. What is the purpose of this? This is just a picture of the line, anyone know this one?

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This post has been edited by crazyskier91: 13 May 2004 - 10:08 AM

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#2 Dr Frankenstein

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Posted 13 May 2004 - 12:43 PM

Vertical floating bullwheel on a detachable lift. More widely used in Europe than here as I know. More compact than horizontal tensioning tracks.

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#3 SkiBachelor

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Posted 13 May 2004 - 03:30 PM

Hey Grant, yea I at this place this past summer but I didn't ride the gondola because my parents were with me. However, I did take a few pictures of this gondola from the base. But anyway, the name of the gondola is the Mannlichenbahn GGM. :rolleyes:

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#4 SkiBachelor

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Posted 13 May 2004 - 03:33 PM

Hey Grant, while you were in Grindelwald, did you go on the Firstbahn gondola? Here is a picture I took from inside the terminal. I hope this is what you mean by the two bullwheels. I believe those bullwheels used for the counterweight. I guess Von Roll at this time wasn't really into the new hydraulic tension units. B)

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#5 crazyskier91

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Posted 13 May 2004 - 03:45 PM

Yes I went to both of those gondolas. I was there hiking with my parents. That was before I got into skilifts. Yes that is the bullwheel setup I meant.
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#6 Dr Frankenstein

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Posted 13 May 2004 - 05:13 PM

I like the towers :)

#7 Kelly

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Posted 13 May 2004 - 07:05 PM

Another term for "vertical bullwheel"
I believe you are looking at counterweight sheaves - also called deviation sheaves.
This system is quite common on long lifts with flat spans, as this profile type requires large carriage travel for loading extremes.

Ryan B
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#8 Allan

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Posted 13 May 2004 - 08:54 PM

Here's another shot of one of our lifts. Not the best pic in the world though :)

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#9 Dr Frankenstein

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Posted 14 May 2004 - 01:10 PM

Quote

I believe you are looking at counterweight sheaves - also called deviation sheaves.


No. Vertical haul rope bullwheel.

#10 crazyskier91

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Posted 15 May 2004 - 03:59 AM

Yes that is the setup I meant but the bullwheels were about 15 feet in diameter and all of equal size. The top terminal had a driveshaft connected to the vertical bullwheel. It was fixed in place so what purpose would that serve tensionwise?
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#11 Dr Frankenstein

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Posted 15 May 2004 - 04:03 AM

I didn't know that there are vertical drive bullwheels.

#12 crazyskier91

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Posted 15 May 2004 - 05:20 AM

Unless I saw it wrong thats what it seemed like. Would this be more efficient or something?
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#13 SkiBachelor

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Posted 15 May 2004 - 09:03 AM

I believe trams use vertical bullwheels and maybe a few funitels. I have only seen the motor room of a Garaventa funitel and the bullwheel was only slanted.
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#14 floridaskier

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Posted 15 May 2004 - 09:36 AM

The bullwheels are slanted (at least on the CTEC Stealth 3) I think for tensioning. For the funitel, the motor room is one floor below the terminal, so it eliminates the need for extra depression sheaves
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#15 crazyskier91

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Posted 15 May 2004 - 12:48 PM

It just seems like it would save money by only having one bullwheel.
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#16 Allan

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Posted 15 May 2004 - 01:47 PM

I can't see having vertical bullwheels being more efficient than a normal horizontal, you would have to change the angle of the rope quite a bit to go to the verticle wheel, which you would probably have to use some strange sheave assembly to change the angle in the space in the terminal. Not to mention the funny driveshafts (and possible additional gearboxes) there would have to be to drive this bullwheel. There was a picture of a funitel I saw that used two vertical bullwheels to bring the rope into the machine room - but these were just idlers. I'm glad this isn't on any lift I work on!! :)
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#17 crazyskier91

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Posted 15 May 2004 - 01:56 PM

There were no complicated sheave assemblys in this setup, just two bullwheels.
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#18 Allan

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Posted 15 May 2004 - 03:45 PM

Oh yeah - just re-read the original post - it sounds like the funitel picture I saw... it must have had four bullwheels though.
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#19 KZ

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Posted 15 May 2004 - 04:39 PM

Doppelmayr funitels have vertical bulwheels, and i think the return on the squaw funitel is vertical
Zack

#20 crazyskier91

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Posted 16 May 2004 - 04:22 AM

Allan why would it need four bulwheels? Think of two of them as the idler wheels with the bullwheel made vertical.
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