SUL Issues

[GooNPooN]

okay so i was flying with a 3 wrap frame, in about 13 mph of wind, it wasnt gusty. for no apparent reason my left wing spar snaps, along the gold label......im looking for a possible reason, as i take very good care of my kites and i thought SULs could take higher wind ranges :confused!:

[big bri]

OOOOOOOA,Wouldnt dream of flying mine in a 13mph.Not what you want to hear,but i reckon its to high a wind.At 13mph i would have had my two sets in the Leading edge that come with the B Series or my Race Rods in.

BRIAN...

[Isaac Trejo]

Might be a defect in the spar. A 3 wrap can certainly handle 13 mph wind unless you hit the ground funny.

[Mike]

The rod that comes with the SUL is a 2-wrap rod (marked "Professional Use Only").

13mph would be high for a 2-wrap in a non-vented kite.

[awindofchange]

SLE can take higher wind ranges, SUL's are very delicate and are designed for light wind.

[ubrokeit]

I would like to know what type of lines are good with my sul in 0-2 mph

[johnnmitchell]

I would like to know what type of lines are good with my sul in 0-2 mph

You would be okay on 50#, they won't break. I use 90# in most cases, because the 50# gets knots in itself too easy.

[KiteLife]

In those winds, I MUCH prefer 50# lines due to the low drag... Makes light wind flying a breeze, as long as you're not in the habit of tangling lines.

[johnnmitchell]

okay so i was flying with a 3 wrap frame, in about 13 mph of wind, it wasnt gusty. for no apparent reason my left wing spar snaps, along the gold label......im looking for a possible reason, as i take very good care of my kites and i thought SULs could take higher wind ranges :confused!:

I am a hard Rev flier, thus putting a lot of strain on the rods. However I never hit the ground or another object, hard.

The only "UltraLight" (3-wrap) rod I ever broke was on a REV I. The rod had been used quite a bit in stronger winds. The wind it broke in, was mild and well within the rods limits. It snapped in two pieces. I dedicated this to damage in transportation. All it takes is for blunt to sharp object to fall on it and it has already damaged. Sometime shortly there after it will pop.

I never broke a "Revolution Equipped" 4-wrap rod.

I split, a "Stiff"(6 wrap), on the end which might have been caused by the ferrule not being fully in the rod.

I have broken a number of "Professional Only"(2-wrap) rods. In flight they were all broken doing tricks except one. That one was flown in strong winds and exploded into 5 pieces. It sounded like a gun going off. I had two rods broken when people stepped on them.

The most likely cause I would guess at when the rod has already been used a bit, is transportation damage.

I have seen too many people, including my own family, who place their kite bags in the trunk of the car and pile lawn chairs and anything else you could think of on top. My suggestion is to hold your REV kite bag back and put it on top of everything else and ensure that the trunk(boot) lid does not bang against it when you close it.

[ubrokeit]

You would be okay on 50#, they won't break. I use 90# in most cases, because the 50# gets knots in itself too easy.

thanks

[ubrokeit]

In those winds, I MUCH prefer 50# lines due to the low drag... Makes light wind flying a breeze, as long as you're not in the habit of tangling lines.

thanks x2

[Morrunya]

OOOOOOOA,Wouldnt dream of flying mine in a 13mph.Not what you want to hear,but i reckon its to high a wind.At 13mph i would have had my two sets in the Leading edge that come with the B Series or my Race Rods in.

BRIAN...

You would use a double LE for 13 mph winds??? A 3 wrap frame should have been perfect for these conditions.

[KiteLife]

Aye, a 3 wrap frame should be just fine up to 15 or so... Over that, the 2nd LE might be a good idea.

Bear in mind, when you LOAD up with forward flight, the frame is under more stress... In a hover or controlled flight, stress is greatly reduced.

[johnnmitchell]

I would really like to see a photo of the complete broken rod.

One question, was the break anywhere near the down rod position?

[big bri]

Your correct guys.13mph on a 3 wrap should be fine,but when does the wind blow a perfect,constant, 13mph.The added presure also in dive stops,snap turns would vastly increase the strain on the LE.The point i think John M made about hitting the deck or similar unintentional damage may be the real answer to WHY the spars are fractured or snapped.

Better to be safe than sorry i reckon.Lets face it.If the winds up, weight isnt an issue.So a heavy/stronger spar or the twin LE would be fine.Race Rods if your lucky enough to have them.

I did say i wouldnt fly my SUL in a 13mph.My SUL has TWO WRAP[has our freinds also] .I certainly wouldnt remove a two wrap ,in that wind and replace them with a 3 wrap.I would always be cautious or over cautious PERHAPS and use a diffrent kite[sLE is ideal Vented is perfect] or at a push stronger spars.

Just my Take on it,

BRIAN...