Model: 4-Person
Track: 110' at 26°
Area: Lake Rosseau, Port Carling
Year: 2006
““Inclined Elevation delivered exactly what they promised — a perfectly positioned, neat, clean, robust track that exudes strength, safety features that set the mind at ease, and a smooth ride that inspires complete confidence.””
We built this hybrid one-of-a-kind lift for a customer of the Muskoka Building Company after their original contractor delivered the lift components but was unable to even start the on-site build.
We used their track and car but upgraded the rest of the lift with our own track support structure, winch, lift control, and emergency braking systems.
We later added automatic self-opening self-closing interlocked gates at both stations.
The wrought iron work on the upper patio and on the car was done by Get Bent Metal in Gravenhurst. With the different car and track design, the added iron work, and our running gear, this is truly a unique hybrid lift.
Get Bent Metal had a spare “spear” and we needed a place to mount the button box plate so together we came up with this solution.
There is a Gate button on this lift. It is used to open the gate, to close the gate, and to stop the gate from closing automatically, depending on where the gate is when the gate button is pressed.
Another view of the car in the upper station. The car has unique interlock gates, they only open when the car is in the station. We thought that this was needed because stepping out the wrong gate would not be good.
The car had a sheet metal floor but we changed it to cedar.
The lower station uses an unused corner of the Boathouse Deck.
The lower station buttons are wired directly into the gate post.
With the improved drive system we were able to make the track steeper. This created less intrusion at the upper level, offered a better view of the lake, and enabled us to install the lower station on the boathouse deck rather than stopping one landing above it (as in the original design).
This lift was the first to have three new features:
The suspension cable attachment was moved from the bottom to the top end of the dolly, stabilizing the ride because it's above the center of gravity. The old design pulls from below the center of gravity and is unstable, like pushing a pencil uphill. As a bonus, with the new design if the suspension cable goes slack by even an inch for any reason, the Slack Cable Brake Trigger sets the brake dogs into the track, and the car stops, and the PLC stops the lift motor and set the motor brake. Unlike the design it replaces, the cable cannot be damaged when this brake trip so the lift can be used to return passengers to the top. The brake can be easily reset by the riders. This is now our standard design.
Self-locking/self-closing car doors. This mechanical locking mechanism automatically engages as the car leaves one station and opens when it arrives at the other, adding further safety.
Automatic rotating access gates at both stations. These are seamlessly integrated into the lift, closing automatically as the car leaves a station then opening when it arrives. When the car is not in the station the gates are securely locked.