Harness install help J-bar high hook - APCO SLT

[steelmesh]

APCO has some pretty limited instructional materials for their SLT harness...

 

Do pop rivets secure the harness grommet to the J-bar? See image with green arrow.

 

How else does it look? See other images

 

 

[adamjedgar]

I put screws into mine to fasten them to the bars using the holes that you have indicated by your arrows in images.

might pay also to hang test because i found that if the height and legnth of the jbars is too great, it causes the front part of the harness to lift up under your legs making the angle between legs and spine less than comfortable. I find it cuts off circulation to my legs after a relatively short period of time on my apco harness. 

Also, on mine there are two carribiner connection options. I have tried on the lower ones, but it leans me back to far with my jbars. i notice your jbars look even longer than mine. I wonder if Shorter ones (jbars) would allow me to use lower connections and would be better for ground handling as currently the risers are right up next to my ears...its awkward to say the least! 

 

EDIT...oh by the way, is this the high hook in point or the low one? (IT LOOKS LIKE THE HIGH HOOK IN POINT)

 

IF HIGH HOOK IN POINT

 

Before you fly wing (if you dont already know this)...its critical you lengthen the brake lines by at least 100mm (from factory settings) BEFORE you attempt to fly. Failure to do this will likely result in you stalling your wing shortly after takeoff and crashing (or torque steering into ground which is just as bad)!!!

 

After changing brake line length, you will then have to test and keep readjusting this length until you get it right on your wing with this high hang point ppg unit.

 

You might think landing wil be a problem with such long brake line lengths, however, its fine. You have to think about it logically...on a low hang point unit, the carribiners are about chest height, on high hang point units, carribiners are at or even above your ears...quite a bit higher. The higher the carribiners, the higher your hands must go up to not pull on any brake on wing trailing edge...so you must lengthen brakes on high hang poiint units. Its even worse when you use speed trimmers as these raise the rears up even higher (a further 100-240mm depending on wing) which can actually put the brake toggles completely out of reach if you let them go whilst trimmers are fully released!

 

The factory defaults on  wings i have flown usually have marks on the brakes lines where handle knot should be for standard low hang point set up. Just add 100-150mm (start with just 100mm) from that mark and you should be safe. The way to test if length is ok;

hop into your paramotor unit without the engine running when there is a 5-6knot breeze blowing. Launch and kite your wing and have someone look at the trailing edge for you to see if, when your hands are about shoulder height...there should be no brake engaged on the rear of the wing. You dont want to come down below about shoulder height as too much slack in brake lines will then greatly reduce the amount of flare authority available for landing and brake control in the air. The aim is to adjust the knots lengthening the brake line so that the brake handles are at about the same height as they would be for a low hang point unit.

 

Not sure what wing you fly, however, you might find on Ozone wings, this may leave almost zero tail left in the rope/line after the knot fastening it to your brake handle! (Dudek wings have quite a decent excess so i have found no problem with them)

Edited August 25, 2019 by adamjedgar

[steelmesh]

Thanks for the explanation and warning about the brake line length.  It is a high hang point harness and my glider is a Dudek Universal 1.1.