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Owner's Maintenance Guide
Your telescopic seating system is engineered for a 25–30 year service life — but that lifespan depends on how it's operated and looked after day to day. This guide gives your facility team everything you need between professional service visits.
Your telescopic seating system is engineered for a 25–30 year service life — but that lifespan depends on how it's operated and looked after day to day. This guide gives your facility team everything you need to run the system correctly, catch small problems before they become expensive ones, and keep your warranty intact.
This guide covers Hussey MAXAM and MAXAM+ telescopic systems, the most common installations in our territory. Notes are flagged where MXP arena platforms, Seatway TP systems, or MAXAM 1 portable bleachers differ.
What this guide is not: a replacement for professional inspection. Your seating carries a professional inspection requirement (see Your Service Schedule) that must be performed by a qualified professional. This guide is your team's layer between those visits.
Your Service Schedule
Keeping to this schedule is not just good practice — it's an owner obligation, and parts of it are conditions of your warranty coverage.
| When | What | Who does it |
|---|---|---|
| Every open/close | Clear the track, watch the bank for square, follow the correct locking sequence (see Operating Best Practices) | Your trained operators |
| Before every event / season | Visual inspection checklist (see Visual Inspection Checklist) | Your facilities staff — no tools required |
| After heavy use | Post-event walk-through (see Visual Inspection Checklist) | Your facilities staff |
| Annually | Routine inspection and required maintenance | Your staff or a service contractor |
| Year 2 and Year 4 after installation | Professional inspection — required to maintain your 5-year parts-and-labour warranty coverage | Factory Certified Installer or factory-trained personnel — TaLedi coordinates |
| As requested | Certification of inspection for your local building authority | You submit; TaLedi can supply documentation |
Your inspection label. Every bank carries an inspection label showing the "Next Service Due" date, updated at each annual inspection. If that date has passed, book a service visit before the next event. The label also carries your service contact information — that's who to call (see Who to Call).
Seatway TP owners — stricter rule. Your guarantee requires professional servicing every two years by Hussey Seatway or its appointed dealer (TaLedi). A missed servicing visit voids the guarantee. Book Year 2, 4, and onward at handover and keep the records.
Keep your records. Warranty coverage requires the product to be maintained per the manufacturer's operating and maintenance procedures. A simple binder (or shared folder) of inspection dates, completed checklists, and service invoices is your proof — and your protection.
Know Your System's Weak Points
These are the components that wear or fail first in the field, what the failure looks like, and whether your team can act on it or should call for service.
| Component | What failure looks like | Your action |
|---|---|---|
| Power pendant cord & plug | Crushed or pinched plug; intermittent power operation | Prevent it: never rest the skirt board on the cord — always use the support bar. If damaged: service call |
| Frames & rollers (understructure) | Bank comes out crooked, binds, grinds, or won't travel evenly | Stop using the system immediately and call for service. Bent frames come from track obstructions or people climbing the closed face — both preventable |
| Row locks & spring catches | A row won't lock into position, or the fold-down front rows won't stay closed during stowing | First check your sequence (see Operating Best Practices) — most "failed locks" are sequence errors. If a lock still won't engage on the correct sequence: service call |
| Deck boards & decking joints | Loose or squeaking deck sections; visible gaps at joints; loose screws at aisle joints | Note the location and book service. Keep spectators off any visibly loose section |
| Nose strips & end caps | Loose, cracked, or missing plastic caps at deck edges and aisle steps | Trip hazard — cordon the row if a cap is missing, and book service |
| Guardrails & rail sockets | Rail moves in its socket; loose end rails | Check by hand during your walk-through. Any movement: service call — guardrails are life-safety components, don't improvise a fix |
| Intermediate aisle steps & aisle fillers | Steps or fillers not fully seated after setup | Owner-actionable: re-seat them before the system moves or spectators arrive. Loose steps scratch gym floors; loose fillers trip people |
| Drive system & motors | Unusual noise, bank travelling out of square, motor running the wrong direction | Stop and call for service. Never force a binding bank — recovering a bent frame mid-deployment costs thousands; stopping early costs minutes |
| Aisle lights (where fitted) | Dead lamps or flickering | Lamps are consumable (not a warranty item). Persistent electrical faults: service call |
| Safety-walk tread & labels | Worn or peeling anti-slip tread on steps; illegible safety labels | Book service — tread and labels are inexpensive to renew and matter in a liability review |
The rule of thumb: your team prevents and detects; the service team repairs. Telescopic understructure is engineered equipment — improvised repairs can create hazards and void your warranty.
Visual Inspection Checklist
No tools required — just eyes and ten minutes. Run the pre-season version before your first event of each season; run the post-event version after tournaments, assemblies, or any heavy-use day.
Pre-Season Walk-Through (system fully open)
Post-Event Walk-Through (before closing the system)
Found something? Don't wait for the annual inspection. Small issues — one loose cap, one sticky lock — are quick service visits. The same issues ignored for a season become structural repairs.
Operating Best Practices
The sequence rules — and why they exist
Hussey's printed instructions on your unit specify top-down to open, bottom-up to close. This is mechanical, not arbitrary:
- Opening (deploying seats): start at the top row and work down. Each row of folded seats nests behind the row above it when stowed. Try to lock a lower row first and the folded row behind it physically blocks the lock from engaging.
- Closing (stowing seats): start at the bottom row and work up. Fold from the top first and the next row up has nowhere to nest.
When your staff understand why, the rules stick. Train every new operator on the sequence before they touch the controls.
Every deployment
- Clear the track first. Walk the bank's full footprint before opening or closing. Remove anything not part of the floor plan — a single trapped water bottle can bend a frame.
- Skirt board on the support bar. Never rest it on the power cord — a crushed pendant plug is the single most common repeat failure in the field.
- Watch the bank for "square." During powered movement, watch from the side. The bank should travel out evenly. If you see it bend or turn, stop immediately. Stopping costs minutes; a bent frame costs thousands.
- Verify steps and fillers are seated before spectators arrive or before any further movement.
Hard rules — never
- Never let anyone climb the face of a stowed bleacher. The closed face is not load-bearing. The system carries spectator loads only when fully extended and locked. Climbing bends frames; bent frames become structural failures. This is the number-one preventable damage cause in school gyms.
- Never operate over an unverified track. Five seconds of checking beats a five-figure repair.
- Never force a binding bank. Binding means something is wrong — stop and call.
- Never allow spectators onto a bank that isn't fully deployed and locked.
- Never skip the professional inspections. They protect your warranty and your people.
Storage & seasonal care
- Store closed. When not in use, keep the system fully stowed — it protects seats, decking, and the understructure from incidental damage.
- Keep the stored face clear. Don't lean equipment, mats, or tables against the closed bank, and keep the floor track in front of it clear year-round.
- Keep it dry and clean. Sweep the footprint regularly; don't let floor-cleaning water pool at the wheels or track. Clean seats and decks with mild cleaners only — harsh solvents can damage finishes (and fabric cleaned outside the manufacturer's guidelines isn't covered under warranty).
- Extended shutdowns (summer, renovations): run the system through one full open/close cycle before returning it to service, using the full pre-season checklist above. If construction dust or trades have been in the space, inspect the track and understructure before the first movement.
- Renovating the room? Call before trades work around the bank. Wall attachments, floor anchors, and clearances are engineered — a contractor relocating or "adjusting" any part of the system voids the warranty.
Who to Call
One number for everything. Whether it's a warranty question, a damaged component, an inspection booking, or "the bank is making a noise" — start with TaLedi. We coordinate the service visit, the parts, and any manufacturer involvement on your behalf. Please don't contact the factory directly; routing through us is faster and keeps your warranty file in order.
When you report an issue, include: your facility name, which bank (if you have several), photos of the problem, and roughly when you first noticed it. If you suspect a warranty defect, report it promptly and in writing (email is perfect) — warranty coverage requires written notice within the coverage period, and Seatway systems require notice within 7 days of discovering a defect.
Your warranty at a glance
| System | Structural understructure | Parts & labour | Inspection condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| MAXAM / MAXAM+ | 10 years | First 5 years (materials & freight for the full period) | Year 2 + Year 4 professional inspections |
| MXP | 5 years | Full 5 years | Year 2 + Year 4 professional inspections |
| Seatway TP | 5 years, whole product | Full 5 years parts + labour (electrical controls: 3 years) | Mandatory servicing every 2 years |
Coverage runs from the date of installation completion. Damage from misuse, unapproved modification, or missed maintenance isn't covered — which is exactly what the prevention sections of this guide — weak points, inspection, and operating practice — help you avoid.
Prepared by TaLedi Distribution — exclusive dealer for Hussey Seating Company and Hussey Seatway across BC, Yukon, NWT, and Nunavut. From first conversation to final row.