28 replies to this topic

[Kicking Horse]

How does one do a load test on a Surface Lift?

On other lifts how often do you have to do a load test?

[Allan]

You don't load test surface lifts (maybe carpets?). In Canada you must load test aerial lifts every five years, or when a major alteration is done (new drive controls, brakes, etc.)

[liftmech]

In the States (particularly Colorado), a load test is required:
-on new installations
-when a major modification has been done, i.e. new brake system, new drive, new controls
-when a lift has been relocated even if it's using the same equipment
-every seven years (I think) even if nothing has been done to the lift

Surface lifts aren't load-tested. I'm not saying they can't be, just that they aren't.

[Allan]

Same here about new installs and relocations, they're so few and far between here, I forget :) I guess you'd have to load test surface lifts with people... I couldn't imagine garbage pails balacing too well on a T, or a platter!

[Kicking Horse]

What are some things that can go wrong during a Load Test?

What if something does go wrong?

[highspeedquad]

I would imagine that if the test fails, they fix the problem or if it's not worth it, get a new lift.

[SkiBachelor]

The biggest issue is getting the lift to stop within a certain distance of when the stop button is pressed. This can take several hours or days to fix. I'm sure some can probably tell the story about the Silver Bullet Gondola at Steamboat when the beer kegs were left in the cabins overnight.

[Allan]

Yes, brakes are the biggest factor. You must also test the overspeed and rollback devices. If something is out of spec, you fix it. There's never anything worth getting a new lift over as a result of a load test. That was a lot of ruined beer in that Gondola, but I believe that was part of the acceptance test which is different. An acceptance test includes all the tests of a load test and then a bunch of other stuff.

[Benbosnow]

beer expload?

[SkiBachelor]

I mean not really like exploded, but you know how you can shake a can up and when you open it, all the pop goes flying everywhere. It was kind of like that I presume. Except that the freezing caused it to happen since those kegs are under serious pressure.

[Allan]

I think it froze was the problem... I've never had beer in the house long enough to freeze and thaw to know what happens!!

[Bill]

Cool. Ice Beer. Anybody got a strainer? (Remeber the alcohol doesn't freeze, but the water in the beer does)

[Yaoma]

Kicking Horse, on Oct 13 2005, 09:34 PM, said:

What are some things that can go wrong during a Load Test?

What if something does go wrong?

there a video floating around of a runaway lift ...
rolling back during a load test destroying itself...

This post has been edited by Yaoma: 16 October 2005 - 06:39 PM

[Bill]

Ice Beer is easy... remember I am a brewer. I wish I was there I could have made that stuff work after the fact.

As for a video, there was one made with the Eskimo Lift at Winter Park, they loaded and made it default so they could test a roll back situation.

[SkiBachelor]

Adding onto Bill's post about the Eskimo test, the lift was never supposed to roll back like that. The operator hit the wrong button when they were supposed to stop the lift and by the time the button was hit, there was just too much speed and the lift couldn't stop.

[liftmech]

Things that can go wrong during a load/acceptance test... you can find out that the turbocharger on your main drive has bent and broken vanes and the engine won't run over 1000 rpm, or around 42% speed... been there, hated that. Other than that, though, every load test I've participated in has been smooth as silk. People have been building lifts for long enough that there aren't really any problems up front. They tend to develop later.

[Aussierob]

You're lucky, we just did Solar Coaster because we installed new service brakes. Had all kinds of trouble getting downhill stopping times. (100% download) We wound up having to install a new brake disk. We had a bit of the same problem with 7th Heaven a few years ago when we put in a new motor. Got half way into it and found we neded to add a flywheel. Live and learn I guess.

[barnstormer]

Vermont has required load tests on all chairlifts every 7 years for some time now. The issue I've seen the most is an APU that can't carry the full 110% load that is required. Especially those old Hall's with Wisconsin hay baler motors for APU's! It always cracks me up to see one of those underneath a 75 or 100 hp electric main motor. Those old air cooled fours never dreamed of getting that kind power, even when they were brand new!

[ccslider]

I recall an acceptance test a number of years ago after a major mod (moved a few towers to accomodate a common tower fly-over with a new lift) and during the load test segment, the rope pulled away from a depression sheave assembly as the loaded chairs passed through the new tower configuration - oops - back to the engineering software to reevaluate the profile.

[chuckm]

Hey guys, i was at the original silver bullet load test at the boat in 86, yes we did use beer (coors light) we did the load test and unloaded the lift that evening after a successful test. The coors people counted every single keg ! so unless they did it again with beer in the last 19 years- that info is not correct