Back Ache

DaveT2

Being one of the initiators of John making the modified KT frame bases, I have to say that just losing 40mm off the base and shortening the legs by the same amount, really sorted out the balance of the Vision version. I don't know how tall you are, but it really applies to us 5'7" shortarses.

The thing that I found was that having the scrubber so far down in the frame, it gave a lot of buoyancy to the bottom of the unit, which you always felt to be fighting. This did give me backache, as I was tending to subconsciously arch my back a bit to maintain level flight. As I couldn't add any more weight to the bottom (having none on top) and noticing that the trim was much better with 2 steel stages slung, that's when we came up with the idea of asking John about the possibility of changing the design (at least for the Vision).

We've also added around 20mm to the hoses to make sure the stages sat near the bottom of the frame (as shortening the base puts the manifold a bit higher).

Anyway, short answers:

1. Short base + short legs (both me and the frame) - perfect trim, with and without stages - no backache.
2. Yes, you can fit a suit inflation cylinder under the base, but it is an EXACT fit (might not work if you don't extend the hoses).

As, I'm just off to Belgium for a few days, I'll send you some piccies of the set-up unit on Saturday if you're interested.

Dave