I close my tailgate by:

[K]

I use different quantities of wraps depending on the jump I'm planning. I larkshead the rubberband less than an inch from the end of the tailgate on one side. If I'm doing a low jump, less than 300', I only use 2 wraps. For higher jumps, I use three wraps. Once the wraps are completed I use my wrench handle to scoot the black band on both ends of the tailgate to the very end...so just the nubby ends of the tailgate are sticking out of the wraps. Again, I would emphasize to all that height of the exit and the length of delay should be taken into consideration when setting the tailgate. I certainly wouldn't want 3 tight wraps when doing the 'Doux!, and two wraps wouldn't be sufficient for Kjerag.

So what size pilot chute do you use? (I couldn't resist...sorry...)



;)

K
Base#763

[imported_Tom Aiello]

>... two wraps wouldn't be sufficient for Kjerag.

Whoa!

Is BR now recommending the use of a tailgate for slider up jumps?

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com

[imported_badenhop]

>Please elaborate on any other method you use.

I larkshead the black type small rubberband to one side of the Tail-Gate. After all the lines are stowed, the rubberband goes around the other side just once, and then just once around both. So that's really just 1 and 1/2 wraps. It's not too snug, and does just the necesary job of holding the lines in place until deployment, I've never experienced a hang up, even while static lining. I always carry extras, you can ask me for one.

[K]

>
>Whoa!
>
>Is BR now recommending the use of a tailgate for slider up
>jumps?
>
>--Tom Aiello
>tbaiello@mac.com

NO, BR IS NOT RECOMMENDING ANYTHING! I have just mentioned what I, as a jumper, do. If it was a BR recommendation, I would state "BR Recommends...."

Please folks, please allow me to be a person here. I don't post nearly as much as I'd like exactly for this reason. Just because I work at BR 40 hours a week doesn't mean that every word that drops out of my mouth is a BR recommendation. In fact, the opposite is true. I don't make recommendations unless I've discussed the issue with Todd and Anne and have made sure that what I'm writing is exactly right, and then it's only in response to a direct question to BR. You may have noticed this.

I have done some small mesh slider up jumps with a tailgate, and I am continuing to experiment with this configuration. I take that risk for myself because I believe it works and will be safe. I'm not recommending anyone else to do anything. As far as I know, the only reason we don't use tailgates on slider up jumps is because the large hole mesh is the perfect size for the tailgate to get entangled, causing a slider hang up and Goddess knows what else mayhem. It was my observation that the small mesh would not allow the tailgate to get entangled, so I began trying the small mesh slider in conjunction with a tailgate on bridge jumps, over water, with intentional water landings. As far as telling people what I'm doing, I do so to get the information out there to anyone interested. I wouldn't tell someone to jump this configuration, I'm just saying that I have, and I will continue to check it out when the jumps are appropriate for the trial. My main concern now is the altitudes that are safe for small mesh slider jumps. Two of the jumps I did were in Twin Falls, the others at Bridge Day, and my next ones will be from about 1200'.

I would love to have a different icon so people don't assume that a post by me is a BR recommendation. Tom, could you be of any help in getting my picture the right size to use? Thanks!

Love ya lots, the whole lot of ya!

Karen

[imported_Tom Aiello]

>Tom, could you be of any help in getting my picture the right size to use?

How's this?

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com

[imported_Tom Aiello]

Here's an even smaller one...



--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com

[K]

That's what I call 2 wraps. The first one is really not a wrap at all.

K

[K]

>Here's an even smaller one...
>
>
>
>--Tom Aiello
>tbaiello@mac.com

Thanks Tom! I was able to post it on the "other board" but I'm having trouble with the BASE board. I could use some more help.

By the way, hey MICK! I think I figured out why the dropzone.com gets so much use. It's much faster and easier to work with. I'm finding myself frustrated waiting for the BASE board screens to finally come up...it's so much slower it's amazing. Also, posting my icon was a snap over there....here I'm having difficulty. Just some feedback, love ya lots, BLINC rules!

K#763

[PerFlare]

Karen,

I know a Swedish jumper who uses the tailgate on slider up jumps. He must have 40-50 jumps with that configuration (large hole slider) and it works fine so far :)

Will get back to you about the big PC's :) Allot of bad things got in the way but we are slowly getting there.

Have the best of times!

PerFlare

[zennie]

Sounds like we're moving in the slider gate direction again. ;-)

Lately I've been toying with the idea of attaching a tailgate to the apex of a large-mesh slider. I'm fairly confident that entanglement wouldn't be a problem in that configuration, my bigger concern is that the force of opening would rip the tailgate out of the mesh.

I may just modify my slider to have a slider gate tab.

[imported_Tom Aiello]

So, it looks like we're about evenly split (22-24 in this sample) between girth hitching and not girth hitching.

It sort of looks to me like girth hitching has the potential to create a problem (if you push the rubber band up past the knot when you close the tailgate), but when used properly (i.e. loops stay on the outside of the knot) it has about the same success rate as not girth hitching.

[dexter]

I see a lot of girth hitching going on in the field.

I would imagine the number of jumps done with either method are probably similar, and the occurance of hangups are still pretty rare. I've never even seen a noticeable tailgate hangup.

I personally have never girth hitched my TCD's (Tailgate Closure Device... inside joke but it sounds pretty cool and flashy around whuffos right?) because I think I'd rather just replace the thing than risk a hangup.

I carry a small ziploc bag inside the little pocket behind my mudflap. In it are a pullup cord, an extra closing loop, and several TCD's, so losing one and replacing it is not a problem. Once in a while, the TCD will still be there after a jump even though I don't girth hitch it to the tailgate.

I think it's pretty hard to dismiss the fact that you are running a risk of tailgate hangup by girth hitching. I think either way is safer than some of the alternative methods of control I've seen, but the results of a severe hangup would be so devastating that I'll just stick with what has worked for me every time.

Stay safe out there! ---Dex
dexterbase@hotmail.com

[imported_Tom Aiello]

Please elaborate on any other method you use.