Hydraulic leveling valves vs. roped hydro, why I switched back

I spent two years on roped hydraulic systems for low rise work. The smooth ride is nice but the maintenance headaches are real. Last month I had a roped unit drop 4 inches in a 10 story building because the packing gland wore uneven. Swapped it for a standard hydraulic leveling valve setup and it's been dead level for 3 weeks. The valve cost $220 and took 2 hours to install versus the roped kit at $900 plus a full day. Maybe I got a bad batch, but has anyone else seen better reliability out of roped hydro long term?

1 comments

1 Comment

wendy_wilson9d ago

Hold on, that comparison is a bit off. The roped hydro system and a hydraulic leveling valve are totally different animals, not really two versions of the same thing. Roped hydro runs the car with cables and a hydraulic ram, while a leveling valve just keeps the car flat when it stops. You can't really swap one for the other and call it the same job, they use different rails and safeties entirely. But yeah, I hear you on the packing gland issues, those can be a real pain to keep true. Sounds like you got a good fix for your building though, that's what matters.