Five
Sisters Falls and Lodge
Belize, Central
America
250 feet
Steep,
rugged hillside
41°
Special Features
Five Sisters Falls & Lodge, located in Belize (formerly known as
British Honduras), contacted Bill MacLachlan of Hill Hiker, Inc., in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, in search of an inclined transportation system
for their eco-lodge. Their system, completed at the end of March 1998,
needs to carry a four-person 700-lb capacity, traveling 250 feet down
the mountainside to a series of five private waterfalls known as the
Five Sisters Falls. The angle of incline for this application is 41 degrees.
Power for this lift is derived from a home-built hydroelectric system
designed by the local Belizian Menonnities. The distance from Minneapolis,
remoteness of the application, and lack of consistently available power
all combined to make this project a rewarding challenge for everyone
concerned.
Description of the Transportation
System
The Hill Hiker® lift was shipped from Minneapolis to Waco, Texas in early September
1997. The load was then transferred via flatbed semi-truck through Mexico into
Belize, and from there to small pickup trucks that drove up into the mountains
and rain forest of Belize to Five Sisters Falls & Lodge.
The Installation of the Hill Hiker
The installation was coordinated through Carlos Popper, owner of the Five Sisters;
Bill MacLachlan, owner of Hill Hiker, Inc.; and Aaron Loewen, the local general
contractor. A pre-construction meeting on the jobsite determined location of
the lift, angle of incline, and method of track and footing placement. The
Hill Hiker® lift's typical footing layout is supported by posts that anchor
to the outside of the 24-inch-wide track every 10 feet for the entire length
of the
track. The total number of footings installed is 56. Loewen shot the line with
a laser transit, ensuring a straight line and consistent transition for 250
feet.
Placement of the support posts and track, which took
eight men three weeks to install, was also a challenge.
Hand-chiseled holes anchor a combination
of caissons,
step footings and standard footings which support posts as short as six inches
off the ground to as tall as 12 feet from the mountain floor. Natural springs
and rain forest vegetation all added to the unique nature of this project.
After
the supports, track, power-pack, controller, chassis
and cart were installed, Noel Davis and MacLachlan
from Hill Hiker, Inc., traveled to Belize to do the
final cabling, wiring and setting the parameters in the controller.
The Hill Hiker® lift in Belize is powered by a three-phase,
three-Hp brake motor coupled to a 60 to 1 gearbox. The
Hill Hiker® lift's drive is a continuous loop traction
drive using 5/16-in. galvanized aircraft cable. The power for the drive is
single-phase, 20-amp power, brought to the lift from the hydroelectric system
over 600 feet
away down the mountain. The motor is powered by an adjustable-speed AC motor
control drive. Call/send stations are hard wired at the top and bottom of
the hill, with a 900 MHz digital wireless control system
on board the car. Over-speed
centrifugal braking, slack cable braking, mechanical and electrical braking
on board the car all add to the safety of the Hill Hiker® lift. The speed
of the Hill Hiker® lift is set to 75 feet a minute.
Success
The success of this project was the result of common-sense engineering and state-of-the-art
technology. Common-sense engineering included rugged, well-built machinery
and equipment installed by competent local contractors. The ability to generate
the needed electricity from the river to produce enough power to run the lift
and the entire lodge is also an example of ingenuity coupled with necessity
and common-sense engineering.
Date of Completion: 3-30-1998
As printed in The Elevator World Source 1998-1999
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