Spectrum Ball Returns

[Guest]

I have spectrum ball returns that are approximately 15 years old. Has anyone ever needed to replace the two upsweep rails? They have bent inward. Can someone educate me about the bigger tire and why this tire has become a revisioned item? Is there a specific part number for a somewhat larger belt to accommodate the big tire? At my new job site, there are a couple returns with the big tires installed, except the crown pulley has to be brought down all the way down to the bottom of its adjustment for the normal AMF belt to work properly. I would appreciate any feedback.

[len marsden]

Re: Spectrum Ball Returns

hi handel,
i've worked with spectrums in 2 of the last 3 centres i've been at and not struck the rail problem you've encountered. is the frame assy. that holds the rails in position half way up still at the correct angle or have the securing bolts come loose.
with the tyre,is it an amf replacement or from an outside supplier? we replace our original "solid" tyres with a 4.00/8 wheelbarrow tyre and inner tube. the only trouble we have is that some rubber is "soft" and sticks to the inside of the 4" belt. this tyre size gives us the normal adjustment range. we had a larger tensioner roller on some units and are slowly fitting them to all units. we get these made from a hard plastic. also i will only use amf 4" belts,we have had some made locally and they hate oil.
the 2 centres i worked at with spectrums opened within months of each other 15 years ago and all the units are still working fine.
i still reckon they are the smartest "amf" return made, and they work well.
regards,
len.

[Guest]

Re: Spectrum Ball Returns

Thanks for your reply. The tire I'm refering to is a one piece (tire, hub and shaft) assembly with the part #234-001-372.
This is the first time I've had to access the upsweep bracket weldment or (tray) to make an adjustment on the leather strap tension. Although the manual doesn't say squat it seems that the spring loaded leather strap is to act as a brake for the ball coming from the underground to make the transfer to the spectrum lift unit. AMF wasn't smart enough to have a block on both sides of this tray of course so each unit needs modification.
I decided to move the wood roller to the back of the tray(away from the foul line) so the ball would have more speed as it enters the middle of the lift unit. Fortunitly I found the springs that I needed to accomodate the change. I do not have a part# for additional springs if this is a good adjustment. Does anyone else? Is this a positive adjustment with the wood roller? Is this the change I want for better lift in the front.
How high do you wnat your lift to rise off of the frame, I would think the medium would be without the weight of the unit on the ball.
And finally the Ball Return Slope Guage, how do you use this tool? Thanks for your imput.

[Guest]

Re: Spectrum Ball Returns

There seems to be a few different tyre variaions around. I have ones with machine keys and roll pins locking the tyre to the shaft. I spoke to AMF a few months ago and they said they had problems with the roll pins shearing off and the revision now includes the tyre being welded straight onto the shaft not sure about the tyre size though. I find they are pretty good retuns as long as you keep the belt, rails and strap clean. The lift should be able to pick up a slow ball at the bottom of the return so more speed may not be necessary although it would probably help.
Does your return reject slow balls?
When it lifts does it do so evenly?(i.e. same distance travelled on both the left and right bumpers)
Kelvin

[This message has been edited by Kelvin (edited 06-03-2000).]

[Guest]

Re: Spectrum Ball Returns

Thanks again Kelvin and Len, Kelvin, yes the tyre (?) I'm refering to is the one with the shaft welded and this makes good sense because I've been through many hubs that have worn and caused the key to roll over.
what I have found with this peticular unit is that the upsweep rail weldment (I will refer to this as tray from here on out) wooden roller adjusting hole (opposite the block) has worn badly enough to just about travel into the next hole plus the fact that the shaft is barely salvagable.
So I modify this by adding a block to the other side but over the years I wonder, has the integrity or the curviture of the upsweep rails been compromised and if so would it cause the margin of adjustment to be greatly reduced. Over several years more weight has been on one rail and not the other. I thought that the bolts on the stretched rail would show some stress but they did not in fact they were the smoothest upsweep rail bolts I have ever removed.
Thanks again.

[Guest]

Re: Spectrum Ball Returns

Spectrums, how worm do you let your leather straps get before replacing, never have seen a new one. My mechanic and I have been discussing which side of the ball return lift belt works better. HE had put one on with the courser friction side on the inside and the smooth side contacting the ball. I found the mistake two days later and had him change it. No calls were made on it I was just checking the unit out. So his belief is that this can be as good or better, and that the friction side of the nelt would keep it on track. I have never seen a house where they were installed this way and I made several points to him but I'd like it to come from you guys. Thanks

[Guest]

Re: Spectrum Ball Returns

As far as straps go I also have never replaced one. I do clean them daily with a wire brush and every so often I reverse them. There is normally a smooth patch which appears about a foot from the bottom where the ball will normally spin. Do you use any cleaning solutions on your straps?
As far as belts go I have lots of them Vantage and AMF ; Black Red, Green & Orange. I personally prefer Vantage black but I 've only just installed the AMF Red ones. These also get cleaned daily with lane stripper and a scouring pad then dried of thourghly with a towel. Never seen or heard of a belt going on backwards. If a belt is getting towards the end of its life and you want to liven it up - Hold a very course scourer (Brillo) against a dry belt this will roughen up the surface but kill the belt quickly. The only other thing I can think of is the uprail covers which can crack at the bottom I clean these daily also.
I probably go overboard but I have generation II bumpers mounted onto the cappings makes sorting undergrounds a real pain.
I have only worked on them for a year I had Sure-Piks before any more tips advice would be most welcome

We will probably be upgrading our returns sonn to the now standard S type what are the advantages/disadvantages. They all appear to be very much the same but are there any that perform better? What if any problems should you expect to see?

Kelvin


[This message has been edited by Kelvin (edited 06-06-2000).]

[KL Kevin]

Re: Spectrum Ball Returns

Kelvin:

As far as the "s" track returns go, they are almost trouble-free. I have the plain old brunswick ones, with urethane covers on the tracks, the brunswick orange urethane tires on the bottom, and the brunswick "go-cart" tires on top. Undergrounds are unheard of, nothing to adjust, you replace the top tires every so often (when one splits) and the track covers every so often. In a Brunswick house, the front lifts are almost forgotten, cause if the ball makes it to the front, it's on the rack, period. Ball weight doesn't matter, and doesn't factor into adjustments (there really aren't any)

I'd be careful of the "new" AMF front lifts, because of their height (to accomodate the lower ball rack) they use non-standard size tires and tracks, which will likely cost more and be only available from AMF.

Kevin

[len marsden]

Re: Spectrum Ball Returns

hi guys ,
regarding the spring number for handel i have 070 006 447 in my manual. also the setting for the unit height is 5 1/2 inches measured from the belt face to the rail cover at the top of the rails. of course this is a theoretical starting point.
the installation drawings state that a light ball should be able to roll into the tyre area before contacting the strap.
as far as shimming goes, shims are placed between the frame and approach at the trap door end to allow the ball to roll slowly away from the exit. also check the crosswise level, we had a bowler tell us the other night that all the balls rolled to the left hand side of the return.
with regard to cleaning, we wash our belts once a week thru the exit opening and i do the rails and straps every 3 - 4 months.
when i first came to this centre 4 years ago we were washing the belts every day but after i replaced some covers and "smooth" belts we have virtually eliminated return calls. if we do get a call now it is usually mechanical or one of our tubed tyres is deflating. we carry a spare lift unit so it only takes a couple of minutes to change.
we have also replaced all our motor mounting bracket (the one that attaches to the main frame) with a more solid/less flexible one which also allows for quicker motor changing.
i wish i had a digi camera to show you.
i'll try and get our owner to bring his in some time.
regards,
len.

[Guest]

Re: Spectrum Ball Returns

Thanks len for your imput. You said that your starting point is five and a half inches do you ever go much lower or below 5,5 at all? Are your rail covers thicker than the amf ones? Thanks