Mounting CRS-1 8 slot in rack with scissor lift

rjhintz wrote in news:1181774434.078439.313600 @q19g2000prn.googlegroups.com:

I've found its best to use whats called a "stacker truck" with adjustable forks than the scissor lift shown in Cisco's instructions.

Adjust the forks on the truck so that they fit thru the rack your going to mount the chassis in. Sit the chassis on the truck with the back facing the front of the truck and the front of the chassis facing the truck operator. Slide the truck and the chassis in to the rack, adjust the hight to line up with the screw holes. Screw it down, and then lower and remove the truck.

Most stacker trucks have a second pair of arms on the ground that are used to help keep the thing from toppling over, but if you feel they might get in the way (like if you have a row of mounting racks) there are models that use counter weights instead.

I can't be certain, but I believe this is the model we use at our plant:

But you might want to find something with more lifting capacity since your chassis is 650lbs.

Thanks for this lead. The stacker truck looks interesting, but wouldn't you have problems maneuvering it in the inter-rack aisle space?

rjhintz wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@e9g2000prf.googlegroups.com:

Since we have them installed in a production factory environment (can you guess what we produce :D ), our isles are kinda wide to allow the test operators ease in sliding the blades in and out of our multiple test chassis. Also all of our racks have caster wheels on them so we can move them out into the open for installations if necessary. Hence we don't have space problems with the lifts were using.

Your right thou, and I could see my method being difficult in the narrow and dimly lit isles of a typical data center, or networking closet. In that kind of environment, the method Cisco shows might be more ideal. But the challenge is that it does require you to be able to slide the chassis off the scissors lift and on to the rails in the rack. And if you really do have to do that with it full of blades, sliding a 650lb weight is not going to be too easy or fun in a cramped space. You might haft to take things out to lighten it, make it more manageable. After all, even if you have enough room to get 4 people around it, your still talking about 150lb per person with it fully loaded.

Look in the phone book, maybe theres an industrial supply store or rental center nearby, look for places that sell/rent forklifts and the like. Take some measurements, and go out and see whats available. Also maybe the sales staff will have better ideas on how to solve your problem than I ever could, since I can't see your exact situation thru the internet.

Thanks for your reply. I've been looking at different materiel handling catalogs, as you suggest.

One interesting added difficulty is that Cisco specifically cautions against taking out any of the components before mounting, which is my usual approach to lightening the device so it's easier to manhandle into the rack.

rjhintz wrote in news:1182003162.507638.151690 @n15g2000prd.googlegroups.com:

One has to wonder why they provide instructions on how to remove and install cards:

if they never intended you, the end user, to do it.

If you do get over your fears and decide to remove things to lighten it, start with the power supplies, fan tray, ect. They are fairly rugged, and the risk of damage is low.

If it comes down to pulling the blades, a word of caution that's not mentioned in their instructions: Be very careful with the backplane connector on the blade, and make sure you give it a good inspection for damage before you re-insert the blade.

A damaged connector on a blade is easy for us to fix with the right equipment and repair parts, but backplanes on the other hand are nearly imposable.

Hopefully you will find a way that keeps all this from being necessary. Good luck to you.

Here's the text of Cisco's caution about removing components: "Do not remove any components from the chassis before moving or mounting it. The chassis is shipped configured for maximum stability for moving and mounting; removing any cards, impedance carriers, or slot covers can cause chassis misalignment and damage during moving and mounting."

So, it's not to preclude removing a card or a power supply for maintenance. You might check with product engineering to see if this is a rational engineering concern or something invented by Legal. It sounds plausible enough. Interesting that power supplies, typically the heaviest components, aren't specifically called out. Of course, those are the first that we pull before trying to mount a heavy chassis.

Thanks for the caution about backplane connectors. I've never had a problem with this myself, counting lots of removals and insertions, but I can see that it might be an issue (and there's always a first time).

Under "Transport to the Installation Site" you find the following 2 phrases:

- Use the dolly only when the chassis is empty. Before attaching the dolly, remove all components (power shelves, power modules, fan trays, cards, and other modules) from the chassis.

- Install impedance carriers in the card slots to provide support to keep the chassis square during movement and installation. Do not move the chassis without the carriers installed.

Now I realize they are not talking about the 8 slot model, but I bet the same rule applies. You should be fine without the modules, as long as slot covers / impedance carriers are installed in their place to keep the chassis rigid.

I don't work for Cisco directly, so I can't really say from where that cautionary statement is coming from. I can say that we often move the chassis without anything in them, slot covers, or otherwise, and haven't seen any warping or fatigue, so the system is not as fragile as they would lead you to belive.

I'd say Cisco's caution, while likely originating from a rational engineering concern, is probably also intentional overkill, and kept around for legal reasons, mostly due to the extreme cost of the product. Which means, since you probably have a warranty, it would probably be best to follow their advice and not to do anything to jeopardize it, even if all of the extra precautions realy arn't that neccessary.

SCSI Terminator wrote in news:Xns99529AFE3CD89SCSITerminator@216.196.97.131:

Damn link at the top got chopped off, here it is again.