More Cougar bridge failures ?

[VA-Sawyer]

Read on another forum about more bridge failures on Cougar saddles. At least one of them was the black and yellow bridge. I called Weaver Thursday a week ago, and was told that they had only heard of 1 failure a long time ago. I pushed the case a bit and was told I needed to talk to Carlos but he wasn't in at the time. Carlos called me back the next day and admitted that they had heard of more recent failures. He also stated that the bridges in question were used beyond their expected life, as they were over 2 years old.
When I asked where Weaver had a printed life expectancy for the bridge or a recomended replacement schedule, he said that such would be hard to call due to differences in usage. Go figure !
He offered to send me a free replacement bridge in exchange for my old one. I just got it day before yesterday and may change it out today. The saddle hasn't been used in 18 months and only had about a dozen training climbs before the kid went back to school, so it shouldn't have any internal wear issues. Looks like new on outside as would be expected.
My big concern is, something like 6 or 7 failures on Cougar bridges so far and Weaver is keeping quite.
There have been injuries such as broken legs, but nobody killed yet. Do you think this is acceptable ?
Rick

 

[sgreanbeans]

Read on another forum about more bridge failures on Cougar saddles. At least one of them was the black and yellow bridge. I called Weaver Thursday a week ago, and was told that they had only heard of 1 failure a long time ago. I pushed the case a bit and was told I needed to talk to Carlos but he wasn't in at the time. Carlos called me back the next day and admitted that they had heard of more recent failures. He also stated that the bridges in question were used beyond their expected life, as they were over 2 years old.
When I asked where Weaver had a printed life expectancy for the bridge or a recomended replacement schedule, he said that such would be hard to call due to differences in usage. Go figure !
He offered to send me a free replacement bridge in exchange for my old one. I just got it day before yesterday and may change it out today. The saddle hasn't been used in 18 months and only had about a dozen training climbs before the kid went back to school, so it shouldn't have any internal wear issues. Looks like new on outside as would be expected.
My big concern is, something like 6 or 7 failures on Cougar bridges so far and Weaver is keeping quite.
There have been injuries such as broken legs, but nobody killed yet. Do you think this is acceptable ?
Rick

If they are hiding it, not acceptable, but, I wouldn't think that they would cover it, their business is safety and that would get out and destroy them, maybe a case of them not knowing? I know guys aren't always the best at report that stuff, kinda like all those damn rebate and registration cards whenya buy a compuuuter, ya know ya need to do it, but dammit, the race is on!
Could you get me his numba, I wanna replacement for mine! I have the white and black bridge, haven't heard anything bad about that one, you? The thought of that thing letting go, is scary!

*Disclosure* The race is still rain out, sorry

 

[VA-Sawyer]

sgreanbeans,

They have been aware of the additional failures for almost 3 weeks now as per the other site. Carlos claimed the bridges were 'over-age', but please show me a stated age limit for bridges in anything they have online or in print. If you had tires with good looking tread suddenly blowout on you, would you accept the tire dealer saying " you had them on the vehicle too long" ? Even when I called the company, their first statement was "we don't know of any other bridge failures" , yet Carlos was well aware of them and that Weaver had enough knowledge of the events to say the bridges were past age. He also considered it a minor issue that people answering the phones didn't know about the problem almost 2 weeks after the guy got his femur broke. If I hadn't pushed the fact of know failures so much, I never would have gotten to Carlos.
Just call the Weaver 800 number and see what they tell you. As for getting a replacement bridge, I don't know if they are doing that as a safety program or was just trying to get me to drop the subject. My bridge was the yellow/black stripped one that wasn't affected by the recall from Fall of 2010.
It is hard to tell for ,from reading on the other forum, just how many failures there have been. Can't be sure which ones are duplicate reports, but it sounds like 6 or 7 failures in the last 2 years. Can anybody else confirm these numbers ?

Rick

 

[Nailsbeats]

Guys relying on a floating rope type bridge, like myself, really out to take it upon themselves to double them up. I don't trust a single bridge, that's why I added a redundant 1/2" Hi-vee to my Butterfly. That way you can let em' wear, they'll never fail at the same time, short of both being cut right through.

 

[Slvrmple72]

Nailsbeats? You climb in pajama pants?

 

[Nailsbeats]

Nailsbeats? You climb in pajama pants?

Yeah, but sometimes I blow the ass out of them or the front fly part opens up voluntarily, get's me more work though, lol.

 

[VA-Sawyer]

Nailsbeats,
I agree with a backup of some kind for the bridge. Weaver has a note in their Lit saying that using any modifications will void the warrenty and they won't be liable. I think the manufactures should be supplying backup bridges rather than users 'trying to figure something out'.

Rick

 

[VA-Sawyer]

This week I got a card in the mail from Weaver Leather. I will try to attach a scan of it, but the bottom line is they say the bridge needs to be replaced at the first sign of wear or every 6 months, whichever comes first. So my backup saddle will need 2 bridges a year if I only climb on it once ? I think that is unacceptable.

View attachment 232511

 

[limbwalker54]

I climb on a Sierra Moreno Blair Ultralight. The bridge is made from 2.5 inch wide nylon with outer nylon coating, kinda like an endless roundsling (tube in tube).

Is it possible that Weaver could bet petitioned to find this material and construct a stronger bridge that would wear better, yet be small enough to slip over your carabiners like the one pictured?

Check out the Blair Ultralight on the Sierra Moreno Mercantile Co website, you will see it pictured.

Where were the failures occuring?

 

[jefflovstrom]

Read guy's, they recommend a change every 6 months.
Take care of your gear, (daily).
Jeff

 

[benjo75]

I got a Weaver Cougar almost a year and a half ago. Then I started reading about the recalls. I found out that my bridge was supposed to be ok. Then I get a recall notice saying that my bridge might be defective. I called the place where my saddle was purchased and Weaver and they both said that I had the newer bridge that wasn't part of the recall. Then today in the mail, what's there but a recall card on my saddles rope bridge.

I have been nervous about this saddle ever since the first talk of rope bridge failure. So I have only used this saddle about 5 times. I have recently hung it up in my shop and went back with my trusty older saddle (which I have been using all along). I have a bucket so I only climb a few times a month, but I don't need that extra worry in my mind while aloft. This job is dangerous enough without needless equipment failure added to the list. Or at least the opportunity. I can never really trust this saddle 100% again.

Anyone looking for a new saddle for a pretty cheap price?

 

[arborjockey]

My 1st weaver, wide back 2 floating d-ringed sucker, I put a HDT roller to extend the life of the bridge. EVERY 6 MONTHS :bang::bang: I wouldnt even consider climbing on anything that called for replacement every 6 months.

In the close up picture that P.J. junior showed us, the clevis and the webbing look like a week point to me. I do my own splicing of stuff and that looks like crap. But P.J's picture may not be the best view. just sayn:msp_sleep:

 

[VA-Sawyer]

Weaver goes from no calendar change time required, to 6 months Max between new bridges. Can somebody define "first sign of wear"? One broken stand in the cover ? A rub mark ? Sounds to me like they are setting the bar so high, so when the next one fails, they have a built in excuse for not standing behind it. Or somebody having a case to sue them. I will NEVER buy Weaver again. Same as I have been doing with Kong for over 2 years.
Rick

 

[the Aerialist]

Guys relying on a floating rope type bridge, like myself, really out to take it upon themselves to double them up. I don't trust a single bridge, that's why I added a redundant 1/2" Hi-vee to my Butterfly. That way you can let em' wear, they'll never fail at the same time, short of both being cut right through.

You inspired me to add a second rope bridge to my Cougar which has been my backup and rescue saddle since I changed to a Buckingham Master Classic.

 

[arborjockey]

Do you like that master classic?