SafetyMax Box collar

[charlie]

You hit the nail on the head!!!!!!!!! As long as they make the bottom edges of the pit around the box EVEN with the edges of the box, your drawing is precise, although i think curved corners at the back of the box would enhance the rotation of the pole when it moves to the side. That being said, it would probably take a act of congress to change the makeup of the box! And i personally don''t trust congress!!!!!!!!

[KirkB]

... i think curved corners at the back of the box would enhance the rotation of the pole when it moves to the side.

OK, time for another drawing. This is a PLAN VIEW. Again, pardon the roughness of the sketch, and the lack of scale.

It doesn't show up very well, but I attempted to draw the curved corners in a red dotted line ... on each end of the stopboard.

Box with a Curved Stopboard.JPG (6.36 KiB) Viewed 5991 times

The curve needs to start in the middle, and curve out towards each side ... to support both left and right-handed vaulters. Is this what you had in mind?

My personal opinion is that the pole doesn't drag along the top of the stopboard on it's way to the top left corner of the box (for a right-handed vaulter). Instead, I think there's plenty of room for the pole to bend as it's rotating to vertical. I think it's only at full bend that the pole is in danger of hitting the stopboard ... the top-left corner. I think that's the only place that you need to either round the corner or decrease the slope of the box ... but I guess it depends on how extremely you bend the pole. I bent it quite extremely ... and I didn't have a "box-cam" to film it ... but I don't think it ever hit the FRONT of the stopboard ... only the corner.

Kirk

[master]

Kirk,

I'm pretty sure I've jumped on a pit with front buns like you have drawn (in your 3rd drawing). Unfortunately this old guy's brain can't remember where.

- master

[KirkB]

Charlie ...

Or maybe you mean that the entire top edge of the box should be curved, which you think might give more space for the pole to bend ... in the CORNER?

This may be true, but the main purpose of my "curved top corners" proposal was to spread the impact when you crash onto an edge of the box.

Realistically, I think if the angle towards the top-left corner (105 degrees) is too steep, then it should simply be reduced. And THEN ... on top of THAT ... curve the top edges (for safety reasons only).

But anyone getting "kicked back" from their pole hitting a top corner of the stopboard is over-bending anyway ... aren't they?

Kirk

[charlie]

Well you are batting 3 for 3 . Good for you KIRK!!!!!! I checked my records and it was
Pro Pit that made the complete circle at the back of the box like the inside of a ice cream cone.!!!!

[KirkB]

Well you are batting 3 for 3 . Good for you KIRK!!!!!! I checked my records and it was
Pro Pit that made the complete circle at the back of the box like the inside of a ice cream cone.!!!!

OK, I get what you mean by a "cone" now.

But is that a single cone or a double cone?

I'm serious. I drew it as a double cone, but you don't say that. I was thinking that the double cone shape would suit both righties and lefties better than a single curve ... IF it's true that the top edge of the backstop interferes with the pole ... I'm still not convinced that it does.

Kirk

[KirkB]

Master ... check this out ... http://www.atafa.com/sports/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=vault+box

PORTaPIT with Straight Front Buns.jpg (8.16 KiB) Viewed 5979 times

Is this the pit with straight front buns that you remembered?

However, it looks like ALL of the sides of the pit are straight ... some of those angles are going to either interfere with the pole or make it so there's too much space between the box and the pit. Maybe it's just a bad camera angle?

Kirk

[master]

Is this the pit with straight front buns that you remembered?
Kirk

I don't think it is. I seem to remember it being mostly as traditional sloped sides and back, except after a couple feet (toward the runway from the back) the walls were just vertical.

- master

[KirkB]

I don't think it is.

OK. It's weird that PORTaPIT designed this one the way they did ... as you know, most of their pits have a more conventional shape.

I did find this writeup here: http://www.atafa.com/sports/products/Artistic-Coverings-Pole-Vault-Landing-System-Feetxfeetinchxinch-57851.html where they talk about a DIFFERENT model ...

The Elite Generation X Landing System model is 22' wide and 24'6" in length. ... More open front entry eliminates tunnel feeling and maintains full protection around the vaulting box.

The phrase that I underlined hints as to maybe why the one with straight sides on the front buns isn't so popular?

I can see how a narrow path thru the front buns could initially freak a vaulter out, but I would think that once they got used to it, they'd like the added safety.

It's hard to find the first PORTaPIT model that I posted, so I wonder if it's been discontinued?

Kirk

[KirkB]

Here's EXACTLY the same design as what I showed in my 3rd drawing ... as per Charlie's idea.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4443009.pdf

PatentOfPitWithStraightFrontBuns.JPG (34.15 KiB) Viewed 5976 times

A patent for this design was filed in 1981 and approved in 1984, which means that (a) it's no longer protected by the patent - anyone could have built it without royalties after 2004; and (b) it never became popular enough to become a viable product - otherwise it would have already have been built.

I wonder why? I personally think it's a rather good design.

Or maybe someone DID build it ... and Master actually jumped on it? ... what year, Master? THEN what happened to the idea?

There's additional info about this patent here: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4443009.html

Kirk

[master]

Or maybe someone DID build it ... and Master actually jumped on it? ... what year, Master? THEN what happened to the idea?
Kirk

That's what I remember. I jumped on it as a masters vaulter and that started for me around 2003. I'm thinking it was in the first couple years of when I started.

- master

[charlie]

Kirk, I would choose the curved CORNERS on both back corners of the box and the pit made to fit the box the same way . That way the pole could move uninhibited from either side. I know that is a little too far out for right now, but i think that would be the best!!!