Shifting Ranger

[claymore]

This past weekend I was in Black River Falls Wisconsin tryng wetsuits.
I was having alot of trouble with the back of my ranger shifting or rolling from side to side, especialy the right side so that I was regularly having to slide or shiftback it with my right arm.

One the first dive it was really bad but I think that I had not gotten it tight enough when I readjusted it for the wet suit.

On the second dive I readjusted the BC so that it was better adjusted but still wanted to shift or slide to the right.

I would like any ideas or suggestions on how to solve this problem.

 

[metaldector]

I used to have a Ranger, its a good back inflated BC. That said you needed to tell us what type of tank you were diving and when did it feel loose? At depth, all the time, only at the surface? Did you have the shoulder straps adjusted tight but not too tight, you should be able to slip your hand palm against your chest under the strap. Did you have your chest strap connected? This can help with the rocking motion of the tank. Finally, are you using a crotch strap? If not try one it will keep the BC from riding up on the surface and give more stablity underwater (no it doesn't hurt). I'm assuming that you had both tank straps tight on the tank and the cumberbund was tight. With as few dives as your profile shows I'd just keep diving the Ranger making small adjustments until you feel more comfortable. It's cloth and doesn't have a ridged backplate so some movement is going to happen.

 

[claymore]

On the second dive it did not seem to feel loose. I was diving a steel 95 (white, farber?).

I was never at any depth (max 30 ft).

On the first dive I had 6 lb (3+3 20 lb total) in the trim pockets set on the upper band. On the second dive I moves all the weight to the front weight pockets which seemed to help.

I did have the chest strap connected and tight.

I am not currently using a crothch strap but am thinking about getting one.

When I was in Cozumel I was having some trouble with wanting to roll on my right side but not the whole BC shifting to the right.

 

[sporket]

I have the same problem. My Ranger LTD is a size Lg. I have no crotch strap and I weigh around 210. A Lg should fit me fine but I'm always fighting the rolling right effect. Even when I have tighten it down to the max.

 

[fisheater]

You say that you have the rear trim pockets on your upper band. That's not the usual placement.

Try moving them to the lower band and see if that makes you more stable in the water.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

The rear trim pockets should be on the bottom band. Don't load all your weight in to them. You may want to try putting 40% or less of the weight on the rear trims and the rest in the front. Also, the cummerbund should rest low on your hips and you can unhook the side panels for your bladder (they are cinched by a male/female clasp to each side pockets. If they are unhooked, you may try hooking them. For some reason, some slide hooked and some unhooked. I am happier with them clasped, but....
Basically, reconfigure your weight dispersement and see how it goes. Cummerbun low on your hips and the top tank band should be at the top curve of the tank.
Good luck and hang in there.

 

[claymore]

i know that the lower band is the stock place for the trim pouches but when I was in Cozumel I mowed them to the upper band to try and move some weight to the upper part of my body as I was very foot heavy.

On my second dive at Black River Falls I did not have any weights in the trim pouches and the shifting was better but I think most of that improvement was due to better adjustment.

 

[Nismo]

Do you have the right sizes? It's a 2 piece design with the waist band and shoulder harness able to be in different sizes. Maybe you should look into the sizing. Are your weights evenly distributed?

 

[claymore]

It is a size large . I,m 5' 9" and 195#, I'm probably at the small end of the sizeof the size chart. The waist band is set to the smallest size. The shoulder harness may be where it is to big if it is to larg any where.

Yes the weights are evenly distributed.

 

[scubafanatic]

...it's VERY hard to diagnose your 'problems' via the internet......sounds like you have 2 separate problems....."sliding" and "rolling":

"Sliding" is a result of your BC being loose on your body....use a crotch strap (Zeagle makes one for the Ranger, I use one.) Also, make sure your other various straps aren't developing slack during the dive. Unfortunately, the older your Ranger gets, the more prone to "slack" it will become as the webbing going through the shoulder buckles wears down with repeated use and will no longer hold it's tension when you snug it down. I invented a solution to that, a solution I've never seen in use by any other diver in the world....I've punched a few regularly spaced small holes in the 'slipping' webbing, installed gromets, and fasteners through the gromets.....this locks down the shoulder tension adjustment and prevents any slipping.

"Rolling" can be due to all the reasons already listed.....additionally, if you're rolling to the right it's likely you have too many things on your scuba unit arranged on the right side.....ie., regulator 2nd stages.....regulator hoses...... console/computer.....these can 'bias' your unit with additional weight to one side versus the other.....the simplest solution is to counteract it with your lead weights...don't dive with your lead weighting exactly the same on both sides, start experimenting by adding/redistributing weight, 1 lbs at a time, to the opposite side...for you, it would be the left side.....it shouldn't take much of a change to counteract the 'roll'.

Karl