spreader base

[JBA]

Hello all:

The spreader bases on my TY are welded at a right angle to the mast. How can I get the bi-section of the shroud without bending something? I checked the archives but could not find this specific issue addressed.

Thanks,
JBA

[Bill Goldsmith]

Do the bases hold your spreaders rigidly at the right angle? My spreader bases are also at right angles, but there is enough play in the way the spreader fits in the socket, that I can angle them upward just a bit.

[JBA]

The inboard end of the spreader fits very tightly on the welded inboard stem. Nothing moves.

JBA

[Carl Thunberg]

There's supposed to be some slack where the spreader bar fits into the socket, like Bill said. Is there some crud in the socket? Alternatively, you could try a little emory cloth on the spreader bar itself. It should not be a tight fit.

In structural engineering terms, this is intended to be a "pin-connection" that is incapable of transferring any bending moment to the socket. If it becomes a "fixed" connection, then you're probably going to bend your spreader bar. The spreader bar is supposed to be a compression member only. I hope this is helpful.