I think I Shat myself

[Alss]

Had a scary moment yesterday taking the COPO off my parking lift....a bang and the one corner drops 2 inches! One of the pully wheels for the cables broke!..kudos to the designers as the hub catches the cable no matter which way it goes if it falls out of the wheel! I was also able to drop the lift down and take the car off with the cable against the hub ..Whew!!. Replacement parts are avaiable and will be ordered on Monday. Heres a pic:
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2013/07/full-526-5764-img_1551.jpg

[Xplantdad]

<span style="font-size: 20pt">YIKES!</span>

[VintageMusclecar]

What he said!

<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/eek.gif

[XXXGoldL34M20]

The good thing out of this is I bet everyone of us with a 4 post hoist just checked to see if there hoists are in good working order.
I just did <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

Glad to see you caught it on time before it became a disaster.

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

Thank goodness #1 you weren't hurt, and secondly no scars on my next car............have to spend Monday's Tim Horton's money on Lotto. (I will be grumpy without my java but the COPO should ease the pain)

:-)

Ryan

[92646]

Albert,
Did you do anything special to lower the car the rest of the way after you found the broken wheel? My Bend Pak 4-post is a little over a year old and after about 2 weeks of sitting the cables will go slack with about 3 inches hanging below the ramp and everything has settled on the 4 post stops. I have to lift the car up for about 15-30 seconds to take up the slack before I can lower it. Did you experience anything like this?
Mark Sheppard

[427freak]

Same thing happened to me last week. I replaced all of the shafts, wheels and bushings and bought extra ones. I am going to check and grease every 8 months to a year now. Whew!

[Alss]

Mark, I do the same..once the car is up, release onto the stop support things and slacken the hydraulics/cables....its just the fluid draining out of the ram..takes a few seconds to re fill..dont know when the wheel broke..today was the day it slipped.

[427freak]

I always lay my lift on the stops and release the pressure when a car is up on the lift. Saves the seals and maybe me being squashed. Delay is no big deal. You could take up some slack on the cables if it bugs you.
Mark, call my cell we have been playing tag.

[Mr70]

WoW...good photo.

[PxTx]

I would recommend adjusting the slack out, as I've see too many loose cables come off a pulley. I would also look closely to any cable which has come off a pulley. For any cable of X diameter, there will be a minimum turn radius- Y. The axle the pully turns on will be too small of a radius and will result in cable damage. Two most visual signs are kinks and fracture (when strands begin to break). If you've ever run your hand along a cable and it bit you, you know what I mean.

I've not dealt with a pulley failure like your's Al. I'm glad everything is okay.

[Alss]

Paul, I will be replacing that cable!..plus the two pully's in the pic...adjustments were right on.

[resto4u]

I would be asking some questions. It looks like a cast pulley, not very strong. Was it side pressure that blew out the cable, and how to fix or upgrade. Also is the pulley the proper width for the cable. I would be concerned about getting same part with same problem.

[Charley Lillard]

You can't adjust the slack out of the cables because when you lower the platform onto the safety stops you want to let pressure off of the cylinder. When you do that the cables get slack. I have a Backyard Buddy that has lost 2 pulleys but it is mainly the pin galling and grinding itself apart over time. The replacement is better made. If you just check things over periodically the stuff will last along time. Kinda like checking your oil. Just keep a eye on things.

[XXXGoldL34M20]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Charley Lillard</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You can't adjust the slack out of the cables because when you lower the platform onto the safety stops you want to let pressure off of the cylinder. When you do that the cables get slack. I have a Backyard Buddy that has lost 2 pulleys but it is mainly the pin galling and grinding itself apart over time. The replacement is better made. If you just check things over periodically the stuff will last along time. Kinda like checking your oil. Just keep a eye on things. </div></div>

I agree with Charlie,
I have had a Gemini lift built in Texas for 10 years and every year before the spring I have a good look-over everything once a year. It is normal to have that loose slack when pressure is off the hydraulic pump and I only had to adjust the top bolts once in 10 years so the last peg would catch smoothly if I topped out the lift. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif I even re-located my hoist once to change the location in my garage. I bolted down the legs into the concrete which I feel makes the system more smooth and solid.

[enio45]

darn, i need to check mine this weekend......thanks for the notice!