Lane Machine Tip - Alex Smith

Don’t be afraid of a little dusting

Ensuring that the cleaning cloth fully contacts the lane is more critical to a clean lane, than most think. The cushion roller is essential to how much contact the cloth has to the lane. Over time the cushion roller will begin to harden and lose its ability to conform to the lane surface. Also the cushion roller ends will begin to compress. This will leave you with a roller that will no longer have the ability to clean the lane correctly. It’s easy to tell when the cushion roller is no longer going to do its job correctly. The next time the cloth is changed just take a minute to examine the cushion roller. You may just find an issue before it becomes problem.
The outer “skin” of the cushion roller should be soft and smooth. If the cover is stiff and has an “alligator skin” look to it. Replacement of the roller is soon approaching. Not only do you need to inspect the feel of the roller but also check to see if the roller is uniform in diameter from one side to the other. If the edges are becoming smaller, again, replacement of the roller is in the near future. Typical life of the  153-8838 cushion roller is 1-2 years.
                     
           Compressed ends of a roller                  Classic sign of the hardening of the roller
Now for those with the 153-8839 cushion roller with the “white cover”, these rollers are prone to their own set of issues. The nap of the cover will become compressed over time. Once the nap is lying flat, then the cover is no longer doing its job. The nice thing about the cushion roller with the cover is that you can just simply replace the cover. You can continue to do this until the roller is deformed and the cover will no longer fit snuggly around the diameter of the cushion roller. Typical life of the cushion roller with the cover is 3-5 years.
The life span of both style cushion rollers is dictated by a few factors. The number of lanes run each day, the ratio of lane cleaner used, the type of lane cleaner used, and the force applied by the wind-up motor.
The first three factors are just the way it is. The more lanes you have, the more wear the cushion roller will get. So unless you want to remove some lanes, there is not much you can do about that one. The stronger your cleaner is mixed the more prone the cushion is to become hard. Some cleaners are less aggressive than others but if your cleaner is working it is not suggested switching, just to gain a few months of life for the roller. One item you do have direct control over is the way the cushion roller sits when in the storage position.  When the cloth is wound tight, it exerts a good bit of force on the ends of the cushion roller. THIS is what causes the ends of the cushion roller to compress over time. To help extend the life of your cushion roller simply unwind the cloth when maintenance of the lanes is complete. Follow these steps in order to do so. This will work with both styles of cushion rollers.
>press MENU until you come to the DUSTER menu.
>press the DOWN ARROW.
>UNPLUG the lane machine.
This will lower the cloth and allow the cushion roller to sit freely in the machine without the cloth constantly compressing the roller.
So now that you know how to extend the life of a cushion roller and you current cushion roller has met the end of its useful life, we’ll show you how you can replace the cushion roller quickly, easily, and minimize down time of the lane machine. These steps are good for all style Kegel built machines.

1. Remove duster cloth from machine.

2. Using a 7/16” wrench and a 5/32” allen wrench remove the nut from the stripper bolt.

3. Remove the stripper bolt making sure to not lose the washer from between the duster arm and frame. (This washer acts as a spacer to ensure the duster arms pivot squarely).

4. Remove the cushion roller from the machine. Remove the nylon washers from the stems and set aside for the new roller.

5. If the stripper bolt was hard to remove due to compression of the mounting hole, it is suggested that a ¼” drill bit be used to clean the mounting hole for easy reinstallation of the stripper bolt.

6. Clean the duster arm assembly and the washer . Setting the Duster arm assembly down with the Flange side of the bearing up and stripper bolt installed in the mounting hole. Place 2 small “dots” of super glue to the duster arm and place the washer on the arm. Then remove the stripper bolt and allow the super glue to set. This will aid in the re-installation of the duster arm by keeping the washer in the correct position.

7. Place new cushion roller in machine. Install the removed duster arm on the cushion roller and check the amount of side-to-side play in the cushion roller. There should be about 1/32” of play. If more than this is present, then use the nylon washers previously removed. If additional shims are required you will need part number 153-2531.

 
Roller Without Spacers                                                Roller With Spacers

8. Once the proper gap has been obtained it is time to reinstall the duster arm into the frame. Line up the holes, insert the stripper bolt, and tightly secure the nut.

9. Check the free movement of the cushion roller. There should be NO drag when moving it up or down. If there is, then a nylon washer needs to be removed.

10. Install a new roll of duster cloth, reset your unwind time, and run a few lanes and visually inspect the lanes to ensure that the lane is clean.

Pinsetter Tip

An often overlooked part of the pinsetter is the magnetic clutch. But in a matter of seconds you can be down, and with no quick fix. Many of the magnetic clutches in the field have been in service for over 30 years, but time is having an affect on the condition of the clutches.

The mounting pin which holds the clutch in place is the most common failure. When this pin fails it allows the Magnetic clutch to free spin which will, in turn, cause fatal stress to the power cord on the clutch.  If you’re lucky, you may catch this before the cord becomes damaged at the strain relief. Many people will just put a tie-wrap on the clutch and figure all is well. This is far from the truth. Don’t run the risk of damaging an expensive part with a 3¢ tie-wrap.

Zot Pinsetter Parts has designed a kit that can be used as a permanent repair or as a preventive measure. The “Location Pin Conversion” kit (part # 420079) will securely fasten the magnetic clutch to the elevator frame. This kit easily installs in minutes. Due to the low cost of the Location Pin Conversion, it is wise to have at least one on hand.