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Rope Tow Brands/Manufacturers vs Home made tows
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Forums : NELSAP Discussion : NELSAP Discussion
Moderated by: Chris, nelsap, Betsy, the_hop |
Anonymous posts are not allowed in this forum
Rope Tow Brands/Manufacturers vs Home made tows
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ciscokidProfile | Galleries Rank: 
Member Since: Posts: 1288 Location: |
Posted: Feb 08, 2010 - 2:00 PM GMT After reading the old fashioned rope tow thread I was wondering if the surface lift experts here know if there were companies/manufacturers' that made rope tows(not T/J or pomas), and if there were ,what were their brand names/models available. I know there were a bunch of old Model T/ car engines incorporated into the early home made tows at small areas but I do not recall discussion of companies names/brands. Did companies such as Hall, Riblet, Heron etc. install rope tows? I have looked at a few out here and do not see any manufactures' names on them, maybe I'll have to look a little closer or ask some more questions at the areas. There are by far a ton of rope tows still in use here in Mich as compares to Magic Carpets and the old girls seem to be real workhorses and very durable many of which are 50+/- years old and still cranking quite nicely!  __________ |
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newman Profile | Galleries Rank:
Member Since: Posts: 1077 Location: |
Posted: Feb 08, 2010 - 3:57 PM GMT I dont think most states allow rope tows to be installed anymore. I think the rope has to be a cable with handles on it. The older ones are grandfathered in. The carpets are the new craze. Even for tubing hills. At about 40 grand each, they are also becoming a long term investment. |
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ciscokid Profile | Galleries Rank:
Member Since: Posts: 1288 Location: |
Posted: Feb 08, 2010 - 4:06 PM GMTEdited: Feb 08, 2010 - 4:09 PM GMT well since no one is answering this question I thought I'd change it to a maintainance related one. Newman or someone who works at an area who still has ropetow(s), what is involved in the maintainance of a ropetow, the rope itself? the wheels? How often generally does a rope need replacement?Are most ropetows electric or gas/diesel driven? etc. And for those fortunate enough to have ridden rope tows, does anyone have any unusual stories of accidents on rope tows?(getting a glove stuck, riding into a person in front of you, falling down and getting in the way of oncoming ropetow riders?) Woody B should be able to help after he digs out from the historic Winchester double barreled snowpocolipse!  __________ |
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kevinthomas Profile | Galleries Rank:
Member Since: Posts: 355 Location: |
Posted: Feb 09, 2010 - 1:13 AM GMT The Answers: There is almost no maintance for a rope tow. You normally take down the rope in the summer to protect from the UV sun rays and hang it in the fall. I can hang or unhang my 650 rope tow in less than 2 hours working by myself. A greese a few shives every year or two, that takes maybe another 1/2 hour. I have never heard of any state not allowing new rope tows. Ward Hill told me they removed their last rope tow becasue they were tired of parents complaining that their kid wrecked his or her gloves and wanted compensation. Back in the day people knew to use leather gloves and to skate before grabbing rope to avoid wear in teh gloves. I have rope bare handed this way with no discomfort. Every tow I ever saw was custom made, often with old minning parts and car rims. It's not hard to get the parts. I built my entire tow including new rope for under $2,000! In the early days most were gas driven, seems through time about half switched to electric. If you ever ride an electric tow that doesn't have a "soft start" it goes from zero to full speed in a micro second, Ward Hills summit tow was like that! It only takes 15 or 20 horse to run a 200 verticle foot rope tow at 1000 feet per minute. By the way, I use less than a gallon of gas running my tow each hour! When I was at Mt Greylock they said they have never had a reportable accident on their rope tows. Their tow spacing allows for a rider to load every 3 to 4 seconds, giving their tow close to 1000 skiers per hour capacity. Most areas spread teh skiers out a lot more giving the tow a very low skier capacity of 300 to 400 per hour. I think the attitude of the general skier is no longer a match for the work and possible glove damage that it takes to ride a Rope tow. Kevin |
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spunkyskier01 Profile | Galleries Rank:
Member Since: Posts: 292 Location:  |
Posted: Feb 09, 2010 - 5:47 AM GMT Cisco, the only brand manufactured rope tow I am aware of is the Yan transfer tow at Alta, and that tow is allot more than your average tow. The rope tow I worked on just involved greasing sheaves, engine maintenance and hanging the rope. I was fortunate to learn how to splice the rope while in Ironwood. |
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ciscokid Profile | Galleries Rank:
Member Since: Posts: 1288 Location: |
Posted: Feb 12, 2010 - 2:09 PM GMT thanks for the info guys, looking through skilifts.org I was unable to find any reference of ropetow installs, just pomalifts,T's and J's. Interesting to know that there is little or no maintainance Kevin. I rode a ropetow yesterday at Bittersweet Mi and will up load video and pictures soon, I also stood on a Magic carpet for my first time but the ropetow next to it had at least 10 times as many takers! Now I'm off to see the different conveyor brands! The one I stood on was branded Sunkids I believe. __________ |
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