Topic: Do bumpers ever go bad?

[waterprosurge]

Curious, besides the obvious (cracks, breaks, etc), do bumpers naturally go bad over time?

I just purchased a Tornado Cyclone II and am about to do a deep clean on it where I'll be taking apart the rods, men, etc. This got me thinking. Since the rods are already going to be completely apart and I have easy access to the bumpers, should I just go ahead and replace them ($35 + tax)?  All the bumpers visibly look to be in good condition, but at the same time I'm sure they're probably the original bumpers from 10+ years ago. I'm not sure if the bumpers harden over time and lose their bounce or anything like that so figured I'd ask.

Just figured if I was going to replace them, now's the time to do it. But at the same time, I don't want to throw money out the window if the existing ones will still work just fine.

Thanks!

[Tookoolfoos]

I had a whirlwind table, the bumpers were hard, but you could replace the 5 rods and the forward 3 rods with new ones so half.  Keep the best used ones for the D men and have spares.  You want to have some extra roll pins and players too.  Cause when you are working on your wall passes, the bumpers will take a total. When tapping the roll pins back in. Do it from the back of the men and the roll pin "claws" facing up for the most strength. Same with handles too.

[waterprosurge]

Thanks Tookoolfoos for the info and tips on putting in the pins!

[crazy8]

Had a Cyclone II for 15-years before finally getting a coin-op.  If the bumpers have dried up I think you would know.  Do the have any softness?  If so - they're okay.

[waterprosurge]

Most of them are pretty soft and squishy.  There's a couple that look like they may be just slightly smaller than the rest of them and they're not quite as soft and squishy, but they're also not rock hard either.  It's somewhere in between.  Maybe when the rubber dries out they shrink a little? Also when I say smaller, I'm talking maybe like 1/8" difference. 

[alaskan thunder]

They can get soft and mushy. Usually the 3 bar and 2 bar are the first to go. If you are using the table yourself. I would replace the soft ones.

[waterprosurge]

Thanks everyone for the replies.  After looking at them closer, I was able to separate them into 3 groups (gtg, average, and needs replacement) based off your feedback.  After doing this, I had 6 that definitely needed to be replaced, another 4 that were decent, and 6 that were still in great condition.  I decided to just take the plunge and order a whole new set figuring I'd have 6 extras.  The new set arrived today and wow, there is definitely a difference even between the new ones and the 6 that I thought were in great condition.  I'll still end up keeping those 6 just in case, but I am definitely happy I decided to replace all of them.

Thank you everyone for you help on this!