Jonathan Dietch <<nmerider>>
writes:

My previous article about replacing all the pulleys on my T2C 144:
http://ozreport.com/1427719439

My 2009 T2C 144 now has about 1060 hours on it with about 536 hours on its
second sail. During the past year I noticed an increase in resistance from one
flight to the next when pulling on the VG rope. I recalled that I had not
re-lubed the crossbar hinge pins in about 3 years and the last time I did so I
did not do a very though job of cleaning off the oxide and old grease. I also
could have done a better job of applying DuPont Teflon bearing grease to the
pins and the contact surfaces.

A few weeks ago I removed the crossbar pins and thoroughly cleaned every surface
with Coleman fuel (white gasoline). I applied a generous coat of DuPont Teflon
bearing grease to every contact surface before reassembly. I have logged another
nine hours since re-greasing the crossbar hinge and it feels like new. With only
moderate effort I can go right past the factory setting for full VG. The VG
limiter has been removed and I can pull roughly 15" more rope with the 3:1
reduction system.

I learned about the use of DuPont Teflon bearing grease for extreme pressure
application from this source:
http://www.sandsmachine.com/grease_t.htm. For a period of time it was out of
stock in the handy 20gr syringe but later came back on the market thanks to
Finish Line:
http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/bicycle-greases/extreme-fluoro-grease.

For other high-hour topless gliders out there this may be worthwhile considering
in order to keep VG rope pull running free and smoothly. Doing the hinge re-lube
also made the glider much easier to set the haul-back as well as release it and
to bring the leading edges together.

Steven Pearson <<Steve>>
writes:

Thanks for the info. I honestly never considered that friction in
the hinge pins would increase the VG activation forces that much. We start with
a pretty good quality grease but I doubt that it lasts more than a year or two.
I'll add your experience to my maintenance recommendations.