Gentlemen, this thread seems to have gone in the direction I had never intended but due to the nature of the responses I have received do you blame me? I never overlook safety in the workplace and always consider the consequences of my actions. I never had any intention of carrying out any repairs, as I explained in my original post I know nothing when it comes to lifts. I was asked to look into it, I did and look what's happenend, apologies if I caused offence. Let's just leave it there. I will bother you no longer.

Here is what you can do for you buddy. Have a elevator company come out and look at the unit. Give you a proposal on what it would take to get it running. Then get a second opinion from another lift company. Once you have that info bring it too this board. There is a ton of knowledge that exists here. And we can help you in the decision making on what to do next. Asking for that type of advice is welcomed here. Also since that lift is vital to his business he should look into a full service contract that covers it any time it goes down, and you will get a tech ever so often come to perform preventive maintenance. Those contracts cover most things and on a single dumbwaiter it will be less expensive then losing business due to the lift not running. So let us know what the lift company says that needs to be done, we can let you what we think from our years of experience in the field. In the end your friend will find a elevator company who can satisfy his needs and make his life easier.