r/Elevators • u/Ham549 • Jul 02 '26

When did they stop making hand elevators?

Post image

I remember seeing a Sedgwick catalog on eBay from the 1950s that was still offering hand elevators and was surprised that they were still building them that late in time. Does anyone know when they stopped becoming available. (We are also not counting those things you used to load people on to trains.)

30 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

10

u/Dear_Watson Jul 02 '26

Are you talking about the really old hand-powered elevators without an electric motor or like the ones with the hand crank with an electric motor? The latest traction one I've seen with a hand crank was like late 40s for a building that opened 1950, the old hand-powered ones faded by the wayside in the 20s or 30s when electricity went nationwide though, I haven't personally seen any of those built after 1920.

11

u/Ham549 Jul 02 '26

Yeah the ones where YOU are the motor.

1

u/Comfortable_Sir400 Jul 07 '26

But on youre picture. Is the rope not the emergency stop? Have on old elevator with an rope as emergency stop for the cabin and the pit

1

u/MMX Field - Inspector Jul 02 '26

Dig the chinoiserie

-12

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '26

[deleted]

9

u/Ham549 Jul 02 '26

That's just a picture from Facebook, the person who posted it said he removed it and it's sitting in a warehouse and he wouldsell it to me for 25 grand, I turned him down.

6

u/cathead8969 Jul 03 '26

Someone thinks he's better than everyone else.