6 replies to this topic

[SkiBachelor]

I'm just wondering, but why do lifts have different haul rope diameters? I've been noticing that detachable lifts have diameters of like 35 mm's all the way up to 42 or more for the same manufacturer. It seems that it would just make more sense to have one haul rope diameter. I'm guessing that it has something to do with the VTFH (Vertical Transport Feet per Hour). Do fixed grip lifts also have different haul rope diameters or do they remain constant for each manufacturer?

I'm was wanting to put something about this in the technical section but I didn't know how to answer it, so I thought I would ask the question since i didn't even know.

[liftmechanic]

The simple answer is that when the load and tension are determined, the rope diameter is determined by using the proper rope to achieve a 5-1 safety factor(ideally). For instance if the load is 20,000 lbs, you buy a rope that is rated for 100,000 lbs.

[Allan]

Great answer :) Yes, FG lifts are different - take Red for example... the Red chair has a 29mm rope, the YANs are both 38mm, and Paradise is 35mm... with the little T-Bar coming in at 19mm.

[liftmech]

Plus, VTFH means nothing in the real world. It's a marketing gimmick plain and simple. The stats you look at are total capacity of your lift, and not how many feet the lift can move those people. The distance will remain constant regardless of whether itt's a double, triple, etc.
The Bee has the biggest rope I've yet seen at 52mm; the Flyer is 42mm.

[WBSKI]

do all yan triples have the same rope width: 38mm or 1.5inches?

[Allan]

As far as I know - no they don't. I seem to remember we got some 35mm (1 3/8) grips from Whistler/Blackcomb when we were thinking of putting YAN carriers/grips on our Thiokol lift. And also I think I read in the maintenance manual that the colour of the grip indicates it's size. Brown = 38mm, we have a green one kicking around somewhere (not on the lift).

[Kelly]

The older cupped washer spring grip can be and was often separate from the carrier (or chair); this was particularly true on the older lifts. Remember haulrope size is mostly determined by counterweight tension.

One of Yan's quick retrofits on older smaller doubles was to switch to triple carriers and change a few assembly guides and add higher count sheave assemblies where needed – no new grip, haulrope, or counterweight needed.