Icon Containers - Stiff pulls?

[meatbomb 0]

I test pulled two Icon container reserves this weekend, which had both been packed only once, in the States.

One was 30lbs, and the other was 28lbs.

Each was packed by a different packer, but at the same dropzone.

Has anyone else had any Icons which have had high pull forces?

If not, I guess it's just the way they pack em at that DZ.

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Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii!
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[Spy38W 0]

Out of curiosity, what sparked your interest to pull check them?

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Hook high, flare on time

[GravityGirl 0]

NO. None. We'll pull test the next one that is up for a repack.

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Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[meatbomb 0]

I went to repack one, and felt the pull was kind of hard...

I applied around 20lbs of force manually, and it didn't move, so I got out my pull-scale to measure.

You kind of a get a feel for these things when you do a few...

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Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii!
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[flyboyZA 0]

Hey, hows it going

During TSO certification, the minimum pull force required of the reserve handle cannot be less than 5lbs and the maximum not more than 22lbs.
There are a couple different reasons that may cause the pull force to exceed the 22lbs max.

- The closure loop may be too short
- Dirty cable housing
- The seal thread has been routed around more than once (breaking strength of one strand is about 2.75lbs)
- Pulling the reserve handle with the rig on the ground and not over your shoulders will cause the pull force to be higher as well.

It would be interesting to know what type of reserve and size the canopies were , and into which size Icons they were packed into. This could also be a contributing factor as well if they were larger reserves going into smaller Icons.

Please feel free to contact any of the Aerodyne guys and we'll look into this for you asap.

Thanks and blue skies!
Dave

AERODYNE SYSTEMS (PTY) Ltd
Dave Macrae - Sports Marketing: Indian Ocean Region
[email protected]
www.aerodyne-int.com

[meatbomb 0]

Hey Dave,

Thanks for the response.
In response to your points:

- I believe the closing loop may have been too short on the first rig. When I repacked it, I replaced the loop with one that was 1/4" longer, and the pull-force was 18lbs.
- I don't know if the housing was dirty away inside itself, but the reserve cable was clean, and the rig is only 4 months old, and has never been stoofed. I haven't yet checked the second rig.
- The seal thread was routed as normal on both rigs.
- When I pull-test rigs, I simulate the shoulder with my knee/thigh, so as to be realistic as possible.

The reserves are both Smart 160s, and the first rig was an I5. I don't know what the second rig was, but I would assume the same.

With the second rig, I pull-tested it, following my concern with the first rig. It came out at 28lbs. I then manipulated the reserve tray and container for 5 minutes or so, and re-tested, The test came out at 14lbs. I then got the rig's owner to put the rig on, and tighten it up, and flex and bend in all directions. The pull-force went back up to 18lbs.

The reason I have posted this, is that I was wondering whether it was the wearing of the rig that was settling the pack-job in such a way as to increase the pull-force, or simply the pack-jobs.

Thanks again for your swift response.

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Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii!
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[amy 0]

Quote

- The seal thread has been routed around more than once (breaking strength of one strand is about 2.75lbs)

While this is true, it's worth noting that pull testing is done with the seal thread removed (or at least it should be).

Amy

[Praetorian 1]

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***- The seal thread has been routed around more than once (breaking strength of one strand is about 2.75lbs)

While this is true, it's worth noting that pull testing is done with the seal thread removed (or at least it should be).

WHY? if I have to pull silver at 2K the riggers seal is gonna be there, why not test to what the jumper actually pulls? (not an attack just a serious question)

Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad
judgment.

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[amy 0]

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WHY? if I have to pull silver at 2K the riggers seal is gonna be there, why not test to what the jumper actually pulls? (not an attack just a serious question)

Not to sound pedantic, but the reason they're tested that way is because that's how the standard was written, and if we don't all follow the standard then the numbers we come up with are pretty meaningless. Although you have a good point about testing what the jumper will actually "see" in the air, if a rig is sealed properly it shouldn't add more to the pull force than the breaking strength of the seal thread (which is usually 4-6 lbs, and most manufacturers specify "not more than 6 pounds"). I'd like to think that they had this in mind when they came up with the standard of 5-22 pounds.

The Poynter manual has only one sentence on why it was done this way: "Oddly enough, the TSO tests are run without the safety thread so the 22 lb maximum pull is easier to meet."

I suppose that neither one of those is a very satisfying answer.

Amy

[billvon 2,435]

>WHY?

Cause you need a standard, one not affected by the peculiarities of each rigger. If you changed seal thread lots, and one had a slightly higher breaking strength, and it caused the rig to fail the test - would it mean that all of a certain type of rig would have to be grounded? It would be better to solve that problem by changing the seal thread, not the rig.

That 22lbs is a _minimum_ that the system has to meet; the pull force on a correctly packed well maintained rig can not exceed that value. It's not the actual pull force in real life. The 'real life' pull force includes seal thread, dirt in the housing, a poor pack job, a sideways instead of a straight down pull etc. The goal is not to have a pull force in actual usage of 22 lbs or less - it is to have enough margin so that even a wimpy jumper can actually pull the reserve when you add up the 22lbs, the dirty cable, the seal thread etc. - all of which can happen in real life.