Conversion from Turbo SG to JoPo

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Viper
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Conversion from Turbo SG to JoPo

Post by Viper »

Hello,

Upfront, I'm not a pro shop operator, I just bowl. But I can do some work on my own, such as removing and replacing outersleeves (OS) and custom slugs in an innersleeve (Turbo SG). I've reviewed videos and have reached out to JoPo but cannot get a definitive answer to my question.

Can I install a JoPo OS in a hole drilled for a Turbo OS? Plug and play if you will.

Thank you,

Viper/Joe
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Re: Conversion from Turbo SG to JoPo

Post by TomaHawk »

Viper wrote: May 18th, 2023, 2:10 pm Hello,

Upfront, I'm not a pro shop operator, I just bowl. But I can do some work on my own, such as removing and replacing outersleeves (OS) and custom slugs in an innersleeve (Turbo SG). I've reviewed videos and have reached out to JoPo but cannot get a definitive answer to my question.

Can I install a JoPo OS in a hole drilled for a Turbo OS? Plug and play if you will.

Thank you,

Viper/Joe
The holes drilled to accommodate both the Turbo and JoPo outer sleeve are similar. I have not measured the diameter of the sleeves, but, from experience, the JoPo seems to be a little bit smaller / easier to install. The drawback, the amount of glue needed to secure the JoPo sleeve.

In terms of durability, for various reasons, we have witnessed failure in all brands of changeable slugs. The #1 issue the bowlers are confronted with, the tabs on both the Turbo and JoPo wear out, the bottom piece of the Vise IT wears out. It is inevitable that those parts will wear out, they're made of some sort of plastic or nylon.

The other problem with changeables, sometimes bowlers do not fully engage the locking mechanism. It seems trivial, but the centrifugal force generated by a spinning bowling ball will partially or fully extract any changeable slug from the ball.

Hope you don't mind me asking, is there a particular reason for wanting to change from one brand to another?
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Re: Conversion from Turbo SG to JoPo

Post by Viper »

Tomahawk! Hello!

My thought is the JoPo system is better. When I see the JoPo I see something that is screwed in rather than locked in with tabs. But you just mentioned tabs but I'm not seeing that. So maybe it's not better! I'm getting tired of having to replace the innersleeves (IS) because the tabs either break or wear out such that the IS will not lock into place. It's not that I'm replacing a bunch, so maybe annoyed is a better term than tired.

I've used the Turbo SG for probably more than 10 years now. I have a number of custom molded slugs that I have become proficient at mounting into IS's, so it's not that I have to run to the pro-shop to get this done. And I've taught myself to replace the outersleeves, too.

I am LH, so when I throw the ball my hand is coming around clockwise on the ball, which ensures the IS does not back out if I happen to not get my thumb out of the ball in time. I'm fortunate in that regard as my RH friends using the system find the IS backing out if the tabs are not locking into place.

That said, I am puzzled that I can take a brand new IS, insert into the ball, and find that it won't lock in. And I just replaced the OS! Other times the twist needed to lock the tabs seems excessive.

Turbo SG has been around awhile now and I hoped to see an improved IS (the tabs specifically), but I haven't. If the JoPo was a simple plug-and-play, I'd experiment, but it doesn't seem to be. I know the diameter of the hole for both is 1.5 inches, and that my molded slug will fit into a JoPo IS.

This is a long answer and I'm not sure I answered your question! End-of-day: I'll stick with the SG system. Take care,

Viper/Joe
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Re: Conversion from Turbo SG to JoPo

Post by deanchamp »

I've switched from Turbo to JoPo. The diameter was the same but the JoPos are longer and need to be drilled deeper.
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Re: Conversion from Turbo SG to JoPo

Post by TomaHawk »

deanchamp wrote: May 20th, 2023, 2:53 am I've switched from Turbo to JoPo. The diameter was the same but the JoPos are longer and need to be drilled deeper.
....why the change?
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Re: Conversion from Turbo SG to JoPo

Post by deanchamp »

My long thumb hits the bottom of the Turbos.
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Re: Conversion from Turbo SG to JoPo

Post by TomaHawk »

deanchamp wrote: May 21st, 2023, 3:41 am My long thumb hits the bottom of the Turbos.
Good enough reason...
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Re: Conversion from Turbo SG to JoPo

Post by Viper »

Dean, "The diameter was the same but the JoPos are longer and need to be drilled deeper." That's the answer I was looking for. Thanks!
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Re: Conversion from Turbo SG to JoPo

Post by TomaHawk »

Viper wrote: May 21st, 2023, 11:59 pm Dean, "The diameter was the same but the JoPos are longer and need to be drilled deeper." That's the answer I was looking for. Thanks!
If the SG system was installed correctly, tab breakage should not be an issue. That goes for any changeable on the market. It is imperative, the slug be installed flush or even a little below the surface of the ball.

Operator error is another factor. We have seen, too many times, a bowler does not fully engage the locking mechanism that holds a changeable in place. When the bowler does not insert the properly, the slug comes out a little, it contacts either the lane, the pins, or some part of the machinery and cracks the tabs on either the SG or the JoPo. The Vise IT might encounter breakage too, the piece inside the thumb hole (Ball IT) may crack or the bottom piece on the slug will crack.

Another issue that plagues all changeables, is the wear factor. All of the parts of changeables, except for the slug, are made of plastic or nylon. These parts wear, especially if the bowler tends to move the slug from ball to ball a lot.

Here's the important part, one that leaves a bowler stranded and the pro shop cussing. How much effort does it take to extract a broken changeable or one that has become stuck in a ball?

The bottom line all changeables are a disaster waiting to happen and just because one boasts of heavy duty tabs does not mean it will last forever.

How can a bowler avoid disaster? Check your slugs locking mechanism regularly. If they appear to have any worn parts, have them replaced as soon as possible.

Imagine this, having the first 35 strikes...the ball comes back...slug is gone.
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Medium Oil Ball: 14 lbs. Hammer Raw Orange/Black Hybrid
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Re: Conversion from Turbo SG to JoPo

Post by Viper »

TH, Good info! I've had the entire system come out of the ball because the outersleeve (OS) was not glued in properly. One or twice, which led me to start reinstalling/replacing them myself. Ditto for slug in an innersleeve. Whether I receive a ball from the pro-shop with the OS or I install myself, I always tool the outer sleeve so it's flush, tapering a bit toward the center of the OS. The IS with slug I sand so that if sits just even with the bevel. This lets the entire system sit just down a bit from the cover stock. When I started with the Turbo system my OS was getting chewed up/broken because it was flush with the ball surface. I have several IS's so if one breaks I have another one ready to go. But as you say, you have to stay on top of things and check the lugs regularly. Would be nice though if the IS was a two-piece unit and you could replace that part of with the lugs, something maybe with posts that uses a small set screw to keep it all together.
Last edited by Viper on May 26th, 2023, 4:01 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Conversion from Turbo SG to JoPo

Post by kajmk »

Submitted in humor ... :D

May all beings everywhere be happy and free,
and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life
contribute in some way to that happiness
and to that freedom for all.

John
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