Neos Glidebar Issues

ARON

ARON

New User
I acquired a 10 year old Ektelon Neos 1000 recently. I strung a racket up today and noticed that the clamp did not slide well on one of the glidebars. I string on a Prince Neos 1000 at work so I know this is not normal.

Should I apply a lubricant to the rail or would that hinder the clamps ability to hold the string?

Thanks
 
themitchmann

themitchmann

Hall of Fame
Try cleaning the glidebars first. Do not apply lubricant.

Call tennis machines. They can help you diagnose the problem and you can order parts from them directly.
 
ARON

ARON

New User
themitchmann said:
Try cleaning the glidebars first. Do not apply lubricant.

Call tennis machines. They can help you diagnose the problem and you can order parts from them directly.
Click to expand...

I don't think the glidebars need to be replaced, it's just that one of the clamps does not ride the glidebar smoothly. I'll try cleaning both the clamp bottom and glidebar.
 
Rabbit

Rabbit

G.O.A.T.
Hey, I had the same problem with my 10-year old Neos.

There are hex screws on the bottom of the feet of the glide rail that perform the adjustment. Simply loosen them, put the glibebar back in track, and then push down and tighten them.
 
Irvin

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
Is the problem the glide bars do not fit on the table right or the clamps don't slide right?

Irvin
 
ARON

ARON

New User
I cleaned the the gliderail and the bottom of the clamp but the clamp still will not slide smoothly on it.

Experimented with the faulty clamp/gliderail and determined that the clamp was to blame, since my good clamp rides the bad gliderail smoothly, but the bad clamp doesn't ride the good gliderail smoothly.

Also, found a video on youtube of someone else who has my problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IYc7Gw7DVk
 
Irvin

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
There is some kind of buildup on the inside of that clamp. You need to make sure that clamp is good and clean and get right of that buildup. Could be rust or maybe the clamp is just ruff. If you take off too much of the inside of the clamp by sanding you will have problems with it gripping so be careful.

I would try putting a little toothpaste on the inside of my clamp and putting it on the bar down at the end. Adjust it so you can rotate it around he bar (not side to side.) Then rotate it back and forth for a while.

Toothpaste has a very fine grit in it and may clean it up for you. Then clean the bar and your clamp with alcohol and try it again. If that does not work try some lapping paste. You can get that at a auto supply store. It is a grit past used to seating valves.

A Picture may help it may be possible to see the problem.

Irvin
 
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ARON

ARON

New User
I'm thinking that the inside of the clamp may just be a little rough, as I see no buildup of rust/dirt. I'll try post some pictures of the inside of the clamp tomorrow.
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
Irvin said:
I would try putting a little toothpaste on the inside of my clamp and putting it on the bar down at the end.


Irvin
Click to expand...

Ah, the MINTY approach! :)
Alcohol always did the trick for me. Remove the clamp to access the full length of the glide bar and rub away. I would also wrap a cloth or paper towel around my pinkie and clean the 'bar clamping' portion of the clamp base.

Just for grins, you might switch the clamps from bar to bar and see if that makes a difference OR gives you some feedback as to the binding culprit.

If your vehicle headlight lenses are severely oxidized, you might try the toothpaste trick on them as well...good for polishing/cleaning...then apply some sealer for protection.

Duct tape, WD40 and toothpaste....what more could you need! ;)
 
ARON

ARON

New User
Looking at the inside of the clamp where it grips the glidebar, I noticed there were 4 polished rectangular sections which causes the clamps to ride the glidebar smoothly.

On the troublesome clamp, 2 of the polished sections have been eaten through significantly and now have the rougher texture of the clamp. My dad suggested using a drill to re-polish the rougher sections while being careful not to take too much off.

Is this the right course of action?

ps: I waited too long to take pictures and the sun went down. The pictures I took were unusable. I'll try get up decent pics soon
 
Irvin

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
I believe you are on the right course of action but I am not sure how you are going to use the drill. Seems as though no matter how careful you are you could take off too much. I would use lapping compound first.

Irvin
 
ARON

ARON

New User
The camera takes blurry pics regardless of the time of day, so the pics are a no go although at this point I don't think they are needed since I have identified the problem.

I think I'm going to try using a light abrasive like toothpaste or fine sandpaper on the troublesome sections and move on to the drill if that doesn't work out.

The clamp moves relatively easy as it is right now and is a minor annoyance if anything. Wish it glided like hot butter like the other clamp though.
 
D

David123

Hall of Fame
Hi guys,

I am having problems with the glide bar on the neos 1000. It's extremely difficult to move along the table both on the crosses and the mains. The clamps move fine on the bars, but moving the bars are just a pain. I would have to sometimes use all my force just to move them a tad bit and I would have to apply the force to each of the ends as applying the force in the middle would not do much. Is there a way to solve this?

Thanks in advance.
 
rjw

rjw

Professional
David123 said:
Hi guys,

I am having problems with the glide bar on the neos 1000. It's extremely difficult to move along the table both on the crosses and the mains. The clamps move fine on the bars, but moving the bars are just a pain. I would have to sometimes use all my force just to move them a tad bit and I would have to apply the force to each of the ends as applying the force in the middle would not do much. Is there a way to solve this?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Did you try loosening the adjustabe end of the bar assembly?

the bar should have a one piece bracket at one end and a 2 piece bracket at the other.

The 2 piece bracket has 3 screws holding a flat plate to the other piece. Loosen the screws and see if the bind goes away.
The procedure is in your Neos manual.


Another problem is if the brackets have moved on the bars...as in rotated which would cause a binding....
 
Last edited:
Irvin

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
ARON said:
Looking at the inside of the clamp where it grips the glidebar, I noticed there were 4 polished rectangular sections which causes the clamps to ride the glidebar smoothly.

On the troublesome clamp, 2 of the polished sections have been eaten through significantly and now have the rougher texture of the clamp...
Click to expand...

Call Tennis Machines and see if you can buy a new clamp.

Irvin
 
T

Tennusdude

Semi-Pro
Hi Irvin,
When a clamp is brand new, should he inside be polished and shiny where it rides along the glide bar? What if it is a tiny bit rough and not shiny, can this be remedied? I guess the toothpaste approach. You would think there a machine shop could give it a quick polish though.
 
D

Deleted member 232704

Guest
WD-40 would help it move around better. Try Rubbing alcohol too. But thats just to let it slide better. I'm not sure why you would need a concealed part of the clamp to be nice and shiny. As long as it works it doesnt seem like a big problem. Just send it back and get new clamps.
 
Lakers4Life

Lakers4Life

Hall of Fame
WD-40 is a water dissipater, hence the name. It will also help loosen rusted parts, but it does not last very long. You are better off using a PTFE Grease or Oil. Just rubbing PTFE Oil on the parts that contact will help and last longer than WD-40. Works great on swivle clamp bases and turntable bases as well.
 
stringwalla

stringwalla

Rookie
Lakers4Life said:
WD-40 is a water dissipater, hence the name. It will also help loosen rusted parts, but it does not last very long.
Click to expand...

Take it from a stringer that's done tens of thousands of frames on an "H".

I only used WD-40 or any oil on the bearing assemblies of the tension head that contact the track.

Address unruly glide bars by
-cleaning all residues (as stated above with alcohol)

-I lubricated track and rails with the hard wax (I guess the same as pure candle wax). We used it to lube dry string 20 yrs ago and it worked great, and no mess like oils. I remember some stringers wearing aprons. These were the oil users protecting their clothes-

-put the bar on the rails and give a slight bang with a hammer on each side to adjust any misalignment issues.

The wax is also great to apply to clamp mechanisms vs oils. I still use it to prolong the life of my Star 3 clamps.
 
Lakers4Life

Lakers4Life

Hall of Fame
Rubbing in a PTFE oil, like Glide Slide or CLP Break Free, works just like wax. It does not have to be dripping to work properly. I soak it with oil and wipe off any extra.

Sure cleaning with alcohol works, but it needs to be lubed afterwards.

A while back, I broke a bolt on the gripper of my Sensor. Had to take it apart to replace the broken bolt, it was sticking closed every so often. The hard part was getting the ball bearings to stay in the track while trying to re-assemble the gripper. I used PTFE grease to hold the bearings in place while I re-assembled the gripper. Since then I don't have the sticking problem and never have to lube it.

Everyone thinks WD-40 is the oil for everything, but it's a very light lubricate. It's a penetrating oil so by nature it will drip. It dries up and has to be re-applied often.
 
T

ten11

Semi-Pro
stringwalla said:
Address unruly glide bars by
-cleaning all residues (as stated above with alcohol)

-I lubricated track and rails with the hard wax (I guess the same as pure candle wax).
Click to expand...
My H works but not smooth. The clamp is not slide freely and glidebar also not glide freely.
I cleaned up the clamp parts which holding the glidebar with a piece of 1 inch wide and 1 feet long cloth with rubbing alcohol. put the cloth through the hole and pulling the two ends back and forth to clean it up. Very easy and super effective. Now the clamp move FREELY.
I cleaned up the track and the contact piece of the glibebar with rubbing alcohol throughly but still have a bit of resistance to move freely. Waxed it and got worse. So I will say wax the track is NOT working for my H.
Used 3-in-1 alone the track and putting back the glidebar. It is heaven now.
So to conclude my experience, rubbing alcohol to cleanup and very small amount of 3-in-1 for the track only. I won't do it on the glidebar itself.
 
T

Tennusdude

Semi-Pro
Andyroo10567 said:
WD-40 would help it move around better. Try Rubbing alcohol too. But thats just to let it slide better. I'm not sure why you would need a concealed part of the clamp to be nice and shiny. As long as it works it doesnt seem like a big problem. Just send it back and get new clamps.
Click to expand...

This is the inside of the bottom of the clamp which rides along the glide bar, that is why it needs to be smooth and shiny. Otherwise it wont slide properly.

Anyone ever hear of a brand new clamp that is extremely difficult to move along glide bar because the metal on the clamp is not smooth and shiny? Any ideas here. Thanks
 
Irvin

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
ARON said:
I don't think the glidebars need to be replaced, it's just that one of the clamps does not ride the glidebar smoothly. I'll try cleaning both the clamp bottom and glidebar.
Click to expand...

There's your problem. There is a little flat point on the inside of the clamp where it glides on the glide bar and it is worn out or pitted.
 
D

Deleted member 232704

Guest
Is it hard to slide? I don't know what your talking about. Is the clamp clamped onto the bar? or is it unclamped? Lubrication....
 
Irvin

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
stringwalla said:
... I lubricated track and rails with the hard wax (I guess the same as pure candle wax). We used it to lube dry string 20 yrs ago and it worked great, and no mess like oils. I remember some stringers wearing aprons. These were the oil users ...
Click to expand...

I used to use parafin and still do when i am trying to lubricate the tip of a string.
 
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