# Idler lean? Is this normal?



## 1 XT 7 (Aug 23, 2007)

This picture is taken from the stabilizer side of the bow. It's a RH Switchback XT. Is it normal for the string to track off the idler wheel like this? I can not get the bow to paper tune, I keep getting a left tear no matter what i do. I've moved the rest both ways with no improvement in the tear. I've twisted the yoke as well and it did not help either. Is there something else that I need to look at that might be the cause or failing on the bow. I have built and put my own strings on this bow for the last two years and never had a problem tuning it but something is definitly not right. I've been all around this bow and can not figure it out. I have the rest at 11/16", it's a QAD HD. It's always tuned perfect between 5/8" and 11/16". If i torque the bow right I can eliminate the tear and get a bullet hole and that is the only way I can get my FP's and BH's to have a close POI otherwise BH's plane way right.


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## bowhunterprime (Jan 28, 2009)

The best way I have found to check for cam lean is to use a piece of arrow shaft or a straight edge and lay it up aginst the idler wheel. If the straight edge and the string are parallel then you don't need to mess with the yoak. Judging by your pictue I think you might need to adjust your yoak again. It doesn't look good right now but on the other hand I've seen worse. The front of the string is really more important than the back of the string (the part you can see in your picture) because the back of the string is always going to be pulled to the side by your cable/roller guard. As long as the front is straight you're good. Other than that I'm not sure what to tell you without seein the bow for myself. You say you do your own strings. You do check for the usual stuff right: Axel-to-axel, Brace hight, tiller, draw length, draw weight? If you just changed that string then it may be that you just made a bad string this time? Hope this helps! -Chris


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## sneak1413 (Aug 15, 2007)

Idler lean may be part of it but the mathews grip makes you want to grip it to the inside and actually torque the bow. Place the main pressure point of your hand on the outside side of your grip and try tuning it. When the bow is at rest i usually like to set the top of the idler leaning to the left just a little. For most shooters this helps them tune the bow easier. If your arrow tears the paper nock to the left, then lean the top of the cam/wheel to the left and it will help take this out.


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## STUDENT-ARCHER (Jun 26, 2009)

idler lean is viewed at full draw from the back of the bow while at anchor position. The string should come straight off the idler, if not twist one side of the yoke to correct.


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## 1 XT 7 (Aug 23, 2007)

bowhunterprime said:


> You say you do your own strings. You do check for the usual stuff right: Axel-to-axel, Brace hight, tiller, draw length, draw weight? If you just changed that string then it may be that you just made a bad string this time? Hope this helps! -Chris


Yes, All specs are on point. 31" A2A, BH 7.5" 70#'s 28"DL Tiller is fine and I don't believe tiller adjustment matters on this bow. String was made to 87.75" dead on as well as the cable to 33.5" String and cable are fine.



sneak1413 said:


> Idler lean may be part of it but the mathews grip makes you want to grip it to the inside and actually torque the bow. Place the main pressure point of your hand on the outside side of your grip and try tuning it. When the bow is at rest i usually like to set the top of the idler leaning to the left just a little. For most shooters this helps them tune the bow easier. If your arrow tears the paper nock to the left, then lean the top of the cam/wheel to the left and it will help take this out.


I've tried changing my grip to different positions, I actually have to torque the bow hard right to get it to tune.



STUDENT-ARCHER said:


> idler lean is viewed at full draw from the back of the bow while at anchor position. The string should come straight off the idler, if not twist one side of the yoke to correct.


I have twisted both sides to see if it makes a difference I've even started over and taken the twist out and put them back in starting off 9 twist on the quiver side 6 on the shelf side. the string wants to track off to the shelf side at full draw no matter what I try.


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## 1 XT 7 (Aug 23, 2007)

What about trying a Floating yoke? Would that void Mathews warranty? I really think this might be something other than my grip or twisting of the yoke I have never had a problem getting this bow as close to perfect as I could. A bushing, bearing, axle or limbs possibly? How would I check these to see if they are okay?


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## fletched (May 10, 2006)

A floating yoke won't eliminate the lean.


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## x-it (Apr 28, 2008)

fletched said:


> A floating yoke won't eliminate the lean.


I just set up one of these bows and laid a arrow on the idler wheel inside on wheel and made sure I had a light 1/8in at the nock area between the the arrow and string. It shot perfect bullet hole. I made sure the cam was in proper rotation too.


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## OCDARCHER (Nov 24, 2008)

*cam lean*

check out vinces tune on mathews forums i just set one up for a friend and it was dead on


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## fletched (May 10, 2006)

x-it said:


> I just set up one of these bows and laid a arrow on the idler wheel inside on wheel and made sure I had a light 1/8in at the nock area between the the arrow and string. It shot perfect bullet hole. I made sure the cam was in proper rotation too.


With a floating yoke, twisting one side has not effect on it. If you need to pull one side down harder than the other, you will need a static yoke. I am not saying a floating yoke isn't good, it mainly depends on the individual bow.


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## rmkreman (May 6, 2009)

*Idler Lean*

That is a lot of lean, think you better pull the idler out and look at the axle, idler bushing, or check if idler is bent. If you can't straighten out by twisting one side or other of cable yoke, got to have something else wrong. Usually the riser window side of the cam needs to have the cable yoke at least 1/8 " longer/looser than the yoke on the other side.


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## Bow pro (Mar 4, 2009)

Also check for fletching contact!


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## SoutherntierBowhuntr (Jul 1, 2007)

Not sure if you've corrected your problem yet but the earlier posters gave good advice, in my experience, idler wheel lean can be normal and different for each shooter. I'm surprised that when you put twists on one side of the yoke only...that it doesn't cause the cam to tilt in that direction. This is normally how idler wheel lean is achieved.

You said that you have put twists in the yoke and no matter what you do it still wants to track to the shelf side at full draw...when you put added twists in one side of the yoke and not the other, it should cause the cam to lean in that direction. I had been told that the idler wheel should be tilted to the left slightly at rest, and should be verticle when at full draw (for a right handed shooter). How much lean, is different for different archers. As sneak1413 said, you can use the change in idler lean to help correct an undesireable paper tear. 

Its difficult for me to tell if my idler is leaning when I'm at full draw by myself, but, I have been able to check the idler lean when the bow is at rest with an arrow placed against the side of the idler wheel... look down the arrow to the tip of the arrow and bring the tip of the arrow to the string near your knocking point. You can see how much the idler wheel is leaning by noting where the tip of the arrow is in relation to your string...the tip of the arrow will be either pointing directly at the string, pointing to the left of the string or pointing to the right of the string. Adding more twists to one side of the yoke, (depending which side you add the twists to), will cause the idler wheel to lean to the side the extra twists have been added to...and cause the tip of the arrow placed on the idler wheel to move. Judging by your photos of your idler wheel, it looks like the idler is leaning to the left in the picture, if your bow is a right hand bow, I would think that by adding extra twists to the arrow shelf side yoke of your bow and/or taking twists out of the opposite side of the yoke, you can get the idler wheel to lean the other way(this should make the idler wheel in your picture, lean to the right... when you place the arrow on the idler, you should see the arrow tip position change with added twists to one side of the yoke or the other...but you should use this to continually check to see how much the idler wheel lean has changed after you have added or removed twists to the yoke. If you put twists on one side of the yoke only...it should cause the idler wheel to lean in that direction. (Hope that isn't as confusing as it reads?)
When looking at your bow without it being drawn, the idler wheel will lean to one side or the other and depending on the amount of twists on either the right side or left side of the yoke, it will lean either right or left at rest. When at full draw, it should straighten up and be close to vertilce. Have someone stand behind you and check to see if this is the case if you can't tell by looking up at the idler when at full draw yourself. Hope this helps.


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## Ches (Aug 3, 2009)

I am not a Mathews guy, so I don't have a lot of experience with the roller cable guards, but I do the idler and arrow trick as mentioned. Then back it up by measuring both sides of my bow for AtoA. You said yours was 31", it should be that on both sides. You don't show it, but just check to make sure you routed your String and Cable through your roller guard properly and didn't get them crossed. I have seen guys do this as well as myself with a brain fart (I have a slide).

Good Luck and let us know your findings.

Ches.


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## SoutherntierBowhuntr (Jul 1, 2007)

The first pic shows the placement of the arrow against the idler and the other one shows the arrow tip in relation to the string. The arrow shown is pointing almost directly centered on the string but this doesn't mean that yours has to be in this spot, you adjust until you get the arrow flight your trying to achieve or the paper tear your trying to get...yours might be past the string to the right or left...it just allows you to gauge how much adjustment you've made.


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