Picked a used MRL over a geared machine for a 6-stop job...
I had to choose between a used machine-room-less setup and a new geared machine for a 6-stop apartment building in Akron last month. The owner wanted to save money but the shaft was tight, so I went with the older MRL unit from a 2018 tear-out. It was a gamble since I had to rework the guide rails and install new sheave bearings myself. After about 12 hours of tweaking the controller parameters, it rides smooth and quiet. The customer saved about $4,000 compared to the new geared quote. I'm glad I took the risk on the used gearless drive, but I'm curious if anyone else has had luck swapping controller boards on those older Kone models?
That line about tweaking controller parameters for 12 hours hit close to home. I once spent a whole Saturday tuning an old Otis just to find out a capacitor was cooked.
Used a Kone monospace from 2015 on a 12-story here in Cleveland last year. Had to swap in a DX controller with an aftermarket board, took about 8 hours of trial and error. Runs fine now but I'd rather buy new if the budget allows.