Home : Technical : Trouble Shooting : Detachable Lifts : Principle Roller Wear

Ideas:
It's a 60% chance that wear is occurring as the grip enters either terminal. It's also safe to say that the wear is under a loaded condition that the lift runs at. Lets say that if this lift is loaded to 75% of load for 6 hours a day the wear is more than likely to happen in that loaded condition. When running the lift empty at a reduced speed it will be tough to see the wear occurring.

Other ideas:

• Check for sheave wear, the approach profiles are quite sensitive to haul rope profile change. My guess things will improve if a whole set of sheaves were to be changed rather than 1 or 2. They may look ok, but as they wear the haul rope has moved compared to everything else. This might include both your terminal guide sheave assembly and the nearest tower. If the assemblies heights are easy to adjust and not bottomed out in either part of there range it might be easier to move them.
• Check the bottom portion of the wheel channel. These things actually wear out! Check for bumps or ripples with a straight edge. Most but not all channels were "improved" by grinding a bevel on the inside of the top edge.
• Check the wheel sets for alignment, again use a straight edge.
• Find the construction manual and check and compare all ramp, channel, and haul rope profiles. Compare each side and each terminal.
• Edge wear on the wheels is somewhat of an accepted symptom of the wheel guide design. This will occur faster with a shorter wheel base. The shorter wheel base does help with sharper accelerator ramp profiles.
• Try cleaning a few grips worth of wheels for a base line starting point.
• Drill drainage holes in guide track where you suspect water might pool.
• Pull factory seals off of the bearings and compare the grease to older bearings.

I imagine you are doing most of this stuff anyway but my first guess would be worn sheaves. I am curious why you don’t take a bunch of the grips to the shop rather than do them in the field? Is that a special test of a French antique la rusto finishing system on your parking rail?

YAN had good idea with grip wheels – made them hourglass and used pipe as a track system, it was self cleaning.