7 replies to this topic

[Kicking Horse]

Why do we have to sit closest to the tower if we are the only ones on the chair???

Or in the Center of the chair????

[liftmech]

That's so you don't cause the chair to swing and bang into the sheaves or tower, causing you to hurt yourself or someone else, not to mention causing a $**tload of headaches for the maintenance and operations staff. You've no doubt noticed that carriers on aerial lifts are finely balanced objects; sitting in the middle (or inside on centre-pole carriers) tends to balance better than sitting on the outside. Sitting on either side when you're by yourself on a detachable carrier has the potential to cause an 'entry failure' when you get to the top as well- that's when the lateral roller comes in too high or low to correctly enter the guide rail. This also causes many problems.

[Kicking Horse]

i c....... So everytime i sit to one side when entering the terminal i could really f**k up the lift

[edmontonguy]

What about Quad Chairs with arm rests in the center? these seem to be off balance if only one person is on the chair

[Allan]

And on YAN chairs if you sit on the outside, you will eventually brake a derail switch... not just the fork - the whole switch, as it so happened three weeks ago on Silverlode.

[floridaskier]

I noticed on the lifts at Vail's 4 resorts in CO that they have signs at the bottom of every lift showing where you should sit if you ride with fewer than the max per chair. They show for you to sit on closest to the middle.

If you sit on the inside, that tilts the chair farther to the outside and farther away from the tower.

How far would the chair have to be tilted to miss the entry funnel at the end of the terminal?

[liftmech]

It would have to be tilted pretty far, I was just laying the worst-case scenario on you. This has happened, and the mechanics had to cut the grip apart with an acetylene torch in order to get it out. I'm guessing about plus or minus 15 degrees would do it- that's the swing linit on most manufacturers' sheave assemblies.
Quad chairs with armrests in the centre- i.e. Doppelmayrs- you would sit om the inside next to the armrest.

[Dr Frankenstein]

Two years ago, I was sitting othe side of the chair on the Express @ Avila.

The operator at the top almost insulted me.

This post has been edited by Dr Frankenstein: 21 March 2004 - 03:21 PM