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Vent: Older elevators ran smoother than most new MRLs I work on
Been doing this 22 years. I keep hearing guys say the new machine-room-less elevators are better because they save space and use less energy. But I've been noticing something over the last 5 years. The older geared traction elevators from the 80s and 90s had a smoothness to the ride that these new MRLs just don't match. I did a service call last week on a 1992 Otis in a 12-story building in downtown Portland. That thing glided like glass. Then I went to a new condo tower two blocks away with a 2021 MRL. It jerks every time it stops and the leveling is off by half an inch. The old stuff had real relays and heavier components. Now it's all cheap plastic parts and software patches. Has anyone else noticed the ride quality getting worse over the last decade or is it just me?
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kevin2181mo ago
PREACH. Rode a 1986 Dover last week that put my 2019 MRL to SHAME. That old machine just hummed and leveled perfect every time. New stuff feels like riding a shopping cart with a bad wheel. All those plastic encoder wheels and cheap belts wear out in 5 years, then the car jerks and hunts for level all day. Relay logic might be old tech but at least it was RELIABLE and smooth.
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