BASIC crank machine TIPS

[Safina]

hi,

i bought a REVO, and the instructions i got stink.
can someone provide helpful tips for stringing on a crank machine.

My main questions are:
1. is the crank supposed just stop turning or does it "lock" in place?
2. how bad is it to leave the tension setting on the machine instead of always dialing it back down to 9lbs when not in use?
3. does the tension head need to be a certain amount of distance away from the frame to roll back enough to get tension? do you need to slide it back after every pull?
4. some strings lock in the linear gripper easily, but sometime, do to angle, it doesn't go in the front of the gripper easily without being held down... is this just something to deal with?
5. any videos of crank stringing instructions?
6. do you have to "re-lock" the lever to release the string, or can you just reverse the crank to release the string after clamping?

thanks for the help..

 

[Safina]

i have figured out the answer to 1.

The tension head "lever" thingy has to be locked into the tension gripper... once you pull tension it will POP out.
(i broke a racquet by not having this lever locked before pulling tension... i might have been pulling 150lbs of tension...OOPS)

 

[Court_Jester]

i bought a REVO, and the instructions i got stink.

Yeah, the only good about that manual are the parts list and the calibration procedure. The manual is not good if you're learning to string for the first time.

2. how bad is it to leave the tension setting on the machine instead of always dialing it back down to 9lbs when not in use?

Very bad. The spring will lose its elasticity if kept under tension for a prolonged period of time. If you intend to do this, be prepared to calibrate the spring more often than usual.

3. does the tension head need to be a certain amount of distance away from the frame to roll back enough to get tension? do you need to slide it back after every pull?

No but for consistency, it's preferred to bring the tensioner more or less to its original position before tensioning.

4. some strings lock in the linear gripper easily, but sometime, do to angle, it doesn't go in the front of the gripper easily without being held down... is this just something to deal with?

Just push the gripper plates in as you turn the crank.

5. any videos of crank stringing instructions?

The videos available online work the same way for cranks.

6. do you have to "re-lock" the lever to release the string, or can you just reverse the crank to release the string after clamping?

The former. Simply reversing the crank will not do it. Besides, you WON"T be able to turn the crank with the tensioner locked out.

BTW, when re-locking the lever, make sure that you're holding the crank handle. If not, the crank handle will swing out the other way VERY FAST.

 

[rasajadad]

#2- They say it's bad to leave the spring loaded, so I back it down to 9 lbs after I finish.
#3- You don't need a specific distance, but try and keep the distances the same for each pull. You also need for the tension head to be a certain distance in order to rotate the turntable.
#4- The string doesn't need to go in the whole gripper.
#5- Search the forum. I'm sure there's a video.
#6- To release the tension in the head, there's a little trigger to pull. I keep a hand on the crank in order to prevent the release from happening too quickly.

 

[Safina]

strung a racquet successfully....

thanks for your input people.

one thing that surprised me with fixed clamps is that they just "float" inside the clamp base. i thought by "height adjustable" that you would need to turn a screw or something.

also, sometimes after I clamp, the clamps don't drop down after i release them... they get "stuck" on the string and I have to wiggle or gently tap them from the top to get them to drop down to go on to the next string.

now that i have figured out the tension mechanism, it is pretty easy. thanks again.

 

[Safina]

additonal notes:

1. i find it a bit odd that the crank handle knob is low enough that it can sometimes hit the base of the machine.

2. first time for me using the 6pt mounting system, and when stringing the crosses, it really bent the plastic bumper guard (where it meets the rest of the grommet strip). after moving further down, it looks like it returned to a normal shape, but it looks rough on bumper guards over many stringings.

3. the clamps with the REVO are very nice. SOOOO much better than the giant resin floating clamps i had from my ATS dropweight. I can fit them much closer to the grommets and they don't slip...etc.

 

[rasajadad]

additonal notes:

1. i find it a bit odd that the crank handle knob is low enough that it can sometimes hit the base of the machine.

2. first time for me using the 6pt mounting system, and when stringing the crosses, it really bent the plastic bumper guard (where it meets the rest of the grommet strip). after moving further down, it looks like it returned to a normal shape, but it looks rough on bumper guards over many stringings.

3. the clamps with the REVO are very nice. SOOOO much better than the giant resin floating clamps i had from my ATS dropweight. I can fit them much closer to the grommets and they don't slip...etc.

1- Could you send a pic? My handle doesn't come close to hitting the base.
2- You must be tightening the clamps too far. I was told to only tighten the "wings as far as you could go with only two fingers.