Cardinal Center Pat Traps? Springs or bands?

Heard the steel springs were breaking and they went back to the bands. Anybody know if the springs that broke are the new redesigned springs or the first ones that came out?

 

I heard the same thing and I think Jake said the new springs.

 

The new springs are breaking at our club.

 

Where did they purchase them? The metal in a trap spring is very important, so is the heat treating. I made and sold thousands of them for many different machines. Foreign metal should not be used. Roger C.

 

they went back to the bands until the new and improved are available. They are hoping to have a new prototype this coming week.

 

Is this the spring that is breaking?

 

Where on the spring is it breaking? Is it always in the same place? How much does the spring extend to throw doubles?
Roger C.

 

Breaks in the bend at the end of the u every time.

 

The metal was probably not annealed properly, and it is stress cracking at that bend. also what material is being used? If it is 1040 it will not be the ideal material.
Is this spring identical to the springs that pat trap made? If not. it could be the design. If it is, it is the metal and or a mfging flaw.
If the supplier can not solve the problem contact; Mid West Spring Co
Romeoville, Ill. !-800-619-0909
They made springs for me for over 20 years. Roger C.

 

There are two different springs being sold to replace the bands. The one pictured above (not sure of the name) and True Flight Springs made by Don Volz in Arizona. They are green and i’ll Post a picture. Quick facts about it. Don has had these in service for 3 years and has had two tack weld failures (180,000- 240,000-260,000-148,000 targets each: the remaining traps 5 to 8 are on their second year and 9-13 he’s using up his band inventory. Allows use of existing Pat parts (revert back to bands if desired.....) He has not had any sprague bearing failures either. Call Casa Grande Trap & Skeet if you are interested. Installs just like band system but does require a hole drilled in the bearing clamp arm. Our club is very pleased. Target speeds don’t fluctuate. Don told us... set it & forget it.... he’s more than helpful.

If it’s these “True Flight Springs” having an issue, I know he would want to know about it.

Best wishes.... Kurt

 

This is not the latest design. The replacements are three-piece springs and work very well. Tom Neal manufactures them and Bob Schultz Target Shotguns is the distributor for them. A couple pictures are shown below. Tom did a lot of work developing them. The three-piece design eliminated the breakage that occurred at the hook on the inboard side of the trap machine. The target speeds are extremely consistent with the steel springs.

Jon Reitz

 

Brad, Tell the trap people at CC to stick with the spring with the cable inside. Pat traps went to the band because when a spring would break it would tear up the under side of the trap. They should be making the spring out of chrome vanadium steel, wind spring when steel is anealed heat treat after winding. Tell them to take as much of the sharp bend out of the breaking area as possible. Never let the trap set with the spring cocked as they will take a set and ruin them.
John, That spring is to short. It needs about 10 or 12 more coils on it. It will smooth the recoil and give the spring longer life. Roger C.