2hp legal set-up question

[Cannon]

Regarding official 2HP equipment for a NAGS contest, is there any published requirement for a minimum distance between the pinching surface and the first weight plate? 

I don't believe those spin collars are a required part of the equipment and not everyone has them.  If you use thinner collars then the weight will be centered better and I think most people agree that would be an advantage. 

Just curious.

[climber511]

Two Hand Pinch (European or U.S. Standard)

 

Legal Lift Requirements: The athlete must lift the apparatus in a Double Overhand Pinch Grip and touch the loading bar to the cross-bar, which sits 16.5-inches high, measured to the bottom of the stick. The lifter does not have to be erect upon completion of the attempt.

The athlete's hands may not be separated by more than 3 inches between the index fingers during the lift.

Because this is a quick lift based on friction, there is no referee's down signal. The referee, however, must be ready to judge that the loading bar makes proper contact with with the cross bar during each attempt.

The lifter must lower the weight under control. If the outer discs accidentally touch the stick before the bar itself, referee’s discretion will be used to judge whether the correct height was attained. Pinch gripping the discs using an unorthodox underhand grip will not be allowed.

This is a Rising Bar Event

Equipment Set-up Requirements: The apparatus has to be loaded with the same number of discs on each side, in the same order, and has to weigh similar (maximum 2-lb tolerance between the total weight of the weights at the front, and weights at the rear).

The heaviest discs should be loaded nearest to the adjustable pinch discs themselves.

The spacer/collars that hold the inside adjustable discs together should be the same length.

The discs added should be smaller in height than the adjustable discs you grasp, so that the view of the lifters hands are not totally obscured, and the lift starts from the proper height.

Other Information about the Device and Event: The width of the pinch apparatus is adjustable to suit different hand sizes, but to keep it within the spirit of a pinch lift the minimum width allowed is the 2 outer steel discs and 2 rubber spacer discs, a width of 24mm.

The smooth-sided, adjustable-width disc is held on a 2” thick metal rod by a pair of collars. Extra weights will be added to the outsides.

Before the event starts, all lifters will be given the opportunity to try it and find your best width.

There is no mention of collar width except they have to have the same spacing of both sides.

 

[Cannon]

Thanks Chris, that's what I was reading to. 

Sooooo..... I guess I'm wondering why those humongous collars are still the norm?  Why not use the thinnest possible?

[acorn]

26 minutes ago, Cannon said:

Thanks Chris, that's what I was reading to. 

Sooooo..... I guess I'm wondering why those humongous collars are still the norm?  Why not use the thinnest possible?

Because they are best (cheapest) available to lock the main discs together. Comp grade spinlocks from Ivanko or Eleiko would be narrower but very pricey. I use custom ones I machined on my comp setup that are narrower than the stock spinlocks but they also pin through the bar so they don't move on drops and are always the same position / centered on the main bar.

[climber511]

Matt - keeping the "apparatus" tight is one of the keys to consistent lifts during a competition - spin locks allow everything to be quickly tightened after a width change or even a "drop".  Yes they are wide and something like Aaron's custom jobs might be better but the spin locks are cheap and seem to be the best solution at this point.  Before I starting using "pinned" spin locks - I could never get and/or keep things having that "solid" feel to them.

[Cannon]

@acorn Do you have a video out there about how your collars work?

[acorn]

1 minute ago, Cannon said:

@acorn Do you have a video out there about how your collars work?

I have this one from about 4yrs back right after I made the current setup. Was before I got the Eleikos though. 

 

[Cannon]

Thanks Aaron!  What material were those colored inserts cut from? 

[MCrushetta]

1 hour ago, Cannon said:

Thanks Aaron!  What material were those colored inserts cut from? 

I loved those inserts at AZ Cactus. It made everything about the Euro much easier.

[acorn]

1 hour ago, Cannon said:

Thanks Aaron!  What material were those colored inserts cut from? 

That is a very good question. A type of plastic. (still hoping to potentially sell these some day so not mentioning what specific type of plastic)

[Jared Goguen]

That's such a slick setup.

[Cannon]

4 hours ago, acorn said:

That is a very good question. A type of plastic. (still hoping to potentially sell these some day so not mentioning what specific type of plastic)

No prob. I understand.

[KapMan]

euro such a pain in the ass. But Aaron is a genius. I like the insert idea, seems like that should be the way to go. Have a insert for each width. awesome idea. 

[KapMan]

Another question I'd have is why not use Hi temp rubber clamps or the quick release clamps, Those would be thinner and cheaper than spin locks. 

[JHenze646]

27 minutes ago, KapMan said:

Another question I'd have is why not use Hi temp rubber clamps or the quick release clamps, Those would be thinner and cheaper than spin locks. 

The spinlocks extend back toward the pinch plates and spacers and apply a compressive force. This wouldn't happen with Hi temp or quick clamps and the pinching surfaces would have more play in them.

[Geralt]

I had to make my own 2HP bar, because of the fact I have 30mm hole plates. So the Euro part of the bar is 50mm incl. room for spin lock collars and through the pipe is a 30mm pipe welded. I have tried Lock Jaw collars for holding the plates together but like JJHenze mentioned, you need a bit of pressure to keep everything nice and tight. So I bought a pair of cheap spin lock collars over here, since shipping is already crazy for us Europeans, and these collars work great. It's easy this way to push the plates tightly together. 

I have cut up rubber mats for spacers but I didn't do to much of a great job with that. The sides are bit uneven and it is difficult to replace them for adjusting width. I would definitely like the spacers Aaron uses much more. On the other hand, once you find your ideal pinching width, it's not that you continuously change spacers. But I have never trained the 2HP too much in depth, always as assistance.I should change that in the future.

For comps however the plastic spacers look very great and seem like a must have for quick width changes. 

Edited April 15, 2016 by Geralt