My home-made TRG for older bows (like my 08 Firecat and possibly others)

[Destroyer]

Well done Rockyhud!!! Love to see this sort of thing.

I don't think it will cause problems with the string hitting it, if its in the same position as the original there shouldn't be a problem. With finger release there might be, not with a release aid. You might be able to make some $$ selling them if it works out.

[alex]

Looks very good! I may try it if i have the mood for something new

[MartinTracer]

Rockyhud can you give ot the final angle of the rod?

[cyclepath]

Just curious Rocky, after looking at the tilttamer again I noticed that it just comes straight off the cable slide at an angle without bending the stock rod. What was the reason for putting the bends in yours?

[bfisher]

Just curious Rocky, after looking at the tilttamer again I noticed that it just comes straight off the cable slide at an angle without bending the stock rod. What was the reason for putting the bends in yours?

The TiltTamer has a straight rod that a machined bracket is secured to. From that bracket a second, shorter piece of rod clamp at an angle toward the string onto which the cable slide rides.

By bending the rod what Rocky has done is made a one-piece unit, elminating the need for a 3 piece contraption. Sort of a custom fit if you will.

The only advantage to the TiltTamer is that having those three pieces it can be adjusted to fit nearly any bow whereas Rocky's is a custom fit. I can see an advantage to this as there are less parts to possibly rattle loose or shift. And it's got to be a whole lot cheaper than $70, right Rock?

[SonnyThomas]

The TiltTamer And it's got to be a whole lot cheaper than $70, right Rock?

I saw the price on the TiltTamer and said; "ain't no way."

[MLN1963]

I might have to "upgrade" my Firecat 400's OEM TRG system to Rocky's version.

I bet there would be a lot of cable twisting involved to get the A2A right.

[MLN1963]

Darton uses a curved cable rod and that is what I thought about trying to duplicate when I was looking at getting a non-TRG equipped bow. Now Rocky gave me an idea for my kids bow whenever I get him one. Thanks Rocky!

[Rockyhud]

Good explanation of what the Tilt Tamer is, how it's constructed and why, Barry. The Tilt Tamer is designed to accommodate lots of different bows and allow for clearance for vanes and such to be set specific for the bow it's installed on. Mine is likely to be unique and usable only on my bow or one VERY similar with regard to the length and bends and where they occur. For someone who wants a device of this type and either isn't mechanically inclined or doesn't want to spend time fabricating one I think the TT has merit and appears to be well thought out and made. The rod material is definitely a lot less money than buying the TT kit - you just have to spend some time making it into what you need it to be.

MLN1963, I must be missing something regarding your comment about cable twisting to get A2A right because of using this type device. It didn't change at all and shouldn't have. The cables are pulled to the right almost in the same location at brace with my TRG as they would be with a straight cable guard rod.

MartinTracer, I can get the angle for you and everyone else easily. I'll post it as soon as I can (next day or so). That might help others who don't have a Martin TRG to model it from if you're trying to fab one up.

If anyone has any questions about this I'll be happy to provide as much as I can if you're thinking about making one yourself. What I can advise is to use the photos I posted as they should provide some decent visual clues about how it was made. As I recall I started with a 12" long section of rod material (cut from a longer rod bought at Lowe's). I used a bench vise to hold the section of rod that goes into the riser and used a propane torch to apply just enough heat (don't get it even close to glowing hot) to help make the bends in the rod. I started the bends far enough from the tail end (end nearest string) so I wouldn't cause any curved interference with the slide and so the slide would come to rest at brace near the same location as with the straight guard rod. Once I had the shape/angles I wanted I used a small metal file to touch up some of the nicks in the bend areas that were caused by my pliers and vise jaws. I also filed the ends of the rod to make it easier to insert into the riser and to make sure there were no burrs for the slide to hang up on as it travels back and forth during the draw cycle.

If a person has a pipe or tubing bender with very small mandrels they might be able to make the bends in the rod easier and without causing the surface nicks mine incurred - the sharp edges of the vise jaws and teeth in the pliers caused them in mine. The main area I wanted to ensure was not marred and was smooth as possible was where the slide moves and I was able to accomplish this.

As I said earlier I still have some tweaking to do. I saved a copy of the Tilt Tamer install guide to my computer and will use it to reference setting mine up. One things I noticed right off the bat was the difference in natural torque applied to the riser (as in reduction of torque) with this device. My No-Peep showed this and my initial shots at 20 yards were impacting about 6-8" to the right. I adjusted the sight aperture to the right quite a bit and adjusted my No-Peep so it now aligns like it used to. I think I need to adjust my rest slightly to the right too as I noticed a little tail left wriggle as arrows left the bow (they didn't have nearly as much noticeable before). I also have a slight cable contact with my Limb Saver string decelerator module at full draw which I didn't have with the Martin TRG. This is apparently common when using the TT as well as the kit comes with a replacement STS rubber dampener that has a side cut out for clearance. I'm going to put my original STS rubber dampener on and cut it to see how much material I would need to remove from the Limb Saver modules so I can make a clean looking modification to it that won't impair its performance or reliability.

Like I said above, the TT kit would be easier but costlier where as my method costs far less but takes a lot more time and effort to accomplish the same.

[MLN1963]

MLN1963, I must be missing something regarding your comment about cable twisting to get A2A right because of using this type device. It didn't change at all and shouldn't have. The cables are pulled to the right almost in the same location at brace with my TRG as they would be with a straight cable guard rod.

In your instance this is true. In my example I believe there would be a difference. On my OEM TRG the down cable is actully well right of center of the cable guard (take a look at your third picture for reference). With your set up placed on my bow I think cable twisting would be required to get the bow back in specs. Will I do something like this? Probably not unless I keep fraying the down cable. When my bow gets back it should have new cables so I will know if the TRG is causing fraying again.