Canopy Tours select Dillon Quick Check to ensure Zip-Line safety

As one of South Africa’s fastest growing eco-adventures, Canopy Tours® is a zip-line adventure that takes thrill seekers on a journey through the treetops on a set of platforms connected by steel cables. 

Needless to say, with many of the zip-lines at the company’s seven sites set high above the forest canopy, safety is paramount and cables are subject to regular and exacting checks. The Dillon Quick-Check tension meter offers an ideal solution to measure cable tension – an extremely important element of zip-line safety. As well as the more obvious safety concern of the level of strain put on the anchor points, the tension on the line also has a direct impact on the rider’s speed and altitude.

Mark Brown, joint company founder, explains; As a civil engineer by trade, I understand the importance of good design, construction, and maintenance to any kind of built-structure. The Dillon Quick check allows us to measure the tension of the cables, which is a critical safety measure. Having cables set too slack could result in a rider stopping before they reach the platform, while the correct tension will allow the rider to maintain a safe and consistent speed until the end of the line. At Canopy Tours, where clients trust us with their lives and the well-being of their family or friends, safety is absolutely our number one priority.” 

Each branch’s zip-line system has been designed and certified by a qualified engineer, with maintenance and measurement of the tension of the zip-line cables carried out at regular intervals.

The Dillon Quick-Check can be placed on the zip-line cable, measure its tension, and be removed in under five seconds, simplifying the process for the Canopy Tour engineers by removing the need for complex lookup tables or conversion charts. The operator can quickly select from 20 pre-calibrated wire sizes and types stored in Quick-Check’s memory, saving time and ensuring accuracy. In addition, the tensioning mode graphically displays the current and target tension control limits for extremely quick setting of line tension, ensuring quick and precise measurement.

Mark continues, “The Dillon Quick-Check tension meter is ideal because it is a portable product, which is easy to use and guarantees high accuracy and safety. We do our utmost to ensure that our clients are safe and, importantly, that they feel safe at all times, so that they can truly enjoy the experience we take them on. Why? Because our business depends on it.”