Ive had my Universal III for almost a year now and have been running some large editions on it. 99.9% of the time she runs perfectly, but occasionally upon returning to the feed table the carriage will slam home with a startling amount of force. Im talking once out of a few hundred cycles and […]
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Automatic carriage stuck in print mode
Good Evening! I have recently come into possession of a Universal I Power Test Press with automatic cycling abilities. This is the first automatic cylinder press I’ve had experience with and I am finding there are some things I do not understand. When the cycle mode is on, the press does not go into “trip” […]
MorePage For Power Carriage Parts Added
From a suggestion by A.J. Masthay and a list provided by Daniel Morris, I’ve begun to compile a data table of replacement parts and their sources for Vandercook power carriage presses. All owners and operators of power carriage presses—including other brands are invited to add information. This table can be found under the maintenance menu at top […]
MoreCycle Start Issue on Universal 3
A new gremlin has reared its head with my Universal 3, I’m having trouble with the cycle start button. Sometimes when the button is pushed nothing happens, if I hold it down it seems to eventually start the cycle and the time I need to hold it down varies from a second or two to […]
MoreAutomatic carriage problem Universal 3 power
Need advise on trouble shooting our Universal III Power serial # 25118. This is how it is behaving: When set in CYCLE and RUN mode; the cylinder moves forward until the carriage cam releases the 4LS limit switch, then the carriage immediately reverses back to home position. MANUAL mode; using the FORWARD lever the cylinder […]
MoreUniversal III P Forward/Reverse Problem
I work as the technician at Centre3 in Hamilton, ON Canada. We are really lucky to have a Universal III Vandercook in our studio. Great press, however, recently the forward / reverse stopped working. This has basically rendered the press useless as it’s entirely driven by this and the cycle. Unfortunately the cycle isn’t working […]
MoreVandercook Universal III stopped moving
Hi all, My Universal III has been chugging along beautifully for a couple of years, when all of a sudden it just quit in the middle of a job. By “quit” I mean the rollers are still moving, but the upper carriage just won’t go. I took a short video which I’ll link to here […]
MoreUniversal IV electrical problems
I am having problems with the electrical system on my Universal IV and need advice! The cover was off the electrical control box as the carriage has not been breaking consistently on the feed board end for the last couple runs, but it was usable. Recently, when I flipped the press on, I saw a few […]
MoreUNI-1 carriage balking continues
Britt at Banshee Press continues to have a problem with her Universal I Power. In a comment to the previous post, I asked her to check for a loose and/or warped trip rack (X-14854). It’s worth noting that Vandercook made an engineering change to a more rigid part (X-21774 ), first used on press with serial number 21857. […]
MoreUNI-1 carriage balking
Hello, this is Britt at Banshee Press in Denver. I am having a problem with my Vandercook Model UNI-I, Serial # 24389 with auto carriage. On the trip cycle, the carriage balks with an abrupt jerk – sometimes to the point of stopping – at 21 1/2″ measured from the feed-board end of the press. (It […]
MoreUni I power carriage trip issue
Hello Vanderblog, This is my first post, and hopefully will be resolved simply. Thank you in advance for any and all feedback. My press, when set to auto cycle, does not engage the trip mechanism on the return of the carriage. The image will print ever so slightly on the tympan (depending on my packing […]
MoreUniversal III relay contacts…
We have a Vandercook Universal III. I had a few spare relay contacts, but have just burned out a couple. Anyone have an idea if there is a way to get these or does anyone know if you could adhere the actual contact? I was thinking that maybe there was a way to get the […]
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