How To Remove AutoDown 

(you MUST read the information below before downloading instructions)

NOTE: Removing Autodown is NOT a safe substitution for installing the Geo. M. Martin LCS Safety System.

These procedures are provided to reduce the likelihood of an accident while waiting for the installation of the LCS Safety System. 

The following features included in the LCS are NOT provided by simply removing the Autodown feature:

1.    Without the LCS, the operator is only required to initiate the downward motion of the Stacker; once this motion begins, the operator could easily release the button and still move into the hazard area while the stacking deck is moving down.  With the LCS-Manual system, the operator must hold the Deck Down Enabled button for the entire duration of the downward motion.  With the LCS-Light Guard system, the light guard perimeter will stop the downward motion should the operator break the perimeter.

2.    Without the LCS, the accumulator is not inhibited from cycling automatically AND is under pressure which can be released when a jam is cleared manually.  With the LCS, the same mechanisms that limit the downward motion of the stacking also limit the motion of the accumulator and relieve the pressure inside the cylinders of the accumulator.

3.    Without the LCS, the Auto Down Button on some of the older RDC Stackers and almost all CorrStacks is mounted directly on the end of the deck in close proximity to the hazard area.  This allows the operator to activate the downward motion while in the hazard area.

4.    Without the LCS on the stackers that do have the boom mounted controls, there is no BOOM IN POSITION sensor or OPERATOR IN POSITION sensor to make sure that A) the boom is in a position that gives the operator a view of the hazard area and B) the operator is standing in front of the boom at a safe distance from the hazard area.

5.    Without the LCS, most RDC Stackers with a PLC control system have a feature known as EZ-Down, which can unexpectedly pause and then continue the lowering of the stacking deck once initiated by the operator.

6.    Without the LCS, there is no redundancy in either the hydraulics or the electrical system.  The basic Stacker has only a single valve holding up the Stacker with a single electrical connection.  Should either item fail, it is possible for the stacking deck to lower itself without warning.  This is distinct from the LCS system, in which a pair of dedicated valves (one on each cylinder) and a parallel electrical system keep the stacker in the up position.

7.    Without the LCS there is no self-testing.  When the LCS is first powered on, the machine requires the operator to go through about 30 seconds of self-testing procedures to make sure that all the key features of the LCS are fully functional.  On a stacker with AutoDown disabled, there is no way to detect that a valve is defective until it actually fails and the deck comes down - potentially on the operator.

Technical Note:  The sequence logic of the stackers is fairly complicated and major modifications are difficult without going to the full LCS solution.  The process of removing Autodown essentially prevents the operator from being able to enable the Auto Down option, which is a standard feature on most stackers. 

Most stackers will use the first item listed below, since the Auto/Hand selector is a physical switch.  However, the Corrstack with touch control screens uses the touch screen to select Auto/Hand and thus requires a different procedure.

(you MUST read the information above before downloading instructions)