stig@gandalf.nhh.no (Stig Oeyvann) (01/10/91)
I am a fresh skydiver (got my licence just before X-mas, 44 jumps), living in Bergen, Norway. I bought a second-hand Vector rig, which I am very pleased with. The equipment chief in my local club saw it over for me, to assure it had no defects. He advised me to open the cut-away system every 30 jumps, to clean the cable and flex the risers to avoid 'setting' in the mechanism. The manual for the Vector advises this to be done every month, regardless of it has been used or not.. Will not the 3-ring system stay soft & nice if it hasn't been used? I imagine it is the pressure of an opening of the main that forces the cut- away to set, and make the risers to fold... Nevertheless, what's written in the manual is likely to be correct, so I guess I'll take care of the 3-rings every month, but are there any opinions out there ?
wtm%gr.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Thomas McCollough) (01/11/91)
In article <1991Jan10.120027.18066@gandalf.nhh.no> stig@gandalf.nhh.no (Stig Oeyvann) writes: >He advised me to open the cut-away system every 30 jumps, to >clean the cable and flex the risers to avoid 'setting' in the mechanism. The material that the risers are made of will take a set from simply being in the same position all the time. I don't think that you need opening shock to make the webbing take a set. The older the rig, the more you should check it. Most of the newer rigs that I've owned or used don't seem to develop the problem as badly as the older rigs. Have they changed how they make webbing, or is it just a matter age? I recently heard that it is unnecessary to lubricate teflon coated cutaway cables: "Lubricating simply causes the cables to get dirty sooner, and doesn't reduce the pull force." It has been the local practice to clean and lightly coat the cables with WD-40 during maintenance. Any comments? Tom McCollough wtm@cs.utah.edu
joep@Stardent.COM (Joe Peterson) (01/15/91)
> had no defects. He advised me to open the cut-away system every 30 jumps, to > clean the cable and flex the risers to avoid 'setting' in the mechanism. The > manual for the Vector advises this to be done every month, regardless of it > has been used or not.. > Will not the 3-ring system stay soft & nice if it hasn't been used? I As I understand it, it is not the use of the three-ring that causes it to "set." It is the fact that it has remained in one position for a while, so it will set even if you do not use it (maybe even more so). This is probably why the manufacture recommends flexing the system every month. Joe Peterson C-20351 joep@stardent.com