How an Inclined Elevation Lift is Built

The Track

Building a safe, solid lift starts with the track and its support structures.

We fabricate two track styles in our shop—standard and low-profile (shallow)—each in 20' lengths and used under different conditions. When ground clearance isn't an issue, we use the 13-1/4" deep standard track with legs every 20' or so. Near the ground, the 6" deep shallow track with legs every 10' makes more sense. Some lifts—like models 65, 77, and 92—use a combination of both.

Track width varies by lift. Typical 4-person lifts run on a 36" gauge for single-pitch and just over 32" for 2-pitch. In all cases, two pieces of 3" C-channel are fixed a constant distance apart, with a dolly riding inside on custom-machined wheels and heavy-duty roller bearings.

Rock-Solid Stability

In the field, each 20' track section is raised, positioned, and fixed with an all-welded triangular support structure—geometrically rigid and exceptionally stable. Leg loads are light: under 500 lbs for the track alone and under 1,500 lbs for a fully loaded car. The leg geometry also eliminates torque on the footings, so footings can be minimal and less invasive while still holding a solid, steady track.

We almost never use concrete piers. To avoid frost heave, piers must reach below the frost line. But on a hillside, especially one with cracks or fissures that bleed heat to the surface, that depth is hard to predict. There's also a geometry problem: pier depth is measured vertically, but the frost line runs perpendicular to the slope. The required hole depth equals the frost line depth divided by the cosine of the track angle. On a 45° hill with a 48" frost line, that's a 67" hole. Digging that deep on a steep hillside and working with concrete is unnecessary when better solutions exist.

Securely Anchored

Where bedrock is accessible, legs are fixed directly into it with anchor bolts and sealing cement. On forest floor, we dig a trench, remove the organic material, fill it with pea gravel for drainage, and set an 8' long 3"×2"×¼" angle iron footplate on top. The footplate is pinned with angle iron or rebar stakes driven into the ground and welded in place, and the legs are then welded to the footplate. The track itself has a small but measurable positive effect on slope stability.

2-Pitch Track

Some hillsides have a flatter upper section and a steeper lower section, making a single-pitch track inadequate. In 2011, we developed our own 2-pitch track and car system for these conditions. The track has three sections: a flat upper, a curved transition (an arc of a circle), and a steeper lower section.

To keep the car level throughout its run, we weld on a "pipe track"—also in three parts: a straight upper section, a curved section matching the track's arc but displaced uphill, and a straight lower section. Above the curve, an oversized chain holds the car level. Through and below the curve, the car—connected to the dolly by an oversized hinge and fitted with "back-riggers" carrying rollers—is kept level by those rollers riding under the pipe track.

Precision

Our goal is to build tracks straighter than the raw materials we start with, ensuring the smoothest, most comfortable ride. We use a track-mounted transit, a fixed reference target, and a target on the free end of each 20' section to locate every section horizontally and vertically to ±1/16" at the legs before welding it in place.

Station Gate Interlocks

Interlocked station gates make sense when a station is elevated (a fall hazard) or to protect riders from the lift being moved carelessly during boarding and unloading. We offer the interlocked gate options listed below. These systems can often be retrofitted to existing lifts.

Electro-mechanical Interlocked Gates

When an access platform has solid railings and a self-closing, self-latching gate, preferably all metal, we can install an electro-mechanical interlock. This prevents the station gate from opening unless the car is present, and prevents the car from moving unless the gate is closed and latched. We'll work with you and your installers to ensure everything integrates properly.

Rotating and Sliding Gate Systems

These automatic access gates are controlled by the lift's control system. They interlock with the lift and open or close automatically as the car arrives at or departs from the station.

Photocell Interlocks

These are useful when there's no fall hazard at the station but you want to protect riders from the car being moved unexpectedly during boarding or unloading.

Customizations

• Third and even fourth stations
• Ice scrapers to clear ice from the top of the track during winter operations
• Integrated track, garden, dock lighting
• Higher-capacity motors
• Emergency backup generators
• Stairs running alongside the track
• Safety fences on the car for steep lifts
• Self-closing, automatically locking car doors
• Wood fittings on the car and machinery covers to match your cottage
• 42-inch car walls
• Canopies
• PARK buttons

Emergency Braking & Motor Shut-Off Systems

Slack Cable Brakes

If the car is stopped while being lowered, the suspension cable will go slack. When less than an inch of slack develops, the automatic emergency brake releases a trigger arm that uses both gravity and a coil spring to drive two flame-hardened 4140 steel brake dogs into the track with progressively increasing force, stopping the car within a fraction of an inch. The trigger arm also acts as a backup brake, preventing the car from sliding more than five feet down the track.

Over-Speed Brakes

Typical running speed is 60 feet per minute (0.3 m/s). If the car exceeds 0.5 m/s, the over-speed braking system fires, driving the brake dogs into the track. The heart of this system is a German elevator over-speed governor with a notable safety feature: if the governor pivots stiffen from lack of lubrication, the tripping speed decreases rather than increases. Most governors behave the opposite way, making them unreliable when undermaintained. When the over-speed brake trips, the slack-cable brake trips as well.

Slack Cable Motor Shut-Off

A fail-safe mechanism immediately stops the hoist motor whenever the suspension cable goes slack.

After Either Brake Trips

The car can still be raised safely to the top station, so riders are never stranded.

Customized Button Plates

Button plates are custom-etched for each lift, so you can choose your own names for the stations and the lift itself.

Warranties

These warranties assume that all prescribed maintenance and repairs have been performed by Inclined Elevation Inc. or by a qualified company or individual approved by us. Our warranty excludes damage caused by neglect, misuse, or acts of nature.