Elevator Motors

Not necessarily.

I'll take the "Cadillac of motors" made in 1922 over any of the technologically "advanced" yet computerized crap they make today. Moving a box of people from floor to floor in 2014 is no different than it was in 1922, so there's no need to complicate it with new "technology".

The beauty of well-made machinery from decades past is its simplicity. Parts don't need to be "readily available"; they are simple enough to have custom-made, and custom made is not as cost-prohibitive as you might think.

This is why there's a growing subculture (global, believe it or not) that's salvaging and refurbishing old appliances (most notably vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, and washing machines), and why cars manufactured in the 1940s and 1950s are still on the road today in Cuba.

About ten years ago we replaced our manual freight elevator with a new automatic one. It's OK, and more convenient, but doesn't cost us less in maintenance than our two 60-year-old passenger elevators.

Agreeing with NYCMatt and NWT -- refurbish is often the right (and customary) decision for elevator motors. Not that many parts of it are actually 92 years old at this point, of course.

Controllers (the intermediary hardware between buttons/sensors and the signals going to the motor) are more likely to be replacement items and to benefit appreciably from newer technology.

You could certainly arrange another company to evaluate it, give you a proposal for replacement and subsequent maintenance, etc. if you are not feeling confident that it is either the right technology decision and/or a good value.

The other companies were obviously not interested. They had to be prodded to submit their bids and there were 2 to 3 times more expensive.

My concern is that this happened to us at another building. We opted for the rehab and hand tooled replacement parts. After 5 years, we paid out more for parts and the rehab than we would have for a new motor. To boot, there was very slow turnaround on the service. We wound up buying new motors.

And how long did those new motors last, and how much in maintenance did (do) they cost now?

NYCMatt is right again! In 1982 (yes!!!!) I purchased the "Cadillac" of Eureka vacuum cleaners for $375, which was a fortune back then. I've always had extra thick, luxurious, top of the line wall-to-wall carpeting (Karastan), so was told to purchase a vacuum that would be appropriate for such carpeting. Here we are in 2014, and aside from having it serviced annually, it is better than any new vacuum I have seen or used. It is made a steel and metal, not plastic like the newer ones. The service company told me it will probably outlive me!!!!

P.S. The Karastan carpeting looks new as well!!!!

NYCMatt is right again! In 1982 (yes!!!!) I purchased the "Cadillac" of Eureka vacuum cleaners for $375, which was a fortune back then. I've always had extra thick, luxurious, top of the line wall-to-wall carpeting (Karastan), so was told to purchase a vacuum that would be appropriate for such carpeting. Here we are in 2014, and aside from having it serviced annually, it is better than any new vacuum I have seen or used. It is made a steel and metal, not plastic like the newer ones. The service company told me it will probably outlive me!!!!

P.S. The Karastan carpeting looks new as well!!!!

NYCMatt is right again! In 1982 (yes!!!!) I purchased the "Cadillac" of Eureka vacuum cleaners for $375, which was a fortune back then. I've always had extra thick, luxurious, top of the line wall-to-wall carpeting (Karastan), so was told to purchase a vacuum that would be appropriate for such carpeting. Here we are in 2014, and aside from having it serviced annually, it is better than any new vacuum I have seen or used. It is made a steel and metal, not plastic like the newer ones. The service company told me it will probably outlive me!!!! P.S. The Karastan carpeting looks new as well!!!!

NYCMatt is right again! In 1982 (yes!!!!) I purchased the "Cadillac" of Eureka vacuum cleaners for $375, which was a fortune back then. I've always had extra thick, luxurious, top of the line wall-to-wall carpeting (Karastan), so was told to purchase a vacuum that would be appropriate for such carpeting. Here we are in 2014, and aside from having it serviced annually, it is better than any new vacuum I have seen or used. It is made a steel and metal, not plastic like the newer ones. The service company told me it will probably outlive me!!!! P.S. The Karastan carpeting looks new as well!!!!

NYCMatt is right again! In 1982 (yes!!!!) I purchased the "Cadillac" of Eureka vacuum cleaners for $375, which was a fortune back then. I've always had extra thick, luxurious, top of the line wall-to-wall carpeting (Karastan), so was told to purchase a vacuum that would be appropriate for such carpeting. Here we are in 2014, and aside from having it serviced annually, it is better than any new vacuum I have seen or used. It is made a steel and metal, not plastic like the newer ones. The service company told me it will probably outlive me!!!! P.S. The Karastan carpeting looks new as well!!!!

I am SO sorry about all those posts. Don't know how it happened. SORRY..............................