Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Setup the blind this morning before day, at daybreak had birds gobbling in two directions. Did my usual practice draw with a 7 month old 04 Mighty Mite to make sure everything was ready and hear what sounded like a popsicle stick breaking. I let down and checked the limbs the lower had splintered on the edge of the face about 1/8in. wide 3in. long. Needlesss to say I was not happy,hunt and probably rest of season over with that bow. Upon closer inspection in good light I found the top limb has a 4in. hairline split starting just above bolt. Called dealer after lunch he ordered new limbs,took bow to shop after work. Told him to call Bowtech and tell them to put a rush on it,it's embarising after bragging about Bowtech that I now have to break out a 5 yr old Matthews Q2 backup to finish my season. Told dealer if they would take it back I'd pay the diff for a Defender,he said it would be a waste if time to even try. Credit to him though,he offered to change modules on his personal 04 MM(with replaced limbs) or Defender(DL too long) until mine is fixed. I now think it's not a matter of if 04 BT limbs will break,but when will they break.
Just a little pissed blowing off steam in NC,hoping they send them quick. I still like my MM,but not when it's broken.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

NC hunter:
I think that's a bit of a stretch. There are high number of BowTech shooters posting here. Think of the number that have no limb problems. I fall into that category after shooting BowTechs since their second year. Too bad the timing was so poor.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Been there twice... I don't brag about mine to anyone.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

It'll still work....mine did the other day!! :D Sorry for your loss!

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

I haven't had any problems with mine and I've got a lot of them:D

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

That's some funny stuff there, not funny that it happened-NOT AT ALL, funny that we are having to break out our old MATHEWS to hold us over while our 04 bowtechs are getting repaired.

I was one of them, had to use my 1996 Z-light on 3 different hunts this year do to 1st - creaky limb pockets and then 2nd- cracked limbs (2 hunts worth).

My Z-light has had to replace it's limbs also, so no make is flawless. I'm just happy, that when in need the oldy but goodies are there for us.

Back-up bows are a must, no matter what brand, or how much you paid for it.

I like my Patriot a lot, and had it not been for the limb issue would be bragging on it right and left. But since it has i just keep my trap shut.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

pdq,I talking about 04's only and yes I felt until yesterday I had one of the good sets of limbs. I don't know what the problem is but there are too many split and craked limbs for it to be a random thing. May be a bad batch from limb mfg. or some other problem. I do see a change in the limb retainer for 05, I don't claim to know what the problem is but there is a problem. My bow has been treated like a baby no extra light arrows,never left in hot car,70lb bow set at 65. Not bashing BT would buy another but my limbs and many others are broken.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

NC hunter OLE bud...Time to BUY a Darton!!!!!

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Sorry about your limbs, but I think your BowTech is the exception, not the rule. Mine sure works fine:

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Pick up a Martin, i don't think you can go wrong,,looked at all the others then picked up a Martin and decided now thats just exactly what i was looking for in a bow,,Perfect ATA,,Smooth draw and above all. Accurate.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

I had a Liberty and still have my 04 P40 Dually. Both, never a problem. My bro-law has an 04 Mighty Mite. Same thing. There were some limb problems in the past. Do a search here and on other sights. Other companies had their share as well.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Sorry to hear about your limbs failing.

I have never had a single problem with any of my BowTechs. I have owned a few and have put alot of shots through each of them... especially the Allegiance, Patriot and Extreme.

03 Extreme VFT
03 Patriot Dually VFT
04 Patriot SC VFT
04 Mighty Mite VFT
04 Pro 40 Freedom
05 Allegiance VFT

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

I have never owned a Bow Tech but my father and I have had very good luck with Mathews. We both have 02 Legacy's and I had a Feather lite before that and he had a Z max and a vapor before his. None of these bows have had any poblems. I also know a lot of people who have Mathews bows and I can't think of any poblems with any of those bows either. If I didn't have the Legacy I would buy the Switchback, that is a nice bow. Good luck with your Bow Tech.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Mine SPLIT right down the middle........ ooohhhh, never mind...... my bad! ;):D

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Thanks to a great dealer I'm back up now. I really like the MM,just lousy timing to be having a failure. Seems to be shooting even better now,I think the limb strength may have been uneven for a few weeks causing minor tuneing problems???? Back in the game now,next thing is to find a willing gobbler. Thanks guys

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Wow, that was a quick turn-around!
Glad to hear it work out that way for ya.

My Patriot also seems much easier to tune with it's new limbs than it did with it's stock set. i wonder if there is something to that?

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

I have two Bowtechs,know a lot of folk with Bowtechs and quite few more with other bow brands and Ive never heard of limbs cracking from normal use. Without pissing on anyones battery, could dry firing be the problem??

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Never dry fired here unless it was at factory,watched tech open box and set it up,365-400 grain arrows only. Set around 65lb after about the first week 70lb before that.
DaveC, dealer remembered a set of limbs he had hidden for just such a problem as mine,good idea. Mfg's should place a couple sets of spare limbs for their best sellers in all shops and replace dealer stock when dealer justifies using a set under warranty I think he had seen 4-5 broken limbs on 04s,small shop

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Glad to hear you got her going,, now go stomp a turk:D

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

NC hunter, that is a good idea. Glad to hear your shop owner has enough savey to do so.

SA Techie, no dry fires here either-I promise. I was there the day they pulled my bow from the box and it had never left my sight until after the limb issue (when it spent over a month at the dealer waiting on limbs.)
My limbs weren't cracked so to speak, the finish was splintering on the outer surface. Deeper than just paint, but not real deep.

My bows have also never been near the 5gr per pound minimum. Each is shot at 65# with an arrow over 400 grains in weight.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Any limb can break or splinter. Just got my Darton back two weeks ago having the limbs replaced. The top had a 4 inch splinter.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

As much as I would LOVE to be able to bash BowTech over this. It happens to the best of them. My Black Eagle with Pro Eagle limbs has cracks in the power limbs, I believe. I will have to get with a few people, but I believe I got cracks. Althought BowTech as had alot of recent crackings, but this site is almost 80% BowTech shooters, your gonna hear about alot of things happening.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Why is that exactly?:eek:

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Just sarcasm. I realize they are superb bows, and they are faster, yadda yadda yadda. Don't take offense, just sarcasm.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Ya,, why bash BowTech?? They work hard to make changes and improvements to their line up every year, strive for great customer service and relations with their dealers, offer a lifetime warranty, make speedy bows that are easy to tune and shoot and want YOUR business;) Why bash,, did they do something to you??

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

To quote a good friend of mine, "If the Indians had Bowtechs, we'd all be speaking Apache now!!"

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

I had a Mathews Q2 blow a lower limb last year. Fact of the matter is, with the number of bows these guys are selling, you should be more impressed with how few of them really break! Also consider this. When is the last time you heard of a bow company having a recall on limbs? Can you say the same thing about your Ford, Chevy, Dodge, or Toyota trucks? Plus, your paying 30, 40, and even up to 50 grand for them! he he he....

Now, when a bow company does have a failure they had better take care of they're customer. If not, then be pissed and rant and rave. IMHO, no questions asked, replace the product. Mathews did for me without a problem.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

LMAO! You guys are worse than me about my Oneidas. Like I said, just sarcasm. They are just the big bow company, and I know that 80% of the archers here shoot BowTech. I just like getting under you wheely bow guys' skin.

*note* Thank GOD, my limbs arent cracking. Just the airbrushing.

Oh...and you wanna talk about customer service? Can you ring up your BowTech and ask for the OWNER of the company, to speak with him? I HIGHLY doubt it. You can with CP Oneida. Dont believe me? Try it out. Call them up and ask for Claude Pollington, if he's there you will get to speak with him.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Dairy, you used to be able to do that at Diamond archery also. I called twice during hunting season and got the owner- he said all his workers were out hunting:D!!
Not anymore[&o].

BTW, I'm not bashing Bowtech on their limbs as i feel all makers will have limb issues from time to time. But to think that there wasn't a 2004 limb issue??? Come on, there are just too many 2004 models with replaced limbs.
And I also at one point was one of they guys saying "it hasn't happened to me, and this is my 3rd bowtech". Well it did, they were replaced, all is good-now.

If you have a 2004 model with original limbs, check you limbs each time you shoot. Heck if you have any bow from any brand check them each time you shoot, just check you 04 BT's a little closer;).

Not bashing, just calling it the way I see it.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

It's funny you see these post of people posting because they are upset with there bow failing, [:@] and rightfully so I would be upset too, But you know what it happens everyday to ALL bow manufacturers.

It just seem sod on how when something fails that it goes from the greatest thing ever to ..the biggest hunk of junk. You know what, things break. I have seen busted limbs just about an average of one to two bows a week!! We see work on litterally hundreds of bows a month in the shop, this is nothing isolated.. There are thousaonds upon thousands of bows out there in all makes and models. It happens, IT SUCKS, but it happens. It happens to MATHEWS, HOYT, DARTON, JENNINGS, MERLIN, BOWTECH, ETC. and to be honest it is not one manufacturer more than the other. Think about this, most of the limbs are Glass or laminate, and most of the time made from the same manufacturer just on a different bow company. It just puzzles me on how this industry is. The archery community can be a TOUGH crowd. Instead of doing this ford v. chevy battle we should worry more about keeping our sport positive amongst ourselves so those on the outsides do not have any opportunity to tear it apart, geez it is hard enough as it is with all the anti's then there we go psoting all kind of negatives about this manufacturer, that manufacturer.............anyway I am done rambling. I hope that everythng gets fixed in a timely manner and you are on your way to swat big OLE gobbler w/ your mathews or your bowtech....enjoy. JMHO

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

You want to talk about $hit breaking,,, just work with farm equipment for 31 years, and dump trucks and heavy earth moving equipment for 10 years!!! You'll see stuff break that you can't imagine just how it CAN break!!!! An it will cost YOU to fix it,,, BIG MONEY!!!!! Just be glad,, very glad that our bows have a warranty that will replace the limbs,,, little pieces of fiberglass that are the life blood of our bows and won't cost you thousands$$$ just for one part and weeks to fix it with a BIG labor bill!!!;)

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

I can and do. I call the President, VP, General manager, Sales Manager, Marketing Director, R&D, Diamond Sales Manager, Water Dog Manager, String Dept. Manager, Production Manager and any of the 6 Sales Reps. at work, on their cell phones, or at their homes. ;):D

With so few bow orders to fill what else does he have to do than answer the phone? ;):D


j/k of course... I was just giving you back some of your own sarcasm...[8D];):D

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

I have to admit that threads like these have me checking my Patriot with a MUCH closer eye then ever before. A little limb paranoia I guess. Sure does seem like too many to be considered a coincidence to me.


BTW........I have seen a lot of people say that "All bow companies have limbs that crack".......or......."All limbs are made from the same manufacturer"

While I am sure that is true.........not all bow companies do the same things with those limbs once they get them.........all bows are different and stress their individual limbs differently as well.

It is not unreasonable to start to wonder when you see a rash of cracked limbs coming from a company that is constantly pushing the envelope of speed that those two things may be directly related.

Maybe Bowtech's 2004 designs just put too much pressure on the limbs........or maybe it was an assembly issue.........or maybe the more bows you sell the more stuff like this you see.

No matter what the answer is........it sucks for those that have to go through it.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

I think some of the limb problems in the past were attributed to incorrect pressing or pressing the bow with an outdated press. The limbs are very short and highly stressed and coupled with a press with big rollers that put pressure too close to each other,, something could happen with less that experienced shop personel.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

You're right Russ. Some of the presses I've seen in my travels don't even qualify to be called a bow press for some of today's designs and some of the ways I've seen bows pressed sometimes fall short of being technical expertise.

The best presses I've seen to date are your two presses, the Sure Loc X-Press and the Apple Super Pro press with the Hydrualic jack, even though the first three mentioned are definately easiest on the risers and especially the limbs.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Did a search on cracked limb. Only bowtech came up in the results. I believe it was 5 problems. This doesn't include multiple problems with the same bow. Something has to be wrong for there to be so many failures.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

ewolf,

You must have missed the posts last year about Mathews having problems with the Outbacks (cam leaning and rubbing on the inside fork of the limbs) along with the problems of different parts put on bows that they shouldn't have been. You must have missed the problems with bent risers on Hoyts that have been improperly pressed, how about the High Country bow blowing up at the ATA show, ect.... How bout my sisters boy-friends and his friends new Mathews Switchback's, cam burrs, cam lean, broken string, serving seperation, and Larry just had to have his bottom cam replaced as it was "warped"!


Yes, it sucks when a limb cracks, I have been there! The fact is that there are alot of problems with alot of bows, but alot of guys don't discuss the lower end bows! If you hear about a problem with a bow, it is always Hoyt, Mathews, or BowTech! I am not sure why this is, possibly because those three bows are are the most "popular" on this board! Also, alot of guys probablly just don't discuss their problems from that back-lash that it causes! I was hesistant to discuss the cracked limb I had, but it was taken care of perfectly by BowTech and everyone was friendly on here!

Sometimes we get too caught up in our bows. They are JUST bows. It seems that too many people are just itching for ways to put down other bow brands for any little issue. Shoot what you want as you are the only one that is shooting it and as long as you are happy with it, it doesn't matter what some guy half-way across the country thinks.

Yes, I had a cracked limb on a BowTech but I will continue to shoot BowTech as there bows fit me. They feel better to ME than any other bows on the market. They have shown me what customer service is all about (getting my limbs taken care of as well as recieving a call to my house from our very own Pat Dinan (BowTech_Shooter) about a string that my former pro-shop owner screwed up).

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

aaaahhhh, nevermind.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Buck, I did the search and those were the results. As for the thing about Hoyts blowing up when pressed wrong..duh. Sorry if anyone has blown one up on here (I doubt it) but come on, if you don't know what you are doing don't do it. From what I have heard, they had 102 risers that cracked, 98 were pressed wrong. The other 4 were from other causes(Such as driving over them with a car) only one of which was a manufacturing problem. There is an obvious problem with bowtech limbs, too many have broke for it to simply be a fluke.

RE: Another Bowtech goes crack
 

Personally I wish this post and all others like it would die.
But Ewolf's search findings got my curiosity up since I could name at least 5 site members with limb issues off hand.
With much free time on my hands at work I pulled a search on the words "bowtech limbs" and here's the list of names/bows with limb issues I gathered by reading through all the hits.
In random order-
1. Josh Keller- Liberty (3 set's, possible limb pocket issue)
2. Kraton- 2 sets, Patriot
3. Gibblet- Patriot
4. Mr. Fritz44- Patriot
5. Oniedaeagle- Mighty Might
6. Kjclark7- Pro-38, 2003 model 2 sets (second shipped flawed)
7. Akasharkey- Pat Dually
8. Buck Magnet- Liberty
9. Scottland- Liberty
10. DaveC- Patriot

There may be more, but that's what I found.
Notice that there are no Justices or extreme VFT's on the list????? Hmmm.....

Now my take- 10 bows with issues isn't too shabby considering the amount of Bowtech shooters on this site. I personally feel it was a certain run of Limbs supplied to bowtech that couldn't take the stress of the VFT design. I have a funny feeling the supplier (Gordon) along with bowtech made the needed changes to accommodate the VFT limb angle/ riser stance and added pressures placed on the limbs in this configuration.
I've got my fingers crossed that those with replaced limbs will no longer have to sweat limb issues as the new limbs are of a "new and improved" design.

I'm not trying to bash Bowtech as I don't think it was actually a Bowtech only issue.
I still love my Patriot and plan on shooting it for many years to come.
Just writing down what I found.

Once again I can't stress enough the importance of a tuned and ready back-up bow. No matter what brand you shoot or how much you paid for it, limbs fail- and usually at the most inopportune time.