Replace Lever Spring on Alpha Base Clamp

[lyonheart14]

The spring-action on one of my Alpha Revo 4000 base clamps gave out. From what I can tell, I can replace the spring with the following:

NewTechTennis.com : Lever Spring : Tennis Accessories

Lever Spring - LSPRING Tennis Accessories Alpha Machine Parts clamp spring cap Accessories Spring Tennis Lever comma Spring at Tennis Accessories

newtechtennis.com

Has anyone had any experience disassembling the lever on top of the base clamp in order to replace the spring?

 

[jim e]

Do a search, as Babolat had a video on maintenance of Star 4 machine, and on that video, it showed replacing base clamp spring besides other maintenance items,and spring looked the same as picture you posted. Most likely many base clamps are similar.

 

[Irvin]

Call New Tech Tennis

www.newtechtennis.com

 

[lyonheart14]

Do a search, as Babolat had a video on maintenance of Star 4 machine, and on that video, it showed replacing base clamp spring besides other maintenance items,and spring looked the same as picture you posted. Most likely many base clamps are similar.

Babolat Star 3 and Star 4 maintenance and calibration - YouTube

Found the video, tried a few different other manufacturers in my search, but didn't think about older Babolat machines. If its exactly the same I am getting stuck at the part where he uses the screwdriver to get the handle off.

Call New Tech Tennis

www.newtechtennis.com

Yeah, I already have an email sent to them. Since their manuals didn't include any information right off the bat, and it was after work hours when I first posted, I figured I would check here.

 

[lyonheart14]

For anyone who has to deal with this on Alpha clamps, the idea is similar to the Babolat Star 3 clamps (take out the hex screws on the sides of the clamp lever where it attaches to the base), but there is a horizontal pin inside the clamp lever post that also needs to be taken out to actually get the lever off. As my machine is a little old, this meant using a mallet and nail punch to extract the pin. After that I was able to confirm my spring was broken in 2, and then order a new spring (2 in case my other clamp has issues and shipping is expensive these days).

 

[georgeyew]

For anyone who has to deal with this on Alpha clamps, the idea is similar to the Babolat Star 3 clamps (take out the hex screws on the sides of the clamp lever where it attaches to the base), but there is a horizontal pin inside the clamp lever post that also needs to be taken out to actually get the lever off. As my machine is a little old, this meant using a mallet and nail punch to extract the pin. After that I was able to confirm my spring was broken in 2, and then order a new spring (2 in case my other clamp has issues and shipping is expensive these days).

What was the clamp lever doing with the broken spring? My clamp lever does not stay put all the time. It seems that in one particular spot on the base, it wants to release on it's own. I wonder if I also have a spring issue.

 

[lyonheart14]

What was the clamp lever doing with the broken spring? My clamp lever does not stay put all the time. It seems that in one particular spot on the base, it wants to release on it's own. I wonder if I also have a spring issue.

The base clamp would still clamp down and there didn't seem to be any more drawback than usual, but when releasing the clamp there was no spring-assist to open it back up. Also, since the spring was not keeping it open, when moving the base clamp on the slide, it would catch on from time-to-time because the base clamp would half-close just from moving it around.

 

[georgeyew]

The base clamp would still clamp down and there didn't seem to be any more drawback than usual, but when releasing the clamp there was no spring-assist to open it back up. Also, since the spring was not keeping it open, when moving the base clamp on the slide, it would catch on from time-to-time because the base clamp would half-close just from moving it around.

Thanks for the confirmation. Mine is behaving differently so It is probably not a spring issue.

 

[lyonheart14]

Thanks for the confirmation. Mine is behaving differently so It is probably not a spring issue.

Yeah this sounds more like tweaking the general clamp tightness. In the past, when I have had the base clamp slightly not tight enough, I could tighten the bolts on the bottom of the base and it would stay put more securely. However, if the bolts backed out at all over time, the clamp might unclamp if I accidentally hit the lever or when pulling tension. It was a pain to adjust the base clamp at that time because I didn't have a long enough 3mm hex to adjust without taking it apart so I would just live it with it for a while.