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Rope & Rings & Fids
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Overview
I offer several rope sizes and tow rings from TOST and Schweizer.
U.S. Towrope Regulations
FAR Part 91, section 91.309 states:
(3) The towline used has breaking
strength not less than 80 percent of the maximum certificated operating
weight of the glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle and not more than
twice this operating weight. However, the towline used may have a
breaking strength more than twice the maximum certificated operating
weight of the glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle if -
(i) A safety link is installed at the point of attachment of the towline
to the glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle with a breaking strength
not less than 80 percent of the maximum certificated operating weight of
the glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle and not greater than twice
this operating weight;
(ii) A safety link is installed at the point of attachment of the
towline to the towing aircraft with a breaking strength greater, but not
more than 25 percent greater, than that of the safety link at the towed
glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle end of the towline and not
greater than twice the maximum certificated operating weight of the
glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle;
Funny Photo of My Kids Helping Repair a
Spool of Rope
The photo above shows my kids Adam, Elle and Sara and our cat Floyd
helping me fix a 1000 foot spool of rope. The spool arrived with the spool
broken in the middle. I certainly couldn't ship it to a customer that way. I
thought it would be a fun family project to roll the rope off the broken
spool, fix the spool and rewind it back onto the spool. I assumed it would
be a 1/2 hour fun job for the kids and I. I was wrong - it took many hours
of hard work to complete. Since the spool was broken in the middle it was
very difficult to get the rope off the spool and near the end of the unwind
process it became a tangled mess. The photo was taken after we succeeded in
getting the rope un-tangled and started back onto the repaired spool. Sara
was a real sport! 1000 feet of rope is a lot of rope to be coiled around
you. She volunteered for the job and had fun with it for a while, but was
very glad when the job was done. Unrolling the rope off of Sara and back
onto the spool would seem to be an easy job, but a short way into the
process the rope on the floor around her feet became very tangled. At one
point she became tired and fell gently over onto her back on the rug. I
offered her a cookie to go with a rest break. She looked extremely cute
lying on her back, wrapped in rope, eating a cookie and laughing. We all had
a good laugh. At that point I decided that the original plan was not working
so I slipped Sara out from the center of the coil of rope. After many hours
of pulling and untangling rope, we finally got it all back onto the repaired
spool. It was a family adventure that we won't soon forget. In the end
I had the manufacturer replace the spool anyway. I wouldn't want the
same thing to happen to the customer if my duct tape repair didn't hold.
But don't tell my kids I sent it back...
How to Order
To order a product, click on the
button next to the product.
When you are ready to complete your order, click on the
button.
Click on the small images to view larger versions.
|
Part # |
Description |
Photo
Click on image to view larger version |
Price |
Lead-time |
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Towrope |
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Rope-1-4-1000 |
Rope, 1/4", 1000
feet
Hollow Braid Monofilament Polypropylene, Yellow
Tensile Strength: 990 lbs (449 Kg)
Price is for 1000 feet (305 m)
Weight of 1000 foot spool: 9 Lbs (4.1 Kg)
Minimum Glider Weight (200% rule): 495 Lbs (225 Kg)
Maximum Glider Weight (80% rule): 1237.5 Lbs (561 Kg)
Dimensions of shipping box: 9 x 9 x 13
inches (23 x 23 x 33 cm) |
 |
$79 |
In
Stock |
|
|
Rope-5-16-1000 |
Rope, 5/16", 1000
feet
Hollow Braid Monofilament Polypropylene, Yellow
Tensile Strength: 1238 lbs (562 Kg)
Price is for 1000 feet (305 m)
Weight of 1000 foot spool: 13 Lbs (5.9 Kg)
Minimum Glider Weight (200% rule): 619 Lbs (281 Kg)
Maximum Glider Weight (80% rule): 1547.5 Lbs (702 Kg)
Dimensions of shipping box: 11 x 11 x 13
inches (278 x 28 x 33 cm) |
 |
$119 |
In
Stock |
|
|
Rope-3-8-1000 |
Rope, 3/8", 1000
feet
Hollow Braid Monofilament Polypropylene, Yellow
Tensile Strength: 1980 lbs (898 Kg)
Price is for 1000 feet (305 m)
Weight of 1000 foot spool: 21 Lbs (9.5 Kg)
Minimum Glider Weight (200% rule): 990 Lbs (449 Kg)
Maximum Glider Weight (80% rule): 2475 Lbs (1123 Kg)
Dimensions of shipping box: 15 x 15 x 13.5
inches (38 x 38 x 34 cm) |
 |
$129 |
In
Stock |
|
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Tow
Rings |
| Ring-Sch |
Tow Ring - Schweizer
Schweizer tow ring. Made by Schweizer Aircraft Corporation.
Don't use imitations - this is the real thing.
Dimensions
Inner diameter: 1.75 inches (44 mm)
Outer diameter: 2.25 inches (57 mm) |
|
$15 |
In
Stock |
Order Here |
|
TOST-Ring-Double |
TOST Double Tow Ring
Made by TOST in Germany.
Don't use imitations - this is the real thing. |
|
$49 |
In Stock |
Order Here |
|
Rope Splicing Fids |
|
Fid-Metal-1-4in |
Rope Splicing Fid for
1/4 inch Rope, Metal, Marked "5/16 (8 mm)"
Rope splicing fids are used to help run the end of a rope back
through the rope when splicing or attaching tow rings to the end of a
rope.
This fid is marked "5/16 (8 mm)", but the hole seems to work
well with a 1/4 inch rope. A 5/16 inch rope does not fit into the
end of the fid.These metal fids
have much thinner walls than the plastic fids and therefore have a
smaller overall diameter - making them easier to push through a rope.
Dimensions
Length: 6.7 inches (17 cm)
Inner Diameter: 0.20 inches (5.1 mm)
Outer Diameter: 0.281 inches (7.1 mm) |
 |
$9 |
In Stock |
|
|
Fid-Plastic-1-4in |
Rope Splicing Fid for
1/4 inch Rope, Plastic
Rope splicing fids are used to help run the end of a rope back
through the rope when splicing or attaching tow rings to the end of a
rope.
This plastic fid has much thicker side-walls than the metal fids and
therefore have a larger outer diameter - making them less easy to push
through a rope.Dimensions
Length: 4.4 inches (11.3 cm)
Inner Diameter: 0.248 inches (6.3 mm)
Outer Diameter: 0.358 inches (9.1 mm) |
|
$2 |
In Stock |
|
|
Fid-Metal-5-16in |
Rope Splicing Fid for
5/16 inch Rope, Metal, Marked "3/8 (9 mm)"
Rope splicing fids are used to help run the end of a rope back
through the rope when splicing or attaching tow rings to the end of a
rope.
This fid is marked "3/8 (9 mm)", but the hole seems to work
well with a 5/16 inch rope. A 3/8 inch rope does not fit into the
end of the fid.These metal fids
have much thinner walls than the plastic fids and therefore have a
smaller overall diameter - making them easier to push through a rope.
Dimensions
Length: 7.87 inches (20 cm)
Inner Diameter: 0.24 inches (6.1 mm)
Outer Diameter: 0.312 inches (7.9 mm) |
|
$10 |
In Stock |
|
|
Fid-Metal-3-8in |
Rope Splicing Fid for
3/8 inch Rope, Metal, Marked "7/16 (10 mm)"
Rope splicing fids are used to help run the end of a rope back
through the rope when splicing or attaching tow rings to the end of a
rope.
This fid is marked "7/16 (10 mm)", but the hole seems to work
well with a 3/8 inch rope. A 7/16 inch rope does not fit into the
end of the fid.These metal fids
have much thinner walls than the plastic fids and therefore have a
smaller overall diameter - making them easier to push through a rope.
Dimensions
Length: 9.5 inches (24.2 cm)
Inner Diameter: 0.30 inches (7.6 mm)
Outer Diameter: 0.376 inches (9.6 mm) |
|
$12 |
In Stock |
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