ORIGINAL: Clay Walters
But it would seem unreliable to leave it this way. Once the initial cable length is established and adjusted so that the hookup between the rudder and the servo are solid and functioning - should I then crimp the sleeve?
All new to me and hopefully someone out there has seen these and knows what I'm supposed to do.
Yes...that's [precisely the point of those small "sleeves" or crimp tubes. they crimp to hold the cable (usually at the servo end, though not always...appears yours is done at the rudder end, from your description...and that's fine).
The two major things to make sure of in a Pull-Pull system are this:
1) You are correct..it is insecure to have any point where things could come "undone". So, be sure things are nice and tight, crimped, secure, etc.
2) Cables can and do stretch during use, due to weather/temp, etc. So, first, make sure you can adjust tension at one end or the other without too much hassle. This is usually done by having some sort of threaded clevis at one end attached to a threaded coupler. Second, after the first 2-3 flights, inspect those cables...they will probably have loosened a bit, and need tightening. Do this pretty consistently....every 2-3 flights...until things stabilize for you.
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You'll find, ime, that pull-pull systems can be very precise and slop free when correctly installed and maintained, but they DO tend to require a bit more attention to maintenance than other systems. Just keep an eye on things, and you'll enjoy the results, I think.