ski lift wire rope factory

Wirerope Works, Inc. manufactures Bethlehem Wire Rope®, the trade name under which we produce, sell and service our wire rope and strand products. The name "Bethlehem Wire Rope" represents the most complete facility and experienced personnel in North America. Our 46-acre manufacturing complex in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, with over 620,000 square feet under roof, is the single largest wire rope manufacturing facility in North America. Wirerope Works, Inc. manufactures its own wire, wire rope, structural strand, and all fabricated products such as pendants and other assemblies on the same premises.

Bethlehem brand wire rope and strand products have long been recognized worldwide for superior quality. Used for both lifting and stabilizing, Bethlehem Wire Rope products are used in a wide variety of applications ranging from crane and elevator hoist ropes to bridge suspension and anchoring offshore platforms. Wirerope Works, Inc. serves many industries including construction, logging, marine, mining, oil and gas, and steel.

The 6x19 Classification of wire rope is the most widely used. With its good combination of flexibility and wear resistance, rope in this class can be suited to the specific needs of diverse kinds of machinery and equipment. The 6x19 Seale construction, with its large outer wires, provides great ruggedness and resistance to abrasion and crushing. However, its resistance to fatigue is somewhat less than that offered by a 6x25 construction. The 6x25 possesses the best combination of flexibility and wear resistance in the 6x19 Class due to the filler wires providing support and imparting stability to the strand. The 6x26 Warrington Seale construction has a high resistance to crushing. This construction is a good choice where the end user needs the wear resistance of a 6x19 Class Rope and the flexibility midway between a 6x19 Class and 6x37 Class rope.

The 6x36 Class of wire rope is characterized by the relatively large number of wires used in each strand. Ropes of this class are among the most flexible available due to the greater number of wires per strand, however their resistance to abrasion is less than ropes in the 6x19 Class. The designation 6x36 is only nominal, as in the case with the 6x19 Class. Improvements in wire rope design, as well as changing machine designs, have resulted in the use of strands with widely varying numbers of wires and a smaller number of available constructions. Typical 6x37 Class constructions include 6x33 for diameters under 1/2", 6x36 Warrington Seale (the most common 6x37 Class construction) offered in diameters 1/2" through 1-5/8", and 6x49 Filler Wire Seale over 1-3/4" diameter.

ISO 9001 & AS 9120 certified 8(m)WOSB certified manufacturer of floatable polypropylene ropes for barrier, crowd control, ski tow and slope, and electrical applications. Available in 3-strand twisted and 8-strand plaited construction with 3/16 to 4 1/2 in. diameter sizes and 1,300 to 115,000 lbs. average tensile strength. Features chemical resistance. Also offers custom ropes. Meets military specifications.

Isn’t this the dream of every ardent skier: wedeling downhill merrily and then being taken uphill again within minutes in comfort and at ease by a ropeway or gondola?

Year after year, ski lift and/or ropeway operators are faced with this challenge: to take any number of winter and summer tourists from the valley up the mountain, safely and quickly. And not only in the mountains but in the cities, too, passenger ropeways play an increasing role in the daily transport of great numbers of people. To ensure that transportation is effected safely and fast, not only the appropriate lift systems are required, but also reliable ropeway ropes for passenger ropeways. And these very ropes for ropeways are one of the specialities of Teufelberger-Redaelli.

Our vast experience in steel wire rope manufacturing gained over two generations helps us create optimized products for all fields of use in the passenger ropeway segment.

Our high-performance steel wire ropes for passenger ropeways are developed and produced at two locations in Austria and two in Italy. We produce advanced steel wire ropes for the most spectacular ropeway projects all over the world. Our focus is set on the high requirements in terms of the rope’s service life as well as smooth running behaviour, which we meet through our special rope constructions and production technologies.

With our pioneering rope technologies such as SOLITEC® and SUPEFILL®, we can guarantee long maintenance intervals and thus less downtime, which constitutes a key factor for the success of a ropeway operator.

Our carrying ropes often do their duty throughout the entire lifetime of the ropeway system – and that with great reliability, low maintenance requirements, and the utmost riding comfort.

The provision of high performance steel wire ropes for your passenger ropeway custom-tailored to your specific needs is a fundamental prerequisite for a lasting and successful business relationship. However, TEUFELBERGER also provides additional services that render the construction or upkeep of your ropeway system significantly easier.

No matter which kind of ropeway you operate, we have the right rope for you in our product portfolio. Whether you need a rope for a funicular railway, a Funitel/Funitor, a bicable or tricable ropeway, a reversible aerial ropeway, a gondola ropeway, a chairlift or a surface lift, we have the appropriate hauling ropes, carrying ropes, tensioning ropes, as well as carrying-hauling ropes.

Our structural ropes are produced and assembled in accordance with the EU harmonization directives and are certified with CE approval. The CE certification guarantees that the marked products can be traded in the EU without restrictions. Fatzer guarantees that all requirements necessary for CE approval have been met in accordance with the relevant directives.

i understand the factors at hand. just a little background info though.. the "cables" used for ski lifts start as wires that are twisted together to form a strand. then this strand, along with a number of other strands, is wound around a smaller wire rope (the core) to form the finished wire rope.

wire rope - cross section is made up of many of the honeycomb-looking strand cross sections and one core that is made up of many honeycomb cross sections

how exactly does varying all of those change the mechanical properties in a wire rope... i would think its a little more complicating that just the outer diameter of the finished product. especially since all of the sources ive looked at have said something about a range of wire numbers being used different types of strands, meaning there has to be some way of telling how many wires/strands you need at a certain thickness to provide the requested tensile properties

Design, ride comfort and environmental sustainability play an important role in today‘s requirements for ropeways. From the continuous ongoing developments and an innovative spirit, products from Leitner-Poma of America have been setting new standards for many years.

Wire ropes are made of multi-layer steel wire twisted into shares, then to rope core as the center by a number of strands twisted into a spiral. It mainly plays a role in improving, traction, tension and carrying. The rope has high strength, light weight, steady work, strong and difficult to break and reliable working.

We are the high-performance stainless steel and galvanized wire rope manufacturer from China and specializing in wire rope, crane ropes and rope sling. We offer a complete range of lifting products also including chain pulley block, lever hoist, chain hoist and oil drilling ropes, and other related products, for example, high tensile spiral rope net for rock security barriers. Our products have the advantage of long life, high strength, shock and abrasion resistance. And we provide superior delivery, packaging and technical service. Thus, our customers over the world recognize the value of our products. Our customers are mainly in construction and mining, oil and gas, fishing and marine, forestry and utilities, ski lifts and bridges industries.

Our steel wire ropes provided by use of suitable corrosion inhibitor grease or oil, are supplied in sturdy treated wooden reel, and wrapped with polythene paper of suitable rust & moisture protection. We have a large inventory of quality wire ropes in a full range of diameters and constructions to meet needs and expectations of the market.

In late April 2022, the Lodgepole Chairlift haul rope (aka the wire cable that the chairlifts are attached to) was replaced with a brand-new haul rope supplied by Fatzer, LTD - a specialty steel wire rope manufacturer based in Switzerland. The process of replacing the haul rope is a complicated one, requiring an all-hands-on-deck approach from the resort’s summer maintenance staff, as well as expert outside consultants.

First the chairlift carriers - what skiers/riders sit on - must be removed. Then the old rope is detensioned and taken off a number of lift towers so it can be accessed. The new rope is then temporarily spliced into the old, and a special system is rigged on the ground to pull the new rope around all of the lift towers, using the old rope as a guide. Finally, the temporary splice is undone, and the new rope is permanently spliced together, rehung on the lift towers, and retensioned to its operating tension.

Extensive testing is conducted throughout the process and after to ensure the new rope is functioning properly before the chairlift carriers are reattached and the chairlift is fully load tested and certified as ready for passengers for next winter season.

Knight Equipment Company, Inc. was founded in 1945 by Aubrey Knight, after working for Broderick & Bascom Rope Company since 1927. His son, R.J. Knight, worked along side his father until, in December 1975, he purchased and incorporated the business from his father. Knight Equipment Company, Inc. continues under that leadership today.

Knight Equipment Company has had a continued growth, not only in the wire rope field, but in the ski industry as well. RJ, along with his sons, Justin and Jason, does splicing, inspections, and electromagnetic inspections at the ski areas, nationwide, as well as worldwide.

Some of the products carried by Knight Equipment Company, Inc. are wire rope, wire rope fittings, M.S. Slings and H.T. Slings, chain slings, chain fittings, and nylon slings. We also make wire rope and chain assemblies for construction.

We do custom wire rope splicing, such as the endless drive cables used by the Amusement Industry for their rides and endless cables used by the Ski Industry.

Highlander is pleased to be the North American sales and service representative for Redaelli Wire Ropes in the aerial tramway industry. Please click on the Redaelli logo for more information on Redaelli Wire Ropes. To contact Highlander for a quote on a new rope or wire rope service, or for more information, please go to our Contact page.

Steamboat SpringsSteamboat Springs — While most of Steamboat played in the snow during the weekend, a small crew of men labored through windblown sleet mixed with snow pellets and a chilly afternoon. They were working on the intricate task of splicing the massive new haul rope for the Steamboat Ski Area"s gondola. — While most of Steamboat played in the snow during the weekend, a small crew of men labored through windblown sleet mixed with snow pellets and a chilly afternoon. They were working on the intricate task of splicing the massive new haul rope for the Steamboat Ski Area"s gondola.

Steamboat Springs — While most of Steamboat played in the snow during the weekend, a small crew of men labored through windblown sleet mixed with snow pellets and a chilly afternoon. They were working on the intricate task of splicing the massive new haul rope for the Steamboat Ski Area’s gondola.

The rope consists of six strands of 37 wires wound in a tight spiral around a plastic core. It is about 3.4 miles long and weighs 60 tons. The challenge facing the crews working Sunday was to link the two loose ends of the rope with one long, seamless splice.

The task was completed Monday. Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. spokeswoman Heidi Thomsen said the gondola would open “soon,” but she stopped short of giving an exact date.

Overseeing the work on the haul cable was R.J. Knight of Knight Equipment Co. in Bowling Green, Mo. The company specializes in splicing and inspecting wire ropes for the ski industry worldwide. It also splices ropes for the endless drive cables used in amusement park rides.

At that moment the men were using a heavy hammer to pound conical metal spikes between the twisted strands of wire that wrap around a plastic core to make the rope.

The intent was to snip out lengths of the plastic core so 10-foot long “loose ends” of wire left from the splicing process could be tucked seamlessly into the space previously occupied by the core.

Significantly, the need to replace Steamboat’s gondola haul rope arose this fall because of irregularities in the original rope resulting from the “loose ends” that were tucked back into the old rope during installation 21 years ago.

Steamboat Vice President of Mountain Operations Doug Allen said the irregularities in the old rope did not create a safety issue but did cause “operational hassles.”

The loose wire strands that had been tucked back into the old rope had shifted over time. When one of the gondola cars happened to clamp onto one of the irregularities, it set off a safety alert. That required the gondola to be backed into the gondola building so the car could be re-attached at a different point on the rope. During the 2006-07 ski season, those events happened as often as three times a day.

The new rope was manufactured in Switzerland and trucked here on a spool from the port of Savannah, Ga. When it arrived, it was one continuous strand about 18,000 feet long. Before it could be put to work pulling gondola cars up and down the route from the base of the ski area to Thunderhead, it had to be connected into a single loop by splicing the two ends of the rope together along a length of almost 250 feet.

The seven-man crew, including individuals from Knight Equipment, Alpine Cable and Ski Corp.’s own lift crew, unwound a lengthy section of the six strands that make up the rope.

ArcelorMittal WireSolutions worked with the customer to provide the replacement wire rope. Our mill in Bourg-en-Bresse, France produced and supplied 6-strand ropes (with a diameter of 46 mm) offering superior strength, stretch resistance, and resistance to bending fatigue. Its compacted strands surround a central solid plastic core and ensure outstanding levels of resistance against crushing and abrasion. This solution is specifically designed for chairlifts, funitels, gondolas, and tramways.

In total, ArcelorMittal WireSolutions provided 3.8 km of ropes to customer STVI (Société de Téléphérique de Val d’Isère) through TEC Cables Bourg. STVI chose our product thanks to its quality, reliability, and especially its very performant compacted core with a very low level of elongation in comparison with other solutions on the market. The level of stretch of our compact core ropes is extremely low at maximum 0.15% (0.15 for 100) after 1500 hours of running.

Mountain Wire Rope Service is a family owned business from central Pennsylvania. Dale R. Walters began his career in the wire rope business in 1968 at Paulsen Wire Rope Corp., Sunbury Pa. In 1984 he ventured out on his own, and Mountain Wire Rope Service was born. Dale"s daughter, Whitney Walters-Anderson, apprenticed under her father and works as a wire rope inspector. Her husband, JT Anderson, also apprenticed under Dale and now works as a splicer and inspector. They both have over 20 years of experience, and with Dale"s passing in October of 2014, Whitney and JT took over the business. Mountain Wire Rope Service specializes in aerial ropeway wire rope, splicing, inspections, sales, andmagnetic rope testing.Traveling the world to service wire rope from Maine to Jamaica, we service 135 ski areas, 10 amusement parks and aerial trams throughout the Caribbean. We inspect 2 million feet of wire rope yearly and on a busy winter day have 350 million people in the air on our serviced lifts.