sundevil777

It looks like the releases are not assembled correctly. Shouldn't the black velcro strap be under the last part of the red strap? People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

We have had the FXC12000 and the Astra around for a bit. And Argus had been around for a few years before it's demise. You most definitely could not get a new C1 10 years ago. no even for 10K. My memory is that in 2002 I bought a C1 for $950. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I also have wide risers/dacron lines, and installed SRCs upside down. You could probably get a set of the covers just by asking around at the DZ, as so many people don't use them. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I was not aware of this, can you provide a reference? People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I disagree with your assessment of the UPT pin being universally compatible. In order to extract the pin via the handle the Velcro square holds the rsl part of the pin and the remainder that is swaged to the cable separates so it can pull through the housing. In the event of an rsl activation the pin is pulled at which time the pin separates. In order to install the UPT pin on a rig not equipped with a skyhook you would have to attach a small lanyard with the rsl portion of the pin attached so the pin could separate when the handle is pulled. If that portion is not attached via Velcro, then it is possible for it to inhibit reserve deployment if the pin reaches the end of that lanyard and the two pieces don't separate. If it is attached with Velcro in the absence of the skyhook system then you have a small lanyard velcroed to the rig attached to a portion of the pin and that part is lost when the handle is pulled. If the thing unattached from the rig during handling is it possible for it to inhibit the pin being pulled? Can the lanyard/pin assembly rotate in a way that doesn't allow the pieces to separate? It is not a universal pin design without the skyhook being incorporated into the rig as well. I agree that the UPT pin would require the other parts that go along with it, and have noted this earlier in the thread. I don't think the skyhook is needed, just the bits that are related to the RSL. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Why was he able to extract the pin by pulling on the cable, but unable to do so by pulling on the handle, which pulls on the cable? There would be a bit of extra friction from the cable running through the housing, but the better grip afforded by the handle should permit a much larger force to be applied than by pulling directly on the cable - more than enough to overcome that bit of extra friction, I would think. Pulling kinda sideways - pulling on the cable allows a bent pin to function like a curved pin. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Have you considered there may have been a defect in your particular pin? I realize you have said several times you had a friend with a pin bent so bad it wouldn't extract but I think this is an isolated incident. Do you have pictures of the pin? Was it not able to be pulled by pulling on the pin alone or the handle as well? I can't imagine the pin being bent enough to not be able to be pulled by the handle if the rig wasn't over stuffed or the closing loop made way too short by the rigger that packed it. Either way it would be an error caused by someone, not necessarily a problem with the design or manufacture of the pin. You have to understand, in order to change the pin design, a manufacturer has to believe they will make money or at least not lose money by changing the design. Assuming they aren't manufacturing their own pins, they then have to contact their supplier to have them research and create a new pin design. That costs money for R&D. Then they have to be willing to buy the pin (at an increased cost) in a quantity that makes fiscal sense for the supplier to even produce the pins. Considering this industry is not producing products at the rate other industries do(automotive, consumer electronics, etc) the increased cost per unit will be substantial until there is competition from other manufacturers. That cost is passed along to the end consumer...you. So, lets say you are looking at two rigs. Rig A and Rig B both have similar features and have both been on the market long enough to be vetted and are trustworthy. You are leaning toward rig A because it has been around longer and there are more of them on the market...or because your buddy has one and swears by it. Rig A is $400 more and will take longer to get but you are willing because of whatever reason. Now rig A manufacturer decides to use the new, beefier pin. It's not a feature a lot of people are seeking, but it's "better". That pin adds $150 to the cost of the rig. Now you are at $550 to buy rig A. Maybe you decide on rig B to save the money and still get the pin. Now rig A manufacturer has lost your business. That is part of the decision making process. My pin getting bent may be due to a defect, and I will try to get it tested per the capewell spec later. UPT implemented a new reserve pin apparently without nearly such a large cost increase, at least based upon how much more it costs to get a skyhook and all the newly developed stuff requiring investment for tooling and additional recurring costs for materials and labor. No analysis, but I think my conclusion is reasonable. Besides, the UPT pin could be used as is. Maybe that would hurt the ego of other mfgs, or maybe UPT wouldn't want to sell it. My friend's rig with the bent pin - the reserve handle was pulled by the local rigger, and he pulled really hard until he got so frustrated and angry at the implications, that he just pulled on the cable like an RSL would. This was the early 90s, no pics and no measuring of the force. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Ripcord pins are made from .188 dia 302SS Cond A (303 is also allowed but I don't use it) they are then rotary swaged to a diameter of .094 using the rotary Swag process of cold forming as you can't harden SS with Heat treat. The overall length of the blade is dictated by the end user but is usually 1.25 inches. Column strength of the blade is tested by inserting it into an .096 dia hole one half inch deep and applying an 8 pound weight to the end. The results is checked in a go-no go gage of .104 dia to the full depth and the pin must fall out without friction after insertion. This process and design was originally for a pin and metal cone thru a 9/16 and 7/16 grommet situation. The amount of allowable bend was critical as the thru hole in the cone was about a half inch deep/thick. Today we use 1/4 inch grommets with a cloth loop. A far less critical arrangement. Yes, the pin can bend in that configuration but it is usually from dropping or throwing the rig down or against something as the rig is compressed when it hits something and this causes the rest of the rig to want to expand causing a great load on the loop and subsequently on the pin causing a bent pin. The good news is that is can still be pulled even with a bend. The Military still uses this pin on their center pull chest reserve with cloth loops and even with the rough treatment they get have had no problem. Larger diameter pins would cause a harder pull with the same loop load. Additionally, the shank and cable would also have to be enlarged to obtain the necessary strength as the blade would still have to be cold formed to make it hard enough. The thicker pins used on some assemblies have no greater column strength as they are not cold formed from a larger diameter. Don't let size fool you. I think that the bending stress of a circular cross section varies according to the radius (or diameter) to the 3rd power, so the dimensions that you give for the pin before/after cold working mean that it would naturally have 8x less peak stress than the smaller diameter pin. Maybe my 'figuring is wrong. Does the improvement in strength due to cold working really overcome that 8x advantage? Does a larger diameter pin have more friction based upon trying it? Normally such friction would not be dependent on the contact area I believe. How much bend is tolerable - will result in really hard pulls? I think it is just too easy to say it is tolerable. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

My rig is not overstuffed and suffered a bent pin, and I also am careful about leaning against things. It would be interesting to know what loop tension is needed to start bending a pin versus what loop tension will result in reaching the limit for allowed pull force. I think they are not very far apart. I agree that typical jumpers won't want to spend money on something if there is no perceived benefit. That perception could change if there were some marketing to highlight the improvement. Show how pull force goes up for as the bend gets greater. Show how easy it is to bend a pin from leaning against a structural frame or whatever. Make the pin and/or cable some cool color then price won't be a problem. My friend's pin was so badly bent that it couldn't be pulled (it was early 90s). He was a newbie, not so likely to catch it himself, so he may have put many jumps on the rig that way. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

By using the standard prescribed method and testing pull force. It's really not hard and a slightly bent pin isn't a problem as long as it doesn't increase pull force boy on 22 pounds. I don't come across bent pins all that often and when I do the are only very slightly bent. I don't think it is a problem worth throwing a bunch of money at. It could be solved by using a hardened steel pin inside the softer steel to allow the pin assembly to be swaged onto the cable but why would manufacturers buy the more expensive pins and raise their prices in a competitive market when the pins we use now aren't a problem? We disagree on whether the strength of the existing pin is good enough. I think we deserve a larger margin of strength. I kept a friend of mine from using his rig which had a bent pin so bad he had no reserve available to him. This was pre-cypres days, so he didn't even have that potential saving mechanism. I think we should be able to lean back hard, or hit the door frame hard and not be concerned about a bent pin. I think it is worth a little money, and it could be marketed as a selling point. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I've seen bent pins before, just never on my rig. The first one I saw during a pin check before boarding the plane. That guy stayed on the ground, and a rigger tried (unsuccessfully) to pull the ripcord. He eventually just gave up and pulled the pin by pulling on the cable like an RSL. I've had older ripcords checked by the block and weight test. In my opinion, that test shows that the pins aren't expected to be very strong. The capewell problem should have caused us to realize that we deserve better. We don't know how much of a bend will cause real problems with high pull force, and we shouldn't have to. We should have pins that are much stronger than required instead of a little bit. How is a rigger to judge whether a bent pin is OK to use during a repack? People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

The new Vector ripcord does not have the pin swaged on the cable. I believe that adapting that setup would require the bit of velcro and tab on the RSL lanyard, and I'd assume that would not be something that a rigger would see as "interchangeable parts". People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Reserve pins have to be soft metal because that allows the shank to be swaged onto the steel cable, where under great pressure the metal flows into the fibers of the cable for a tight grip. So I guess the trick is to have a pin hard enough not to bend, and at the same time, soft enough to be swaged. If you had a hardened steel pin, then you've got to figure out a new way to attach the pin to the cable... Yes, a new way to attach to the cable would definitely free up ways to make it stronger. I would first make it a larger diameter, and would avoid heat treating as part of the solution. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Physics textbooks and such will say that frictional force equals the coefficient of friction for a particular combination of materials x the force applied perpendicular to the contact surface. The coefficient of friction is not dependent on area, and the normal force (not pressure) is also not related to area. This simplistic relationship isn't always correct, as tires can actually conform and stick to a road and give much more frictional force (traction) than the force pushing down on the tire, and it explains why the contact patch for a tire does matter. Most other types of contact friction do closely follow the simple formula and are relatively independent of the area of contact. I think this would apply for metal to spectra friction. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Also, I know that my ripcord was made many years after the old issue of sub-standard pins and the capewell service bulletin. It would be interesting to check the bent pin per that service bulletin. I've always thought that the strength required to pass that check was not enough to give me confidence. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I'm resurrecting my old thread because of a bent pin on my rig. It was only slightly bent. I don't know how it happened. My rig isn't a tight fit for the reserve, and I'm very careful to not lean back hard on it. This just shouldn't be possible. Excessive loop tension shouldn't be able to do it, leaning back on something shouldn't be able to do it, slamming into the door on the way out shouldn't be able to do it. I realize that a "slight" bend should not be critical in terms of driving up pull force, but I still think that it should be a non-issue that shouldn't need to be tolerated. We don't really know how much bend is too much, or what it takes to get too much of a bend. As far as I can tell, the UPT "separate" pin that works with their unique design of ripcord is the only alternative that appears to be an improvement. Unfortunately it can't be just swapped out and used on other rigs. It would be possible if mfgs made slight changes. We should not be so complacent that the current, nearly universal design continues to be accepted as good enough. So many things about our rigs have been improved for safety reasons, or for aesthetic reasons. The "market" has found many of those changes desirable despite higher costs. I think a better reserve pin would have high market appeal, if it is actually highlighted as an improvement (UPT ought to take advantage of this). What do you think? Imagine it being your pin that was bent. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

My memory is that the swift container system was made for the 5 cell swift reserve (and even the 5 cell swift main?), back when the 5 cell swift reserve was a hot ticket. I believe the total system's low weight and small size was a big selling point. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Thanks everyone for the advice. A used tank is remarkably cheap for the part, but of course expensive to get it replaced. I have a very trusted wrench turner that really knows Hondas to do it, as I no longer am inclined to do such things myself. The prospect of things busting due to long term rust is still scary as this can severely drive up the cost and time required. My engineering background designing Hondas, and even installing fuel tanks on the Accord production line does give me a good perspective on all the issues, so do not be troubled that I will not realize the implications of my situation. Flex - seal, well that would certainly be convenient, could be easily tested (not expecting it to work). Thanks again, I knew I could expect to get some real world, been there done that kind of experience to draw upon rather than just buying a product advertised to fix a problem. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

My 98 Accord has a metal gas tank that is leaking on a small portion of the seam that runs around 1/2 way up the tank. I will of course be keeping the tank low from now on. It's about $700 to get it replaced assuming no trouble from rusted fasteners/components breaking. I'm hoping that someone can suggest a product that can seal the leak from the outside, some goop or whatever. I've considered the clay like epoxy compounds. I would apply it with the cap off so the tank would be unpressurized. Thanks in advance. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

The warranty page of the manual for a Cypres is odd in that it contradicts itself: Their website lists advantages including "12.5 year lifetime warranty". It seems that they've explicitly made their commitment to fixing defects. This is what I mean by asking if there is something backing up the Mars claim that the battery will last 15 years and that there won't be a need for maintenance. Have they put something in writing that says they'll take care of it after 2 years? This thread is about the Mars, and that should be the focus, but when advantages due to cost of ownership is being discussed there is good reason to talk about whether it is predictable. I think there should be an even greater advantage in initial cost if the warranty is just 2 years. If a unit did actually get stuck, a person did not have to wait until the scheduled maintenance to get it fixed. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

The warranty for the M2, as stated in the manual, is only 2 years. Is there something backing their claim that the battery will last 15 years, or that the unit won't need maintenance beyond the 2 year warranty? I think it is likely that there will be some issue with the units that will require some modification/update, or perhaps even just the reality that the battery won't really last that long. I think it is a bad bet to figure otherwise. Perhaps the mfg will cover such a need for a fix without cost to their customers to keep them happy, but I doubt it. I'm sold on the unit that has a 12 year warranty, and a mfg that has shown they honor that warranty. The cost of ownership is at least known, compared to the hope that the unbacked claims of a mfg will be reality. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

At the end of the wonderhog advice, it mentions the stratostar having reefing lines. I didn't know it ever had anything like that. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

What other thread? People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Do paragliders have spanwise reinforcement tapes? It appeared that canopy did not. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

My memory from another thread is that someone claimed that the square footage doesn't match what is claimed (at least compared to others). It would be interesting to see the chord and span dimensions, but the Paratec site doesn't give them. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am