Roller screen bending

[Gulfhackers]

Hi all

Reading through the past years of posts on retractable screens some users have mentioned that the 16feet retractable screen does have a slight bend.

I will be needing slightly shorter at 13.2 feet. Has anybody found that this is still a issue?

Is it a pretty simple task to trim the aluminum roll if it needs to be trimmed and any suggestions on how many joins is best at that length for the best rigidity?

I am looking at either a sportscreen or Metechs setup

[MTgolfer]

I got the 13 foot retractable screen from metech. It has no sag in the middle of the bar.

[awalk21]

It takes an insane amount of force to join the metechs bar together when they ship them separately. I pounded on mine for a good 10 minutes with a regular hammer (in hindsight I should've found a heavy sledge hammer). Bottom lien, the metechs bar will not sag even at 16 feet wide due to the way they are joined together.

[preludesam]

I contacted MeTechs about that since I was having the same issue. They gave me some great advice on making it a little easier. You need to take a punch and dent the channel until the last half an inch. It made putting it together so much easier.

[Cactus Jack]

I have a 12" Par2Pro Stealth screen and it does sag a bit in the middle. I imagine their 16' screen would have noticeable sag.

[p3eps]

I have the Par2Pro Stealth setup (Sportscreen), which I bought as a custom size (15 feet).
It looks like whoever shipped it took a hacksaw to the 16 feet one and chopped a bit off the end… so I would suggest just doing it yourself!

Mine has a small amount of sag in the middle.

[LeftyPegLeg]

I have a 16' MeTechs screen and there is no discernable bend or sag as other have attested to. In terms of assembly they "pre-dented" the channel at the ends of the sections which made joining them easier but you still would want to use a big hammer if possible (5 pound sledge was my choice)

[Gulfhackers]

Thanks, I wonder why then the sportscreen setup bends? Metech users don’t seem to have the same issue?

[casper100]

I purchased the 16 ft SportScreen roller and cut it with a hacksaw to the dimensions I need (about 13 ft). Takes just a few minutes and their cost for a custom size is ridiculous. I don't really have a noticeable bend in mine at 13 ft.

[Newtosim]

Did you just use scissors to cut the screen down to 13'?

[Will]

I too was worried initially when I saw this slight bend. But after 2.5 years of use, I think the sportscreen has been a great product. I am unfamiliar with the other roller-tube products mentioned.

The sag does not create bunching on the impact screen if the bottom corners are bungeed or tensioned. The sag is not greater than the height of a ball, therefore the screen still prevents balls from going under. I inserted a pipe across the bottom of the sportscreen and set the down position so I can slide my finger under the center. Balls still can't roll under the edges and the impact screen can slightly move to absorb the shot.

[starfire]

If you use a single piece aluminum roller tube that is heavy duty it will not sag, at least 80mm diameter.