Angle your racks?

[Jred201]

Wondering if any of you out there angle your mortar racks. Is it safe? I'm curious about doing it for my 2.5-3". Don't think it's a good idea for my 4"+. Thoughts? Thanks.

[PyroManiacs]

I myself have never angled anything past 3".

[Jred201]

Does 3" work well? Does it make a noticie difference to even mess with it?

[davidlynch]

i have angled up to 6" racks, but it's important to a) know the product you're shooting, b) know your racks, and c) know your shoot site including wind and ground conditions. you may need to take additional steps to ensure rack security. i personally like the rack setups from pyromaster llc for angling (and pyroboom.com for consumer shells) because they're not budging once you set the angle - and i wouldn't angle larger racks unless i was shooting electronically.

[CTPYRO]

Like DL said above... we angle up to 6" as well.... mostly for the finale since it fills up the sky much more. And with those 6" crown brocades.... awesome

scott

[SCPyrotechnician]

Does 3" work well? Does it make a noticie difference to even mess with it?

It looks good when you're shooting doubles of a matching shell. Just makes it look better. We also angle our racks on our salute finale strings for a different effect.

[algrant1]

I have angled racks up to 5"
2.5" & 3" racks up to 20 degrees
4" up to 15 degrees
5" up to 10 degrees
I use an aluminum rack system that allows you to easily pick the angles you desire.
All shells are fired electronically.

If shells are hand fired the only racks i angle are the finale ones.
I agree with david on clearences. You must check your area to make sure you compensate for the angles.

[PyroJoeNEPA]

I agree with all the above posts & I would add that if you are angling larger racks[bigger than 3"] to put an extra run of wood under the rack for support. I've seen 5" racks that were angled with no extra support underneath & they blew the bottom plates loose on the racks. A piece of 2x6 would take up the extra pressure exerted between the rack bottom & the ground. Having the bottom of the rack solid is very important with larger [4" & up] shells.
And in answer to the original question, yes it does make a noticeable difference--5 to 15 degrees on even 4" shells will give a much wider coverage in the sky--brocades, willows, etc. that are launched in pairs look awesome.

[Jred201]

Thanks for the comments. I think I'm going to try my 3" this year and see if I like it.

[Jred201]

I electronically fire with plenty of distance. So it should be safe.

[SCPyrotechnician]

Thanks for the comments. I think I'm going to try my 3" this year and see if I like it.

Great choice! Good luck man!