Pinlocks

Pretty much every rig design out there has some issues that at certain pull directions the pull force increases. This ranges from a little additional force that has to be applied to pop the pin, up to that the pin gets stuck completely until pull direction is changed again, from really uncommon pull directions that make this happen, to just being head high on deployment, and also from unlikely to happen, to easily reproducible. The reasons for this vary a lot depending on rig design, this can go from a pin being prevented from turning, pin protector flap material bunching up, the eye of the pin getting snagged, to the joint on the bridle where the pin is sewn on getting in the way, and so on.

With most rigs it is as easy as opening the pin protector flap to eliminate this issue. But more important, knowing the weaknesses of your rigs design. Which pin orientation is problematic, what pull angles can cause hesitations, etc.

All rigs in the video were packed with rather low pin tension, pin orientation and bridle routing as shown in the manufacturers manual. Some literally lock, some just require higher force to open, some are more likely to happen, some less. All of them severe enough to be able to lift the rig on the bridle and enough to at least cause a delay/hesitation in a slider down environment.

https://vimeo.com/76213539
Music: Cant Skate Here by The Boardlords / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

I do not at all intend to criticize any manufacturer! All of the rigs in that video work just fine if operated properly. Although they ended up in one single video, they do not have the same issue, different designs have different problems, which may also differ in severity and likeliness to happen.

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3 Responses to Pinlocks

  1. Keith says:

    I love your videos. Incredibly relevant and useful every time. Is there any breakdown you have of the different type of containers (with direction of pull force and pin orientations that cause pinlock)? I’d love to read that! Thanks for the blog

  2. bryanrapoza says:

    Not one perigee pro in the mix. Great video.

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