I have a project that I would like to use 3 chutes on. Single deploy, JLCR, alt. maybe 3000'. Has anyone used 3 before and if so, how do you keep them from getting tangled?
Triple chutes
- Thread starter David Schwantz
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I make a custom 3:1 harness for using 3 chutes at once, they look really good for the Apollo rockets. Many of my customers have used it without any problem, you’ll want to pack them separately in their own flame shields so they don’t tangle together. Zig zag the lines inside of the chute back and forth.
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That looks like it. Can you link me the harness? Thanks.
Message me, they are custom lengths depending on the size of chutes used, I include it for free when 3-Apollo Chutes are purchased on my website, free shipping included and no tax as well.
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I used to recommend using a riser cord the same length as dia. Of the chutes. So of your useing 3 4' chutes have 3 straps 4'long attached to shock cord at the same point at the end of each strap attach the chute on to the riser cord. The idea is to keep the chutes from bumping into each other. It work well.
Eric
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BAMA Recovery also makes a great triple chute option. These three were in a single deployment bag. That could be held shut with a Chute Release. 
roytyson
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Not three, but I use two on my V2. Just make sure to pack them separately. I tried to roll them together, no good.
Mightyrocketman
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I have 3 Top Flight Recovery 5’ parachutes that I fly in my 5” Jart 75 with head end deployment. They are directly attached to the same place on the shock cord with separate quick links. The airflow in and around the chutes causes them to stay separated. I do not use any risers.
Just have to get chutes that don’t like each other.[emoji12]
Hi Buddy, I did. We already have a conversation going on 3 chutes. thanks.
Culprit
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I hear what people are saying about wrapping each chute in its own protector, and I certainly won’t argue that that sounds like a good best practice, but for what it’s worth, the TARC rules last year stated that the egg capsule and booster had to come down separately, and the egg capsule had to have two or more chutes. My son’s team was up against the weight limit so they went with one chute protector. They had a 100% success rate all year by wrapping all three chutes in one Nomex chute protector. Like I said, I’m not trying to say it’s the best way, only that it can be done reliably. They were practically religious about their packing technique. The chutes were flaked, folded in half lengthwise, then the shroud lines were z folded on top of the chute, the chute was folded in half lengthwise again, then the chute itself was z folded from top to bottom. All three chutes were stacked on top of each other in the same orientation, then they were wrapped in the Nomex. Just another data point.
ebruce1361
The man with the plan. And some duct tape.
I tried a triple chute system for the booster section of my Estes Saturn V (technically four chutes total; the nose was supposed to come down under the fourth one). The main bit of caution I can add to the discussion is that multiple parachutes are more likely to tangle when deployed too fast. My Saturn had an early separation due to a mixup on my end, and all four chutes tried to open with the rocket still coasting at high speed. The saving grace of the whole thing was that despite the tangled and violent deployment, two parachutes DID open and the booster came down with practically no damage from landing. You can read more about what happened in my thread HERE.
Culprit
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ebruce1361 - I understand what you're saying. My son's TARC team that year had excessively long delays as they were playing with the variables to get in the time window. To the point that they ripped a number of shroud lines that season. They ended up going with longer Kevlar shock cords, and they "crocheted" them. That was mostly to pack the longer lengths in an organized way, but I always wondered how much, if anything, the crocheting helped soften and delay the chute openings as the three chutes separated.
ebruce1361
The man with the plan. And some duct tape.
When you say they "crocheted" the kevlar, do you mean they did so in a way that as the deployment occurred, the kevlar unraveled from a woven bundle to a long, single strand? If so, that's a cool approach! I've done some shock cord bundling with rubber bands and masking tape, and I've braided kevlar cord to give it added strength, but now I'm inspired to try an unraveling system.
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Google video
Apogee rockets model rocket deployment shock cords
Go to about 4 minutes into the video
ebruce1361
The man with the plan. And some duct tape.
That's a simplified version of an electrical extension cord bundling method my dad taught me years ago. He called it a "carpenter's weave", but I've never been able to find anything related to bundling cords based on that name. The best part is it's almost impossible to tangle an extension cord, hose, rope, etc. when bundled like that, but they also come apart easily when needed. I will have to incorporate this method into my rockets for shock cord management! Thanks!
