[Les K]

I have one mounted on the top position of my riser. For me, it adds just a little weight because mine has three very heavy machined stainless steel adapters on it mounted to a soft rubber cushion.

For me, it serves three purposes. 1. It counterbalences the heavy front and side stabilizers just a little so that they don't rotate forward quite so fast and makes the entire bow feel more comfortable and balanced. 2. Adds a little weight to the entire bow and that can make aiming just a little more stable, within limits. 3. absorbs some vibration after the shot. I've heard some say that reducing vibration can make the limbs last longer by preventing cracks and such? I'm not sure if that's true or not, but it does reduce the "twanginess" after the arrow is released.

Les.

 

[strcpy]

Stabilizers actually do different functions based on where they are.

As mentioned above the top and bottom rods with some form of "cushion" in between reduces limb vibration quite a bit. While I do not have one on mine (the cushion part) some are even tunable as to how soft/hard they are to get the most vibration out for your setup.

Then, of course, as with any stabilizer there is adding weight out into the extremities. The further out the weight is the more it stabilizes. The top and bottom rods place it at the ends of the riser and quite a bit out front. If you think about the forces involved with your grip these can be beneficial, though they are minor.

And, the main reason I have a top rod on my bow, is balance. I have linked somewhere a great article on this but I can't find it at the moment. Basically when you release the arrow the bow moves a certain direction and that depends on where it's center of gravity lies. If it is too low that direction is down, too high and it is up. You can move weight around your bow to have it naturally react directly towards the target. For me, and as I understand it many other recurvers, that means I needed a little weight up high. My aperture pretty much stays around the target until the bow falls forward (within reason).

Lastly, there is just mass weight. You may have a bow too light for you and need some more mass weight. Just as in the above case of needing weight at the top of the bow, if I'm going to add weight I might as well have it reduce the effects of any torque I apply (that is, stabilize) and reduce vibrations.

I can't answer for them, however my guess is that most are looking at balance or just stuck one on there because everyone else does. The more gizmo's hanging off your bow the neater it looks (and I must admit I can get caught up in that too).

 

[beefstew27]

Ok, that stuff makes sense. I stuck a whole bunch on bow yesterday and shot a few arrows with it. I can kinda see how the weight helped reduce the up-down movements when I was aiming, and I could def. tell a difference in how it swung after my shot.

Thanks so much for yall's help

~Trevor

 

[Dado]

Ok, that stuff makes sense. I stuck a whole bunch on bow yesterday and shot a few arrows with it. I can kinda see how the weight helped reduce the up-down movements when I was aiming, and I could def. tell a difference in how it swung after my shot.

Thanks so much for yall's help

~Trevor

Don't overweigh the bow though... Don't want to bite more than you can chew

 

[tchiex]

This site has some info about what stabalizers do when they are at different positions.

http://www.tenzone.u-net.com/Equipment/index.htm

 

[strcpy]

The chapter of the GNAS coaching manual linked above is the exact document I was thinking of. That's one of the best single sources for description of balancing a bow that I have seen.

I do have one question since we are on the subject (and if the OP is reading that article I imagine they may want it answered too).

What - in terms of going out and purchasing one - is a TFC? I get the concept and why it is different than a doinker but I've never actually seen one - lots of doinkers but none that are tunable. No one as far as I know in the compound world (where most of my experience with equipment is) talks about them and I can't find anything labeled that at Lancasters. A google search find plent of talk about how good they are by the recurvers but never which one to purchase and such.

Never really needed to know and I guess I still do not (which is mainly why I never asked), but I was curious and had recently been thinking about purchasing one to play with.

 

[cc46]

TFCs

TFC -- Torque Flight Compensators

Are/were used widely in the 70's, and used rubber like a doinker to absorb vibration. TFC's were used on short rods and were mounted close to the bow rather than at the ends of short rods the way doinkers are used today. If the link below works the TFCs here are on the 2 side rods and are at the position of the v-bar. At the end of the side rods I believe are just weights in this photo.

http://mapage.noos.fr/ltikf/images/Darrell-Pace.gif

I do not think they are still produced today, so used via ebay may be a good source, or perhaps you know someone with 70's equipment that may want to get rid of them. Mostly TFCs have fallen out of favour today, and in the other link to the stabilization paper Steve Ellison makes refernce to them on page 8 and 19.

Good luck in you search, worth a try if you can find them...after all they were once used widely at the elite level.

Cheers

 

[cc46]

http://video.google.com/videosearch...4&ct=title#q=olympic archery 1984&hl=en&emb=0

from youtube --- 1984 ---
--several archers here using TFCs at the v-bar
--and also at the bow end of the short limb rods

 

[Jason22]

TFC's were basically 2 or more pieces of aluminum separated by rubber washers or something similar. Their designs varied but for the most part they were like an adjustable damper that was fairly rigid unless adusted very loosely, where a doinker is like a flexy gushy connection.

The TFC was placed between a short stabilizer and the bow, a "doinker" is usually between the stabilizer of any length and it's and weights. TFC's were mostly on side rods (called TTM's at the time for Tent Tubing Material which they were made of at Easton), or on top/bottom stabilizers, not on the front long stabilizer since it would have flexed too much.

 

[strcpy]

Yea, I knew what they were, how they worked, and where to put one - I just couldn't find any for sale. I assumed that I need to search for something other than a TFC, similar to if I was using a search function to get my fistmele - probably not going to find that in a manual today but I can easily find brace height.

It seems like a pretty good idea to me, didn't know they had quit being manufactured. Ah well, not worth going on ebay to find them - I could probably make one myself with less effort and less cost. I just wanted to know what to look for at Lancasters to find one as I had searched and couldn't find anything other than a doinker. In fact I use a little weight I made out of rubber and steel washers to do something similar anyway.

 

[Old Hoyt]

TFC's

TFC's are still being made (at least in Europe) & marketed by Alternative Services out of England. Here's the link (top 4 items):

http://altservices.eu/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/002478.3.1359978614881464004


Old Hoyt :canada: