Mueller
JustJeepIt 15 Jun 2007
I noted that two resorts up in Canada that we have pics and info for have Mueller lifts, I'm looking for more info on these old suckers, anyone ever worked on one?
Clicky Click Click here
Clicky click click number 2 <sigh> May she rest in peace.
This post has been edited by JustJeepIt: 15 June 2007 - 09:43 PM
Clicky Click Click here
Clicky click click number 2 <sigh> May she rest in peace.
This post has been edited by JustJeepIt: 15 June 2007 - 09:43 PM
Allan 16 Jun 2007
JustJeepIt, on Jun 15 2007, 10:40 PM, said:
I noted that two resorts up in Canada that we have pics and info for have Mueller lifts, I'm looking for more info on these old suckers, anyone ever worked on one?
Clicky Click Click here
Clicky click click number 2 <sigh> May she rest in peace.
Clicky Click Click here
Clicky click click number 2 <sigh> May she rest in peace.
I've worked on the one in the first set of pics lots, only robbed parts from the second... what would you like to know?
JustJeepIt 16 Jun 2007
Your thoughts about them? Kinda sounds like from the few responses so far that some of you guys were not very happy with them?
WBSKI 16 Jun 2007
I have talked to a guy who built Muellers, he started in Europe and came over here. He did Whistler's, Silver Star's, Mount Washington's and others.
I have tonnes of Muellers on my site with pictures:
http://www.skiingbc.info/mtn/
I have tonnes of Muellers on my site with pictures:
http://www.skiingbc.info/mtn/
djspookman 16 Jun 2007
All of Mad River Glen's chairs were Meullers, besides the single. The Birdland double and the practice slope chair still are, although their carriers have been upgradede to Borvig chairs.
Haystack in southern VT had them too, but they're closed indefinety. Bear Creek (formerly Roundtop, also had 2 mueller chairs, but the only one operating now has CTEC carriers. There are more locations in VT, just can't remember right now.
Dave
Haystack in southern VT had them too, but they're closed indefinety. Bear Creek (formerly Roundtop, also had 2 mueller chairs, but the only one operating now has CTEC carriers. There are more locations in VT, just can't remember right now.
Dave
Allan 16 Jun 2007
JustJeepIt, on Jun 16 2007, 03:22 PM, said:
Your thoughts about them? Kinda sounds like from the few responses so far that some of you guys were not very happy with them?
Ours is OK - there are a few drawbacks though; such as the grips have lots of parts and 100% need servicing every summer, the sheave assemblies don't have a lot of room for in/out adjustment, the drive enclosure is a little small to work in... things like that.
Lift Kid 17 Jun 2007
One Mueller that I have personally seen was the Eagle Mountain Chair at Lutsen, MN. I would normally have pictures on my website, but it is totally under construction. I, also, am on vacation and don't have access to my images as they are on an external hard-drive at my house. I will post when I get home. (tomorrow night)
jclark 28 Jun 2007
There are also a few in MA. At one point, Berkshire East had 2 Mueller chairs. Majorly retrofitted when current management took over, then replaced when funds were available.
While they were ahead of the curve in some respects, there were also a lot of short comings. Both chairs were engineered with too few towers (as a result, there was a lot of bouncing when the chair stopped and derailments were common...additional towers were added in said retrofit). One was also engineered with a base load that left the chair only a few inches off the ground with any amount of snow. Since there was so much concrete used with the base terminal, there wasn't much that could be done to fix this.
Lattice towers aren't overly strong with lateral forces. Not only that, but with the engineering, it only takes a kid to bounce a chair in order to break a brittle bar. With no lifting towers, ladders, or staging, tower/sheave maintenance wasn't easy.
Ski Ward in MA has a Partek Triple built on old Mueller double lattice towers.
Haystack VT (closed) as mentioned, has one Mueller standing (a small beginner double), as well as two partials (a transfer lift with just a few towers left, and a summit lift without chairs).
Highmount, NY (next to Bellearye) (closed) also has an old Mueller double standing (originally from Jiminy Peak, MA)
Moose Mountain, NH (closed) has an old Mueller double standing
Mt. Whittier, NH (closed) has an old Mueller gondola (standing without cabins, crossing a major highway).
Black, NH has a partial Mueller still standing if I recall...I think it has Riblet chairs on it...a Mueller-Riblet...a Mullet?
While they were ahead of the curve in some respects, there were also a lot of short comings. Both chairs were engineered with too few towers (as a result, there was a lot of bouncing when the chair stopped and derailments were common...additional towers were added in said retrofit). One was also engineered with a base load that left the chair only a few inches off the ground with any amount of snow. Since there was so much concrete used with the base terminal, there wasn't much that could be done to fix this.
Lattice towers aren't overly strong with lateral forces. Not only that, but with the engineering, it only takes a kid to bounce a chair in order to break a brittle bar. With no lifting towers, ladders, or staging, tower/sheave maintenance wasn't easy.
Ski Ward in MA has a Partek Triple built on old Mueller double lattice towers.
Haystack VT (closed) as mentioned, has one Mueller standing (a small beginner double), as well as two partials (a transfer lift with just a few towers left, and a summit lift without chairs).
Highmount, NY (next to Bellearye) (closed) also has an old Mueller double standing (originally from Jiminy Peak, MA)
Moose Mountain, NH (closed) has an old Mueller double standing
Mt. Whittier, NH (closed) has an old Mueller gondola (standing without cabins, crossing a major highway).
Black, NH has a partial Mueller still standing if I recall...I think it has Riblet chairs on it...a Mueller-Riblet...a Mullet?
Carl 08 Jul 2007
JH's original Thunder Chair was a Mueller.
It was "interesting" with respect to Maintenance. One certain Rope Splicer had a little
trouble with an early morning start..........eh, Spice?
The installers evidently didn't know how to survey in a lift line since some of the tower footers
were out of line and had to be replaced! The haul rope had two splices due to the "Cowboy" way
the rope was dragged up the mountain behind a D-7. Twist? Oh, my, a kinked loop was present.
Lots of stories!
Carl
It was "interesting" with respect to Maintenance. One certain Rope Splicer had a little
trouble with an early morning start..........eh, Spice?
The installers evidently didn't know how to survey in a lift line since some of the tower footers
were out of line and had to be replaced! The haul rope had two splices due to the "Cowboy" way
the rope was dragged up the mountain behind a D-7. Twist? Oh, my, a kinked loop was present.
Lots of stories!
Carl
mikest2 07 Jul 2014
Found an install list from 1978:
Attached File(s)
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installs.tiff (1.48MB)
Number of downloads: 42
RibStaThiok 08 Jul 2014
Thanks for the info. I started this thread under my old name way back in 2007 and the Muellers still interst me for some reason. Just like the old Thios. Allan gets the best of both worlds then having one of each.
http://www.skilifts....wder/powder.htm
http://www.skilifts....mmit/summit.htm
This post has been edited by RibStaThiok: 08 July 2014 - 12:51 AM
http://www.skilifts....wder/powder.htm
http://www.skilifts....mmit/summit.htm
This post has been edited by RibStaThiok: 08 July 2014 - 12:51 AM
Yooper Skier 08 Jul 2014
Skibrule in Upper Mighigan has two of them, although I would imagine they are both relocations. First time I saw them, I thought the lattice towers were constructed from a kids erector set! Two resorts in Maine each have one also - Big Rock and Saddleback. The one at Big Rock was originally built in 1970 along with two others at Evergreen Valley located just South of Sunday River and moved to Big Rock in the 90s. Saddleback's Rangeley Chair is a 1963 with new Dopptec drive/return added in 2004 and had Borvig chairs added at some point in the past. The picture is one I took this past winter at the top of the Rangeley Chair. Looks like a CTEC Orion return with the original Mueller 10-wheelers. The drive is a CTEC Sprint.
Attached File(s)
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rangeley chairjpeg.jpg (23.03K)
Number of downloads: 76
Tramway Guy 10 Jul 2014
Yooper Skier, on 08 July 2014 - 04:27 AM, said:
Skibrule in Upper Mighigan has two of them, although I would imagine they are both relocations. First time I saw them, I thought the lattice towers were constructed from a kids erector set! Two resorts in Maine each have one also - Big Rock and Saddleback. The one at Big Rock was originally built in 1970 along with two others at Evergreen Valley located just South of Sunday River and moved to Big Rock in the 90s. Saddleback's Rangeley Chair is a 1963 with new Dopptec drive/return added in 2004 and had Borvig chairs added at some point in the past. The picture is one I took this past winter at the top of the Rangeley Chair. Looks like a CTEC Orion return with the original Mueller 10-wheelers. The drive is a CTEC Sprint.
The Mueller lifts at Ski Brule came from Squaw Mountain in Maine; relocated in early '80s.
jclark 11 Jul 2014
Conrad 13 Feb 2020
Very nice video published today documenting the Gstaad lift in Switzerland. It was built in 1983 and was the last Mueller gondola in Switzerland and one of the few remaining in the world. It last operated in 2019. I might be mistaken, but the reason for the removal could have something to do with strict regulations in Switzerland making it difficult to renew operating licenses beyond a certain number of years (possibly 35 years).
https://www.youtube....h?v=lGtUqQZ-umo
https://www.youtube....h?v=lGtUqQZ-umo
sheave 08 Mar 2020
Conrad, on 13 February 2020 - 12:44 PM, said:
I might be mistaken, but the reason for the removal could have something to do with strict regulations in Switzerland making it difficult to renew operating licenses beyond a certain number of years (possibly 35 years).
They were slowly running out of spare parts for the grips and decided to not renew the license beyond 2020.
This post has been edited by sheave: 08 March 2020 - 01:39 AM
Bogong 11 Mar 2020
The 1961 vintage Mt Perisher Double chairlift at the Vail owned Perisher ski resort in Australia will run for the last time in October. It will replaced by a Dopp detachable six pack.
The Mt Perisher Double is by far the oldest chairlift in Australia and it was the last Mueller built at an Australian ski resort as other Mueller chairs had a habit of derailing.However the Mt P Double has been utterly reliable for 60 years.
Makers plate on the 1961 vintage Mt Perisher Double chairlift.
This post has been edited by Bogong: 11 March 2020 - 12:54 AM
The Mt Perisher Double is by far the oldest chairlift in Australia and it was the last Mueller built at an Australian ski resort as other Mueller chairs had a habit of derailing.However the Mt P Double has been utterly reliable for 60 years.
Makers plate on the 1961 vintage Mt Perisher Double chairlift.
This post has been edited by Bogong: 11 March 2020 - 12:54 AM