How do you know when to change the string on your bow?

[silvergts1998]

Any signs that I should look for? What happens if the string breaks? Anyone have this happen? I am sure it's dangerous right?

[backstrap]

look for fraying or broken stands on your string or cable. If the sting or cable break it can cause injure to you as well as damage to the limbs and cam on your bow pretty much the same as a dry fire.
If the string and cable look ok then it depends on how much you shoot your bow. I would suggest replacing your string and cables at least every 3 years.

[silvergts1998]

how much tension can these strings hold? Are they that tough to put up with that kind of abuse? What kind of material is it?

[backstrap]

What kind of abuse ?? Bow manufacturers make their choice of string material based on many criteria but primarily safety and performance. Performance meaning speed, low or no creep, vibration, and durability. Bow manufacturers do extensive testing. Some put a higher priority on certain criteria than others but they are all very conscious of safety.

[Ancientarcher]

Most modern bow string are made of extremely strong materials.On average most bow strings have 18 strands which have at least a 125 lbs breaking capacity each.The strings have a very strong tensile strength,but they must be cared for to prevent freying,by waxing regularly.When a string is released from full draw,the individual strands vibrate together violently and over time wear and frey thus weakening their strength.Waxing the strings and buss cables helps prevent this vibrating,keeps out moisure and lubricates the strings to help prevent friction and damage from rubbing against the many things encountered while hunting,like tree bark,thorns etc. as well as cable slides and other accessories.

If you string shows a lot of freying anywhere on the string,it would be a good idea to replace it and be vigilant to care for the new one,they tend to be expensive.I have a 2001 Hoyt ProTech,my favorite bow of all time that I have kept the strings and cable well waxed,it still has the original set of strings and cables.I will replace them next year,just to be safe.As a matter of course,replace your well cared for strings from 3 to 5 years.

[DocHolladay]

When to replace is up to the shooter. Some people prefer to replace the string every 2 years, like some manufacturers suggest. I personally just keep an eye on the string and look for to much fraying or broken strands. Some fraying/fuzzies is to be expected from normal shooting. Excessive fraying/fuzzies, I would change the string. My last bow string lasted for 4 years before I changed it, I ended up have a strand break while hunting(I think I caught it on a thorn bush). I would suggest to wax after every outing if you shoot alot(50+ shots) each trip. If not, I wax after every second or 3rd trip out. If I am hunting and my string gets wet from rain, I let the bow dry for a few hours and then wax the string.

[Ancientarcher]

Yesterday i replaced the entire original string/cable set for a customer on his 5 yr old Hoyt Magnatech.The bow was shooting very well with no tuning problems at all.Just for fun I removed the center serving on the old string and there were 4 broken strands underneath.Each of those strands,according to the hoyt factory tech,has a tensile strength of 150 lbs,he still had 14 strands remaining,so its unlikely you will get a break just from the draw weight load or release.However these strings still will cut cleanly when comeing in contact with anything sharp.The owner of the Hoyt said he replaced the center serving himself and had a hard time and probobly nicked the string without noticing it and just served over it.Modern bow strings are very expensive,but are getting stronger and better all the time.Well cared for sets can last long if cared for and attended to.It used to be that strings and cables were replaced because the stretched beyond their usefullness,nowdays,strings stretch very little.