Anyone lenghtened the pump arm/handle? Easier to your back..

[cabron]

having a bit of a trouble with my back I remembered reading somewhere that the pumping gets to your back and some had lenghtened their pump's arm or handle so that one can pump without flexing the back that much and be in a more upright position.

I have pumped using my legs and not my back but it would be useful to know if someone has succesfully modified his pump and how they did it. And yes electric pump would be nice, but I need to walk quite a long way to kitespot and extra weight is no-go. Plus when travelling abroad it would be useful to just take the normal pump.

Thanks.

[thebroz]

There is this local out in Hatteras that has built a frame that he attached his pump to out of 2x4's. It's kind of like a picture frame so he can step on it with one foot in the center to hold it down. It raised his pump off the ground by maybe 8-10 inches. He's a chiropracter so go figure.

[scklandl]

Not to be an ass but...
if you're hurting your back pumping yer kite your doing something wrong!

BEND AT THE KNEES, not at the back! if you cant bend your knees then build a contraption!

[kitezilla]

If pumping hurts your back, it may be due to force needed for the "upstroke". You might want to unscrew the top of the pump and remove the little rubber "flap" valve, that closes on the upstroke. This task will take about 2 minutes to perform; and if you don't like the way it works, then, it is just as easy to put the flap valve back in place.

If you want to raise the pump handle about 3 inches, you can make a handle out of half inch PVC water pipe and 4 elbows and a "T". If you want to see a picture of such a handle, just say so, and I will post a picture.

[cabron]

thanks guys, especially kitezilla, good tip the valve thing.

Can you post a pic on it, it would be good to see it so I don't need to reinvent the wheel once again (with many trial and errors involved...)

Thanks!

[randykato]

with kitezilla's tip, just remember that you'll be turning a 2-way pump into a 1-way pump, so pumping up the kite will take twice as many strokes.

i'd suggest something like what thebroz described. something to raise the whole pump up higher, rather than lengthening the handle/shaft which seems much harder, and much more likely to break.

[Wetstuff]

....I am not sure how he did it, but one of our local crew is about 6-5 and stacked two pump bodies. It may depend upon the brand of pump whether the bottom unscrews or no.

j i m

[Fatfish98]

I trimmed the legs off of a tall North pump (then shaved the edges down to make the whole pump cylindrical) and inserted the pump body into some 4" waste pipe cut to required length. I then used an old pump that was knackered and chopped 4" off the bottom to include the feet and inserted that into the bottom of the 4" waste pipe.
You have to fix the main pump into the waste pipe using 4" rubber bushes that they use for toilets!No screws obviously except for the base bit.

Result slightly heavy tall pump.
P.S I also removed the upstroke plug from inside the pump as the upstroked near the end of pumping the kite when the pressure is high was knackering my back. It takes twice as many strokes but it is soooo much easier to pump the kites.

[naishdude]

They should just build a pump with One arm...like the old waterpumps, the longer the arm the easier the pumping..but is it possible ...
Frank

[SalmonSlayer]

There is an article in the latest The Kiteboarder magazine that has a solution similar to Fatfish98's.



In the magazine they suggested using a metal plate from a door threshold for the new bottom. I would pick a different materiel. There is too much potential for a sharp bur cutting a hole in your gear when stuffing it in a trunk or generally messing around near your gear.