Roped Hydraulic Residential – How Does It Work?

Residential elevators often use a “roped hydraulic drive” for lifting and lowering. Roped hydraulic elevators use a combination of a hydraulic jack and cables to lift the elevator car. This provides the smooth ride of a hydraulic elevator without the need to dig a deep hole in the ground.

The hydraulic jack resides in the hoistway between the rails. A pulley is attached to the top of the jack. Two hoisting cables tie things together. One end is attached to the cab. The other end is tied to a fixed point at the base of the rails. The controller and hydraulic pump reside in a nearby machine room. This elevator needs a shallow pit.

The roped hydraulic system uses the pulley to give it a 2:1 movement ratio. For every 1 foot that the jack moves, the cab moves 2 feet. This is how the unit can operate without digging a deep hole for the hydraulic jack.