Where is the best source to purchase replacement Ronstan pulleys?

John repaired my Pulse and mentioned that the pulleys were shot. Now that I understand how important it is to replace them as necessary, I just inspected the pulleys on my Best Nemesis 08 and they are in need of replacement.

Are there any good tricks to getting the sand out of them?

-joedy

Boat supply store...

www.westmarine.com
www.defender.com


Jeff at ProKiteSurf also carries them.

Kitty Hawk Kites has some.

ATB,
Sam

Wash them under a tap ... not much you can do really. There's a bit of a trick to replacing the pulleys on the FSer mixer ... you don't have to pull the whole thing to bits. I'll try to find the video ...

I got Ronstan pullies at my local West Marine which is one of their bigger stores in the area. The smaller stores didn't have much stock.
After using the Ronstan pullies I found out they were no better then the stock pullies on my Gin and PL kites, the coarse local sand here jammed them just as easy...if not easier. I check and work the sand out of any stuck pullies before a session. Any other ideas?

its a problem for sure. a locked pulley is gone after about an hour, plastics gets cuts and grooved and the line breaks.

dry and sand free is ideal...in some dream land! before launch get them rolling smooth. a splash from your water bottle roll it and thats it. maybe a SMALL shot of silicone if its super crunchy. NO oil or petrol lubes

assisted launch/land helps but its gonna happen.

plastic bush or SS ball bearing they all go down. if i feel theres a problem, after a launch, i usually dip the tip in the water and it frees it up. bar feedback should tell you immediately ratchet like or sticky.

the plastics bushed really seem to last longer, the BB just have more space to hold sand. I prefer BB the feel is apparent.

I tried a semi-sealed ronstan on on eof my kites. works great. before I go out I just roll the pulley to break up the sand. it seems to roll much smoother than then the all plastic ones.

they have a metal exterior but the corners are softened and rolled so I don't think there is any danger of it catching the line or fabric.

These are also on my montana... anyone else use these?

metal bearing


full plastic/metal post

Good information, guys. Thanks for the tips. It sounds like I need to pick up and keep some spare pulleys in the kite bag.

-joedy

I swapped out the pulleys on my 19m Synergy for Ronstan Orbit pulleys - dunno how they worked cos I sold it to Mark

Kami,

Did you use the basic block from Ronstan or did you purchase the pigtail'ed assembly ones from one of the kite vendors?

-joedy

arkay, i have been through both of the series, the plastic with perpendicular loop through is the OME for most. the parallel attachment is a small tweaking twist and rotate 180 if grooving on one side is apparent. i use a dacron line thru them, not amsteel braid, it may cut more esp, with sand.

actually X 2 on the metal, they are smoother , now i have the swivel tops series 16mm ronstan SS BB.

and the same ROLL FREE check before launch is gonna make them last longer.

a bag of the plastic ones, with associated line replacement is a MUST in the bag !

i will post some of the failures pics .

the grooving sets in and the sharp edge of the pulley starts to cut the lines.

then theres the complete crushing melted down

i replaced the pullys on my 15 charger with stainless rings. working good so far

Quote:

Originally posted by joedy Kami, Did you use the basic block from Ronstan or did you purchase the pigtail'ed assembly ones from one of the kite vendors? -joedy

Basic blocks - got them here in Japan and made my own VERY short pigtail so as not to alter the Synergy bridle dimensions too much ...

I'd try those Antal rings too, they look good.

Quote:

they have a metal exterior but the corners are softened and rolled so I don't think there is any danger of it catching the line or fabric.

How has the metal held up in the salt water, by the way?

-joedy

its stainless steel. pics above, these pulleys where on the ocean 1000hours=3 sets , the plastic fails not the alloy.

You might also look at the Wichard pulleys like the 60113. As others have stated, you got to keep them clean as the sand can destroy anything. Unfortunately pulleys in that size don't usually have advanced bearings in them. If you use a lubricant make it a dry one.
There are several on the market, the one I use is made by Tri-Flow and can be found at bicycle shops. It has a liquid carrier that flashes off to leave a dry film that won't tend to
hold the sand. Keep spares and keep checking that operation!

More on the Antal things... Gigi makes his own kites for sure, dunno if it's his job or anything but he is a consumate DIYer

http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=733287#p733287

I ended up getting a pair of the Epic Sliders from Dimitri. They appear to be a drop-in replacement for the Ronstan pulleys. I've got a Best Nemesis 10m that is due for an upgrade.

Dimitri plans on selling them for around 12 dollars a pair. No pigtails - just the slider rings.

Bill Hansen (kite designer for Switch kites) confirmed that these slider rings are being sourced directly from an Asia source on an OEM basis. I've searched and inquired with the US marine suppliers and none of them are planning on obtaining these rings for the marine industry. They universally referred me to the Antal rings which are more practical for marine applications.

-joedy

You can get the Antal's in different diameters.

My Cabrinha kites have pulleys and the sliders - but they're only on the lines that don't do a lot of moving... I'd be wary of putting them in place of high-load and travel. But that's just me :D

$12 and y'all are moaning about the Peter Lynn LEI mark-ups - he probably gets the slider for a few cents a pair!
... of course, setting up the mold probably cost $30,000 but that doesn't count