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Sumner Lift Field Manual
Service · Parts · Repair
Field Manual  /  Maintenance Schedule

The maintenance plan that keeps a lift in service for 20 years.

Sumner publishes inspection and maintenance intervals in every operator's manual. This chapter consolidates those intervals into a single grid, plus a printable pre-shift checklist that lives with the lift.

Pre-Shift

Five-minute walk-around.

Before the first lift of every shift. If anything in this list fails, tag the lift out of service until it's resolved.

Visual inspection

  • 01Cable: no fraying, kinks, broken strands, burns
  • 02Cable: minimum 4 wraps on winch drum at full extension
  • 03Sheave: free-spinning, groove not sharp
  • 04Forks: tines straight, pivot pins in place
  • 05Mast: no dents or sidewall damage
  • 06Decals: capacity & warning legible
  • 07Casters: lock engages, tread intact
  • 08Outrigger feet: rubber pads present

Functional test

  • 09Crank up empty: smooth, audible ratchet click
  • 10Stop & release: brake holds without drift
  • 11Crank down: controlled descent, no surge
  • 12Outriggers: latch positively when deployed
  • 13Caster locks: hold when engaged
  • 14Operator's manual: present and legible
If all 14 pass The lift is cleared for service. Sign and date the maintenance-record decal on the lift, or your shift's pre-use log.
Interval Schedule

What to do, and how often.

Frequencies assume a lift in regular construction or HVAC service. Increase frequency for stage/AV lifts that travel constantly, and Roust-A-Bouts that are loaded near rated capacity.

Item
Pre-Shift
Monthly
Quarterly
Annually
Lift cable inspection
●
●
●
●
Cable replacement (if defect found)
●
●
●
●
Sheave inspection
●
●
●
●
Sheave bearing lubrication
—
—
●
●
Winch ratchet & pawl inspection
—
●
●
●
Brake disc inspection
—
●
●
●
Pawl & ratchet light-oil lube
—
—
●
●
Carriage roller spin-test
—
—
●
●
Mast slide-pad play check
—
—
—
●
Outrigger latch verification
●
●
●
●
Caster axle lubrication
—
—
—
●
Decal legibility check
●
—
—
●
Load-test at 100% rated capacity
—
—
—
●
Documented OEM inspection
—
—
—
●
Lubrication

What goes where.

Sumner intentionally specifies different lubricants for different parts of the lift. Mixing them — particularly getting grease near the brake disc — is one of the fastest ways to disable a winch.

Light Machine Oil

Pawl & ratchet wheel

3-IN-ONE, sewing-machine oil, or equivalent. Two drops on the pawl pivot, a thin film on the ratchet teeth. Wipe excess.

Never use: grease (gums up the click), penetrating oil (washes out and migrates).

White Lithium Grease

Caster axles, outrigger pivots, fork pins

Sticky, won't fling off, doesn't attract dust as aggressively as red bearing grease. Ideal for sliding-pivot interfaces.

Application: dab on a Q-tip, work into the joint, wipe excess.

Dry Silicone Spray

Mast slide pads & mast surface

The mast must slide cleanly without picking up grit. Silicone leaves a dry film. Apply lightly, then run the carriage up and down to distribute.

Never use: WD-40 on mast (collects dirt), grease (cakes between pads).

NO LUBRICATION

Brake disc face

Any oil, grease, or lubricant on the brake disc face will cause the brake to release under load. If it gets contaminated, replace the disc.

NO LUBRICATION

Lift cable

Galvanized aircraft cable is not field-lubricated. Adding lube traps grit and shortens life. If a cable looks dry and rusted, replace it.

NO LUBRICATION

Sheave groove

The cable rides directly on the groove — no lubricant should be present. Sheave bearing is a separate, sealed unit.

Annual Inspection

The yearly going-over.

Once a year, take the lift out of rotation for a half-day documented inspection. This is the inspection that satisfies most regional safety-authority requirements, and it's the one that catches the slow-developing failures (mast play, brake glaze) before they become incidents.

  1. Records review

    Pull the maintenance log. Verify cable, sheave, and brake-disc replacements are within their intervals. Note any recurring failures — those usually trace back to operator habits worth correcting.

  2. Full visual + dimensional check

    Walk every item from the pre-shift checklist. Add: measure mast play at full extension (max 1/8 in side-to-side), measure cable diameter (should not have decreased >5% from new).

  3. Functional load test

    Test at 100% of rated capacity. Hold for 5 minutes at full extension — verify no creep. Lower under control. Re-inspect cable at attachment point.

  4. Documented sign-off

    Complete the maintenance-record decal or your facility's lift-inspection form. Photograph the serial plate and decals as a dated record. File for at least 3 years.