[TowerTalk] Orion mast clamp question

[Robert Harmon]

After continuing problems with mast slippage using the Orion 2800 I considered the same idea and took the Orion mast clamp to a machne shop to see if they could bore/hone it out to provide more clamping surface area.  The said they could not do it satisfactoriy and suggeested I look into having a custom clamp made.  I ended up ordering one of K7NV's mast clamps and no probems since.  

https://www.k7nv.com/proppitch/id35.htm <https://www.k7nv.com/proppitch/id35.htm>


Bob
K6UJ





> On Jul 29, 2020, at 8:35 AM, k7lxc--- via TowerTalk <towertalk at contesting.com> wrote:
> 
> Howdy, TowerTalkians -
>      IMO the Orion mast clamp is a very poor design and has 2 fatal flaws. The first being that the finish is dimpled and the dimples get flattened down over time and the clamp loses its grip. The second flaw is that  the teeth only provide a small fraction of a square inch of actual clamping area - 0.1 sq.in.? - and the teeth get ground down by mast movement hence it loosens up no matter how much you tighten it. I've sold much superior after market clamps in the past but can't get my supplier to make more.      My question is can you hone the existing clamp for a better fit? IOW can it be bored for a 2" or 3" mast? It'd be something like boring a cylinder to a specified size. If the teeth were filed down, there would be much MORE clamping area and thus the clamp would actually hold the mast. In my experience I've only talked to a couple of owners who claimed theirs didn't slip and ones that I've installed seemingly always slipped eventually.  Cheers,Steve     K7LXC
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