Patent ID: 8602175

Claim:
A method of replacing an existing elevator hoist rope, for an elevator system installed in a structure having plural floors accessed by the elevator, with a replacement elevator hoist rope, comprising: providing a portable rotatable collection container for elevator rope at any of a plurality of locations in the structure; connecting an end of the existing elevator hoist rope to an end of the replacement hoist rope; providing a selectively, independently driven portable rope pulling device, the selectively, independently driven portable rope pulling device being configured to pull the connected existing and replacement hoist ropes in two substantially opposite directions inside of the selectively, independently driven portable rope pulling device for installation of the replacement rope in the elevator system and to feed the existing hoist rope to the portable rotatable collection chamber, wherein the selectively, independently driven portable rope pulling device is positioned between at least one rope diverting pulley and a source of the replacement elevator rope; providing a guide element between the selectively, independently driven portable rope pulling device and the portable collection container for guiding the replacement hoist rope with respect to the portable collection device; cutting the existing elevator rope at a point above the selectively, independently driven portable rope pulling device along the feeding direction to form a collected end of the existing elevator rope, wherein the collected end is directly pushed into the guide element by at least a feeding force generated by the selectively, independently driven portable rope pulling device; and pushing the rope to be collected into the collection container in such a way that the collection container is made to rotate around an axis of rotation thereof by means of the pushing force of the rope.