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Pat Trap targets curve to right.. need help

7K views 13 replies 12 participants last post by  clayman51 
#1 ·
I have a Pat Trap that I cannot get the right hand curve out of the target. The machine is level, the throwing plate is level, the arm is not touching the top of the target rim, the brush is new, the rubber strip on the arm has been sanded. what oh what can I do to get the curve out of the target flight?
 
#3 ·
This might help,

When you throw a straight away does it curl off to the right from the center post? If this is happening the throwing deck need to be adjusted and raised on the right side. The base and throwing deck come from the factory with a 1/4 inch difference between the two. There is a large nut behind the gray control box for the deck adjustment. It helps to have two people. Some target take more. We have had to shim an extra 3/8 with the brand we throw.

Or when the machine throws a target to the right side of the field, does the target curve out of the field? Make sure the trap is properly centered. Align both fields.



Good luck,

Ajax
 
#4 ·
Is the curve in the path before or after the target peaks? Most machines (if not all..) put a lot of spin on the target to provide gyroscopic balance while the target is in the air. After the forward momentum of the target diminishes the spin continues and does not slow down as fast as forward motion. The spin causes the "curl" as the target starts down from the peak of the arc of its travel.

If it curls prior to the top of the arc...see Ajax post above.

Bob Schultz
 
#5 ·
Ajax,
I did not know about the adjustment nut behind the gray box. It is a late model machine, our newest installed about 2 years ago. When we put it in I welded adjustment nuts on all 4 corners of the angle iron frame so that we could get it level. Since then I have tried, as a last resort to use these as a way to tilt the machine to get the target tilt/curl out. I wonder if the target is spinning too fast because no matter what we do, it looks tilted coming off the throwing plate. Nothing is really worn out on this machine that I can see and it has not been fiddled with by every one and his uncle.

Between the 5 Pats we have it seems all I do is work on machines every weekend. I'm about ready to trade them all in on something else.
 
#7 ·
If your bird is coming out of the trap with a right cant or tilt there is more adjustment that is needed. Different brands of targets fly out of the pat traps differently. On the back of the machine, both left & right of the gray control box, is a small pillow block bearing which allows movement up & down for elevation adjustment. Both of these bearing housings have about 3/8" of slot for adjustment. You can loosen the right bearing mounting bolts & pick up on the throwing deck & retighten those bearing bolts. If more adjustment is needed the left bearing can be loosened, allowing the throw deck to settle down. These two adjustments will move the throw deck out of level but this may be your solution. Ajax is correct about the bolt on the right side of gray control box. Each side of the gray box has one of these bolts but only the one on the right ( as viewed from back of machine) has vertical adjustment. Loosen that bolt and have someone lift the right side of the throw deck up and retighten the right bolt & nut. I would do the single bolt on right side first and then if you haven't produced the results you're looking for do the bearing bolts second. White Flyer birds flew flat & level out of our machine but the machine had to be tilted for Northwest Target birds. After the adjustment there was no problem with White Flyer birds. We're not sure why this works this way but it does. Any questions feel free to e-mail and do let me know what helped your problem. Tom Boyd
Albany Gun Club
 
#13 ·
I always understood that the reason that the birds would tail off at the end of their flight had a lot to do with the curl on the bird that is created with the friction of the throwing arm against the collar of the bird. The rubber gets worn on about the last 3-4 inches of the throwing arms rubber and has to be dressed with a sanding block in order to square it off again. The birds will not tail off if they have enough spin. Too little spin will create the tailing off. Call Pat Trap and verify
 
#14 ·
WE had the same problem with our Pat trap until I seen this thread. Went to the club last night along with another member. We raised the side toward the crank 1/4 of an inch. Dropped the opposite side 1/8 of an inch. Our targets now fly to the 50 yard stake level, before they would begin to tail off even before they reached the top of the arc. Simple solution and an easy fix!!

By the way, We just installed our second Pat and there is no problem with the target flight on this machine.

Dennis
 
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