Elevator Mechanic Practice Exam

If a car weighs 2500 lbs and has a capacity of 2500 lbs, with the counterweight weighted at 40%, how much is the motor lifting when the car is fully loaded?

1. 1000 lbs

2. 1500 lbs

3. 2000 lbs

4. 2500 lbs

The correct answer is: 1500 lbs

To determine how much the motor is lifting when the car is fully loaded, you need to consider the weight of the car, its capacity, and the design of the lift system with a counterweight. In this scenario, the car weighs 2500 lbs and has a lift capacity of 2500 lbs, meaning that when fully loaded, the total weight the motor needs to lift is the weight of the car plus any additional load, which in this case is also 2500 lbs. The counterweight in elevator systems typically serves to balance a portion of the load, making it easier for the motor to move the car. Here, the counterweight is set at 40% of the car's weight. This means that the counterweight is lifting 40% of 2500 lbs, which is 1000 lbs. Thus, the motor is effectively lifting the total load of the fully loaded car (2500 lbs) minus the weight of the counterweight (1000 lbs), resulting in: 2500 lbs (total load) - 1000 lbs (counterweight) = 1500 lbs (load the motor has to lift). Therefore, when the car is fully loaded, the motor lifts 1500 lbs.