For those of you that own a 7-1P manual return start gate, this might be of interest. I own two of them and use for scored racing. Some time ago one of them had a loose piece rattling around inside. I cut the sticker along the seam of the case, removed the silicone plugs and a Phillips screwdriver opened it up. The noise came from a bushing that goes on the end of the axle. To replace you should move the arm to the open position (this moves the spring out of the way) and slide the bushing back on. This past weekend the second unit did the same thing. I used the process described above to repair it.
When you are inside you will see that the bushing is restricted from coming off when the gate is in the closed position by the spring. This is why it is stated that you should always leave them in the closed position when not in use, especially during transport. Save your gate a trip to Switzerland or NY and service it yourself.
Side note: I have two 7-1 gates and have never seen this happen. Maybe a different design of this area for the 7-1P
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