But we swapped to magnetic stabbing guides on 5" DP last hitch, and I’m torn on whether they help or invite lazy hands — anyone had them pop loose once the floor’s slick with mud or the stand swings hard? I’m strict on taglines and early thread calls, but if these hold under a busy night tower I’ll push to make them standard kit for floor safety.
On 5" DP, magnets stay put if wiped clean; mud kills grip — add a short tether. @OP.
Best luck we’ve had is scuffing the magnet faces and pipe contact patch with Scotch‑Brite and hitting both with brake cleaner first — cuts the dope/gloss and they hang tight even when the stand swings. You seeing any drop-off after hot trips by the iron roughneck, @OP? I’d still run a short lanyard as a catch.
We had them walk when fines built up on the cups; a quick “twist test” before stabbing — if it spins like a 45, pull it — caught the loose ones. Adding a thin strip of grit tape on the guide’s inner lip gave bite on slick dope; if your night tower’s chaotic, a hinge-and-latch guide is still my go-to, @OP.
, I’ve had them pop on 5" when the floor was snotty; cutting two tiny drain grooves in the guide’s pads lets the mud purge so the magnets sit flat — @julia_v29’s cleaning tip helps, but the grooves stop the hydroplane. If it still even hints at lifting on a “busy night tower”, we don’t argue and go clamp-on; curious if yours are popping more on hard swings or mostly when the floor’s slick.
Make sure the magnetic cups are a true 5.0" radius, not the 4.5–5.5 range type — point contact makes them sneeze off when the stand swings. We add a short tether so if one lets go it doesn’t dive the rotary, and a quick dead‑blow tap seats it and purges mud before the first stab. Are yours fixed‑size cups, @ellaF34, and do you know if they’re N42 or N52?
Do a quick pull test with a 50 lb fish scale on each cup before the first stand on 5" — under about 30 lb per cup and it gets cleaned or benched. They’ll fake a seat if they’re straddling hardband or the bevel weld, so place them clear and add a tiny witness mark so the hands hit the same spot. If you want it as “standard kit”, track pull force vs near-miss for a hitch to see if it holds up without slowing your early thread calls.