Last year I put a new string and buss cable on my bow. Since the new string and cable my bow hasnt' felt the same. I don't trust any of the shops around here, so what I'm asking for is advice on checking the timing. I don't know if it was just the Zebra string stretched so much in 3 years that I was used to, or if the cam isn't in the right rotation. Either way, I need to know how to check it. I had a few strands break on the cable and noticed some really heavy wear on my string and as much as I didn't want to I replaced the strings two weeks before season! I put about 250-300 shots through it in those two weeks and retuned, but it was tough to tune. Didn't seem to want to 'come around' as it always had....maybe it just needs to stretch more(zero stretch string....yeah, uh huh[:'(]).
The Specs:
Mathews FX
Max Cam
29" @ 70#
New String and Cable in Sept. 2003
Generally, verifying and installing the exact spec string/cable combo will put a cam in time, assuming proper tiller, etc... If this is what you did and it felt different immediately, I'd say what you suspect to be the cause is correct, especially given the Zebra's reputation for stretching.
However, if I noticed busted strands on my cable or string, I would replace them right away. You mentioned you are having problems re-tuning, which would be indicative of cable/string failure due to less than required strands to do the job, possibly leading to a sudden total failure.
If you don't feel qualified to do it yourself, I'd head to the shop who you trust the most asap if I were you...
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Genesis 27:3
"œNow then, get your weapons "” your quiver and bow "” and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me."
After re-reading my post I reallized that I wasn't very clear in when I had the tuning problems. I had a terrible time tuning and then noticed my cable had a couple or three strands broken.....that's when I put on a new cable and string. After I had the new set I didn't really have a porblem tuning, but it just didn't tune as easily as previously with the old string(before the strands breaking) I attributed that to the Zebra stretching. I know Zebra has a downright horrible reputation and I didn't want to replace with Zebra, but time was short and that's what was readily available. I think after I put another couple of hundred shots through it it will probably come around and be prety stable as it has in the past. I'm not terribly worried about the stretch as I've learned to deal with it, but next time it'll be Winner's Choice or a custom job from a local guy that has and excellent reputation....I've used his strings before, but he's very busy with a regular job and I can't justify the money to buy a string making jig and make my own for one string a year or less.
I don't know if the 'book' that Mathews supplies with the bow tells you how to adjust the timing as I can't find it( I think I lost it in the move when we bought our house). Regardless, it's something that I should know. Being a techy and like to play around I'm not afraid to try things out and experiment, but I just don't know what to even use as a starting point. If there was shop anywhere near hear that had a decent pro staff I would, but I called 3 local shops and all told me that you don't have to worry about timing with a single cam and I know differently, so I'll do it myself....I'm not incompetant and take great pride in my work up until this point when I don't know what to look at/for. Sooner or later I'll have my own pro shop. With all the stuff I seem to buy every year I don't think it'll be all that far in the future....well, being and optomist, I still have a plethora of information to learn before that ever happens, but with the horrid shops around here I see it happening eventually.
How about checking out side view shots of an FX on Mathews site or somewhere? Chances are, they're in tune, and you should be able to compare the cam rotation to what yours looks like. I imagine you can download a new manual from Mathews site as well...
May be a place to start, or perhaps ask this same question on archerytalk.com as that place seems to be crawling with Mathews shooters... Not that there's anything wrong with that
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Genesis 27:3
"œNow then, get your weapons "” your quiver and bow "” and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me."
Jason, If it is a original max cam you will need to put your string on the number 1 posts. Then run a peice of dental floss over the axles. You want your string to run parallel with the dental floss. To acheive this you will need to either twist or unstwist your cable. Keep in mind the number one post is the longest draw length for that cam so measure the draw length and adjust by twisting ( shortens ) or untwisting ( lengthens ) string. Having the string parallel to the floss will have the cam in its optimum rotation. Once this is acheived you can put your string back to the post you usally use if you dont use the number 1 posts, Hope this helps
Thanks guys! I'm going to download a new manual....it's from 2002, but nothing changed on that bow that I know of since it's inception in '99 or 00'. I've never been to archerytalk.com, but I'll check it out just for the fun of it!
Dennis, thanks, that was exactly waht I was looking for!
Most likely the cable has stretched and needs to be twisted up to put the cam in the proper position. After that check the ATA and the brace height to be sure that's all that needs to be done.
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Me I'm just a hunter and I give em a smile.
Mathews MaxCam?
