# Twisted Compound bow limbs???



## CuttinNrunnin (Aug 6, 2009)

Hey all, I need some education on this subject. 

A person I sold my Mathews Outback to in Texas (over the internet) claims the limbs on the bow are bad. Oddly enough I had Schuler's replace the limbs RIGHT before I shipped it to him, but that's somewhat besides the point. I spoke with the Mathew's dealer he took it to in Texas and he said the limbs were twisted. I'm having trouble understanding this because it seems to me a compound bow limb would either flex ( even if there was some force pulling the limb slightly to the left or right ) and go back to its original mold/form, or it would crack (unlike most recurve limbs). I didn't think compound bow limbs had memory. Am I missing something? If so, what could cause a limb to warp or twist?

Thanks, 
Nick


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## dux-n-dawgs (Aug 6, 2009)

Yes, limbs can warp/twist.  In the 80's I had a PSE that went through about a set/yr it seemed for 3 years.  If it wasn't such a great shooting bow I would have probably changed.

It generally can be seen best (at least by me) to look at the cam/wheel axle from the back of the bow ... you'll notice one side a little lower than the other.

I don't know what causes it ... I've jsut always chaulked it up to defect since the companies are always ready to replace them when the dealer tells them no wrong doings.


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## rjcruiser (Aug 6, 2009)

Wonder if something happened in shipment...ie the package got really hot.

Did he get insurance on the package?


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## bladerunner55 (Aug 6, 2009)

yah maybe heat warped it a little.thats all i can think of on a brand new pair of limbs unless it is a flaw in the limbs


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## CuttinNrunnin (Aug 6, 2009)

do you think its possible that the warp the person is seeing in the limbs might be caused by the string (that's attached to the sides of the top wheel) being over twisted on one side? this would angle the wheel and pull on one side of the limb more than the other, temperarily ( i mean not permanently damaging or warping the limb) causing a warped look?


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## bnew17 (Aug 6, 2009)

had one of my limbs on my Dren twist. The guys at chucks noticed it when they were installing my string, and Mathews replaced both limbs for free. As long as its the original owner, any defects will be replaced for free is what they told me at Chucks.


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## bobframe (Aug 7, 2009)

The good folks at Shulers explained this:  On a single cam bow (which the Outback is) the wheel is secured by two "twisted loops" which are found at the end of the bow string.  If one of the loops has more twist than the other (entirely possible since they are hand twisted in the shop prior to being installed) then it will pull more on one side of the wheel than the other, causing the wheel to "list" to that side.  The cure for this is to press the bow and relieve the string tension, remove the loop from the wheel's axle, twist or untwist as needed, reattach the loop to the axle, and unpress the bow. 

Time: 2 minutes 
Difficulty: Nearly Zero
New Parts Needed: None

Results: Priceless.

I've never done this- but it seems pretty straightforward to me.


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## watermedic (Aug 7, 2009)

bobframe,

what you have described is idler wheel lean. The main cause for this is the cable guard/slide. The tension put on the cables to move them out of the way for arrow and vane clearance puts torque on the opposite side of the limbs.

The bottom limb is a little harder to fix since it requires shimming the cam in or out to correct the cam lean.

A reputable dealer should know the difference between cam or idler lean and a twisted limb.

Just my .02

Chuck


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