Found out elevator doors only need 11 inches of overhead clearance, blew my mind

Was looking at an old Otis manual from 1987 that a buddy left in the shop truck. It had a diagram showing the door operator and the counterweight setup. Turns out most hydraulic elevators can run with just 11 inches of headroom above the door track. I always figured you needed at least 18 or 20 inches for the linkage to swing. Checked it against a job we did last week in a 1960s building in Philly, and sure enough, the clearance was 11.5 inches. Anyone else ever misjudge clearance on an older unit and have to rework the rail brackets?

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1 Comment

robinson.paul25d ago

Hell no, I’ve seen old Otis setups that needed way more room for the arm to swing.