Not too long ago we looked at the history of inclined elevators, tracking the 500 hundred year journey from the oldest funicular to the modern systems we make. Although the first funicular was made 500 years ago, the inclined elevator still has a lot more history, particularly the ancient inventions that led to the compound machine we have today.
The Inclined Plane
Inclined elevators use this simple concept to easily move weight up and down an incline. By spreading a track more horizontally across a distance versus vertically it becomes easier to move the load. How much easier? That depends on the length of the slope. For example, a ten foot long track ascending a two foot rise would only require 20% of the force necessary to lift.
Inclined planes have been in use for a long time. Their earliest known use came about 4600 years ago when the Egyptians used them as ramps to construct the great pyramids.
Pulleys
A modern Hill Hiker® inclined elevator system uses deflection and traction pulleys to move a cart up and down a track. The pulley, a grooved wheel turning within a frame, seems pretty simple to us, but 3500 years ago it was a pretty big deal to the ancient Mesopotamians who used it to hoist water. 1200 years later, the ancient Greeks found that by using a system of multiple pulleys one man could move a war ship filled with sailors.
The Wheel
It’s old. At least 5,500 years old, but it’s possibly the most important invention leading to the modern inclined elevator. The earliest known wheel came from Mesopotamia and had been a potter’s wheel. Wheeled carts, the precursors to the modern carts on inclined elevators, didn’t appear until sometime later, possibly 300 years later.
It took a lot more than the wheel, the pulley and the inclined plane to get inclined elevators to where they are now. To learn a little more about the history of inclined lifts and a few tidbits on the systems we produce, check out our blog. It’s filled with interesting facts, tips and useful information.
