The ski hill where I grew up in late 50’s and early ‘60’s powered their rope tows with a variety of tractors and power units. Tractors included a John Deere A, a Farmall H, a Ford Jubilee and a home-built “doodlebug” tractor of unknown heritage. A cut-down Jeep was also employed briefly. An IHC U-6 and an enormous Minneapolis-Moline 6 cylinder power unit (both salvaged from area sawmills) were also used.
When T-bar lifts replaced the rope tows the U-6 was redeployed to power the new bunny lift T-bar. The “big” T-bar was however powered by a new Chrysler hemi industrial power unit - essentially a detuned Dodge truck engine. (The hemi’s exhaust bark when the lift was fully loaded was a wonder to behold!)
The U-6 and hemi soldiered into the early 70’s until electric motors finally replaced the gas engines.
The lifts today are all identical electric-powered quad chairs. Somewhat sadly these lack the "character" of the early home-built rope tows. I don't miss the sore arms, ruined gloves/jackets, etc. from the rope tows however!
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Today's Featured Article - Talk of the Town: Repairin a Gas Tank - by Staff. This interesting discussion is from the Tool Talk Discussion Forum. Remember that safety is your first priority - make sure you know what you are doing before attempting a potentially dangerous activity!
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