Unpopular opinion: I was setting my governor rope tension wrong for years

I was working on a 1980s Otis traction unit in an old office building last Tuesday and the safety kept tripping on slow speed tests. My boss came over, watched me for a minute, and said, 'You're pulling that rope way too tight, you're putting a bow in the sheave.' I had always just pulled it until it felt firm, maybe 25 pounds of force. He showed me the manual spec of 10 pounds of pull for that specific setup. The slack side was practically vibrating. I've been doing it the hard way this whole time. How do you guys check your governor rope tension on the older units?

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3 Comments

rowan5936mo ago

Manuals are a lifesaver for that exact reason.

2

terry16mo ago

My 2005 Civic manual, @rowan593, saved me from a tow truck last week.

6

the_susan4mo ago

Saved me from a tow truck" is exactly the kind of magic I wish my driving had lol. My manual car would probably save me from a tow truck by just refusing to start in a parking lot so I never even make it to the highway.

4