I’d be giving BSL a call pronto if you’re keen. They were taking names/payment on the spot but there could be some left.
I’m collecting mine this Friday. Will unbolt the ‘arm’ and strap it to my motorbike trailer. It’ll most likely end up being a bench seat next to the pool table down at our factory.
Yeah, i'll be picking mine up next Saturday, 6 x 4 trailer, then to the steel fabricator to add some legs, then to Jindabyne where it will sit on the balcony.
BB2 chair #61 loaded and ready to head to its new home in Melb. Will sort a few pics later. Bloody stunning up here today.
Anyone who was at the auction recall who bought BB1 number 6? That’s the chair Little Miss Fartypants had her first (and our last) ride on.
Quick update on BB2 #61 Finally found the time/motivation to get it off the trailer and strip it. Plan is to scrub the slats clean, new hardware, new rubber stoppers, and fab up a base frame. The original extruded slats have held up pretty well considering the chairs were stored outside since BB2 was pulled. At some point later on, the BB1 chairs were refurbed with a plain black slat. Interestingly they went to full-length slats instead of the old 'split' setup. We’ve been debating whether to include the top arm. It’s ******* heavy, and changes the frame requirements massively. I think we’ll leave it off, but will bolt the sandwich plates and ID plate back on. Will be on braked castor wheels.
Progress. This is coming up rather well. Top of each leg is angle, which bolts to bottom/side of the rail via nutserts.
Keeping the top arm is nice. Even if you never plan to hang it from a tree, verandah or frame, the top arm unmistakably identifies BB2.61 as a chairlift chair and not just a generic garden ornament.
To use the top arm you need a very broad base footprint (or even better bolt it down) as the arm is incredibly heavy and acts as a massive lever. Plus it makes the whole rig rather tall which limits placement options.
Finally found a spot at the factory for the chair and snapped a few decent pics. Stoked with how it turned out. If I leave it there, I’ll reattach the top arm. I was very fortunate to find the last remaining stash of old-stock Doppelmayr plastic slats in the original dark orange. Together with correct style new coach screws, it looks trick.
Brilliant restoration work, but with the safety bar down and no way to raise it, it kind of fails to fulfill its new job as somewhere for people to sit down.
No it's fine. It's actually away from the wall due to the legs, so you can raise the bar high enough to jump on. Realistically, someone will sit on it a few times per year. It's a conversation piece, not high traffic furniture
Looks great. If going original, need to find a pair of the middle divider bars. Perhaps they’re in a pile in the Ski Lift company dump at box corner.
I figured something was designed to fit into that central gusset, but I have never seen centre arm rests on the BB chairs, even in family pics from circa 1988. Were they fitted but removed very early in the 80s, or perhaps not at all? Some old farts here would surely remember.
I They were fitted and then removed because they didn’t work too well with beginners at the load. Trying to get their ass on the seat was enough let alone in a certain position. Too often somebody would try load a bit out of position and end up with a bar in their ass (and as a result the lift stop). Removed off the summit and also on Big D at Hotham. All similar era lifts.
Very interesting. They can’t have been on for long, if you have a look at my chair, that area of gal isn’t disturbed at all. ...and now an arm rest
so this is why, when I’m in the middle of people on the outside, and they’re not scooching close enough to the outer sides, that my bum ends up falling through the gap on Summit chair! I’d loved to have had one out in the garden at home.. that looks great @mx_boarder. Although never seen one looking quite so shiny, unrusted and perfect
@skiflat reading above posts, I’d never have guessed a retired grandfather ski lift chair deserves nothing less though in fact I’d hazard a guess that they never looked as shiny and new as @mx_boarder ’s chair even on their very first day of service.
Well the plastic and hardware will have looked just like that on day 1, and the gal frame has held up remarkably well over the decades, especially considering they were stored outdoors since BB2 was pulled.
I spy rubber bumpers! Also I suspect that the current safety bars are local jobs, you’ve got some work on your hands to fab up some of the original shape!
Dat factory fresh rubber. And yes you're right. I have always wondered why the rubber stoppers for the bar had been relocated at some stage of the chairs' life. Wonder why they did that?
Damnit - I want arm rests so it’s happening. Just whipped up the mount plates, now to form up some 16mm rod to suit. From what I can see in videos, the arm rest profile matched the outer arm rests, which makes sense.
And done! Plotted the profile of the external arm rests, created a jig on the welding bench, a little patience with the oxy and we’re there. It looks so much more complete.
