This is the Akimbo

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Last I heard they are hoping to have it ready by EXPO. Yes, that is exactly what they said last year at about this time.:|:
 
They have a full page ad in the Wesspur paper catalog. The aura of mystery about the sales date is heightened by using a silhouette and not naming the product.


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I had the same trouble. The spring got a funny look, a bit twisted, for a few days, and then it disappeared. I guess that's a fatigue fracture. The angular motion is maybe a bit too much for this leaf spring.
Jaime made a new spring with a coiled design.
He send me a few of them to save on the shipping costs (for me and the other European climbers if they need it, I have yet to spread the word about it).
 
Man i still need to put my coil spring in,turns out there is some sort of catch with the installation that i missed 😖
 
Well, to be exact heres what i was told after my not quite grasping it.....

"its kind of a pain to install. lets see if i can verbalize it. take the akimbo apart into two halves by removing the center bolt and both cam bolts. you can leave the roller and bollard on but its easier with them off. pull the upper cam off the axle and push the spring into the slot. if one leg of the spring looks shorter that leg should point down. now slide the cam with spring back onto the axle. the spring wants to hang up on the shoulder of the axle, you may have to do a bit of pushing and wiggling to get it past. once its on make sure any shims and such that here there are back in place and put both axles part way onto the mating holes of the other half of the akimbo. push the two halves together just enough so that the pin on the upper arm that the spring pushes against almost, but not quite, reaches the other side of the spring slot. now get a tool that fits in the gap (i use a very small flat screwdriver or the tip of my needle nose pliers) and push the end of the spring down and under the pin on the top arm. its not easy. i find its easier to get in there if i rotate the top arms to the "open" position as though i was about to put it on rope. once the spring is positioned push the halves together (make sure the bushing in the center of the spine is in place) and bolt it all together again. as you tighten the bolts keep an eye on the movement of the parts so you dont over tighten. hope that helps. cheers."...

I do miss using it but have been getting by with my hitch hiker 😁
 
You can always send it to me and I will happily install the spring for you. I have a bit of practice putting these things together ��
 
i cant remember what i sent ben rose. im now using coiled wire springs as the flat springs seem to not last very long.
 
Btw, I am in Norway now and not the UK. I am willing to pay to postage.

In its present setup I find it really difficult to get in with. I am hoping the upgraded spring will make it usable.
 
I seriously doubt it, Rich. The spring is there only to ensure the cam engages. It does not control the friction like the main settings do. What rope are you using?
 
I have used it on all sorts of ropes.

Believe me, I have tried so many times to make the thing work but at the end of the day I am paid to climb so I use something I can rely on.
 
I thought I remembered Burnham expressing the thought that the Akimbo was the finest all-mechanical device he'd ever climbed on. I wonder what his configuration and settings were?
 
Different strokes for different folks Tim.

When it works for me it is great but then the humidity changes, the rope gets dirty or s Mething else and I have to go through the process of setting it up again.

So the big point is WHEN. I climb most days wether it is is contract climbing or my own work. I can't afford to mess about everyday trying to reconfigure a device and scratch my head as it worked perfectly the day before.
 
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