Rakes drop slowly

[nighthawk]

At least 5 lanes have slow dropping rakes i mean, they drop okay but seems to be held up from dropping fast enough.When the machine starts to cycle then it goes all they way down,first or second ball.Adjusted cushion linkages so as they do not interfere with holding the rake dropping back.
Could it be the rake shocks,they seem to be an old style,flat on the shock top and not like the ones you see in the book.Jap A-2 units.We get too many calls for deadwood due to the rakes dropping tooo slowly and i hate stupid calls!Cushion linkages are LOOSE but not too much so it has slop in them(i checked them and adjusted for more slop,did'nt help to get the rakes to drop faster).
One lane i see the rake drops and stays about 4"above the lane surface when the ball triggers the cushion,then when machine triggers it drops all they way down where it should be in the first place.I am used to rakes that drop fully and smoothly,not ones that seems to be held up by something.Shotguns are good with proper gaps etc.
Just bad,old,tired shocks or cushion shocks?Just trying to get things in order around here.


Get rid of stupid stops/calls and life can be a bit easier.

[mainframe]

Re: Rakes drop slowly

Nighthawk,

I believe that you have bad rake shocks. I replaced several for the same exact problem and after removal tested the shocks and there was bind in each. Once the fluid leaks out they tend to go bad rather fast.

[jkacala]

Re: Rakes drop slowly

rake shocks yeah.m yeah...
you may find that the seals are so bad that when you have them out of the machine they may raise up just a touch ...
jeff

[planet_rob]

Re: Rakes drop slowly

The shock I replace when this happends is the shock on the top of the machine on the '10' side. Most times it let the rake drop way too fast. At times, when it goes bad, it wont let the rake drop very fast at all. In either case...I replace the top shock and all is usually well.


...rob

[Steve Stafford (JBEES)]

Re: Rakes drop slowly

Slow dropping rakes...what a nightmare. Could be in quite a few different places. The one I check first is the rake shock as the other guys mentioned. I remove the lower shock bolt and push the shock up and see how much resistance there is. If your not sure of how it should feel, push on a new one and compare to that.
Next is the pit cushion linkage. By loosening up the linkage, you can cause the follower links to twist and bind against the mounting bracket and/or the large washers on the end of them. Keep them tight...rebuild them if you have too. Most of what goes bad in pit cushion linkages are the bearing and bushing setup. Not expensive to replace...of course, everybody always wants them to look good after they are done, so they change a bunch of other parts along with them. That sometimes runs into a few bucks...I'm guilty of that myself...lol
The last place to look is the rake trip latch assy. The shaft moves into a bronze bearing and while it is doing that, it is compressing two springs. These springs can break(usually the inner one) and allow the assy. to compress only so far. The bronze bearing in the housing may also be causing you to see the same problem. Be sure it is lubricated and not binding. With the assy. in a relaxed position...90 degrees...try lifting the middle of the assy. If it moves up and down more than 1/4 of an inch...change the bronze bearing. You will find it a very fun bearing to change...NOT...but you should be able to fabricate a bearing puller. Be careful not to break the housing assy. See if any of these ideas help you...

[Grease_Monkey]

Re: Rakes drop slowly

Have this problem child too...

Had one lane (Lane #9) that had this problem... changed the rake shock with no success.

Further to this I noticed was that if you trigger the machine with the Reset Switch rake falls normally (shotgun closed).

But triggered with the trigger link/shotgun combination the rake falls slow.

My assumption after finding this was that shotgun was the problem. Am I thinking along the right lines???

Checked rake trip cylinder (shotgun) as rake lowered and could feel some minor binding

Just before going on holidays I found Lane #7 (also with this problem) had what seemed to be a weak pit cushion shock, follower links seemed to be much closer to the lower elevator guard as rake lowers and on a different angle

[masternut]

Re: Rakes drop slowly

Steve as well as the others have hit some key things to check. I have always switched rake shocks with another lane,see if it moves. All so the cushion pivots and the weight of the cushion (tacking boards,etc.) has alot to play it the mix.
Check mushroomed triangle bushing spacers. I ran my stoguns adjustment as long as possible
(1/4" at C)to make the springs less likely to "coil-up" together,as the rake was falling.

In the past 9 years we have removed all our outside compression springs and have had no problems.

But by all means keep tour shotgun in great mechanical condition and well lubed.

Hope this Helps,
Peanut