I have my bar set up very much like a Zero 4... front flag line, prong collar rings, leash doesn't swivel. How can I make it so that I can spin the bar to untwist the lines? Does it have anything to do with running a safety line through the bar? Thanks.

I presume your leash is attahced to a ring at one of the front lines above the bar, right? Then yes, you're correct - your leash would have to attach to an extension that ran from that down through the center hole in the bar. Or an additional fairlead bolted to the bar adjacent to the center hole if the center hole isn't big enough to pass both the depower rope + the safety line extension.

The only other option I can think of would be a spinning harness hook or a spinning Wichard shackle arrangement at the spreader bar that lets you to rotate the whole works as it is currently set up.

krumly

Thank you Krumly! The hole should be big enough. My plan is to run a piece of extra kite line/parachord from the flag ring down through the center of the bar, then close it off with another small ring so the chord locks in place, then connect a leash to the locking ring. Should work... I'll try it when I get home.

Remember the bar has to be able to slide smoothly all the way up both the safety line extension and the front line. As you've described, I picture the bar center hole hanging up right at the flag ring at the fornt line/saftey connection. That would be very bad...


Come to think of it, my thinking will not work.
C kites use a 5'th line to prevent just what I'm describing. PL Navigator bar is also like this. The PL O7 bar leash can connect to a flag ring at a rear line above the bar, so you can spin it. Check out this site for more info on PL bar set-ups: http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/mx5alan/arcs/ARCsetup_FAQ.htm



krumly

I tried it out today. It seems to work very well with no issues. I just used an extra piece of kite string. It slides very smoothly through the bar; no hang ups or sticky spots. When you spin the bar, the rear lines untwist, and then I just reach up and flip around the trim strap to untwist the front lines. Thanks for the help

I also got to use my new lines. Thanks Scott :P I sure was surprised at the huge difference an extra 5m makes.

When you let the bar go though, how far up can it slide? Doesn't it hang up on the flagging ring that was attached to the front line just below the ring at the trimmer? If you ditched that ring and made a smooth connection obetween one front line and the safety extension, you'll have unequal length front lines when you change the trim strap length. Maybe I'm missing something in your set-up. Be careful. Post a pic if you're game.

krumly

Using a tie ball might be a better idea ...
Untwisting the trim strap? That doesn't sound right!

It only untwists the rear lines. The bar is not attached in any way to the line that goes through it. If I looped the kite or did something funky, I spin the bar to undo the rear line twists then reach up and undo the front lines by turning the trim strap. It takes two seconds. It goes like this: Front-right leader has metal ring tied to it --> flying line passes through it --> attaches to locking ring --> flag line attaches to flying line via locking ring --> passes through bar --> locks off with small ring --> leash attaches to small ring. It's just a connection to the flag line through the center of the bar. I'll post pics when I get a chance.

You mean untangle the safety line from around the trim strap? I thought you meant untangle the power lines

*Slaps forehead* No! xD I DO mean reach up, and twist the front lines in the opposite direction. You guys are confusing me. I spin the bar so the rear lines are untwisted, then spin the front lines so they're untwisted also. It takes only a second. The bar is NOT connected to the front lines, nor the safety line. All of that just passes straight through it. :P

It's not set up to make all of the lines untwist simply by spinning the bar... but it works good enough for me. I don't loop this kite much anyway, because it's too slow through the window and produces too much power to be of any use.

... why not just leave the lines until you loop the other way :D

Well, the reason why I wanted to make a spinning bar was because 99.9999999999999999999% of the time, I fly completely alone in the most crappy winds imaginable; so a lot of weird, stupid things happen when I try to launch... and the lines often get twisted around. It's impossible for me to loop the Venom in anything above it's rock bottom low end. I probably could on water, but not on land.

Fair enough too! What kind of bar did you start out with? Zero4?

It's a SlingNorthAirZero :D With a personal touch :P