Maximum Cartridge Tracking Force for long LP Life

@richardbrand 

"My particular arm is a "3009 Series II improved with fixed headshell", and was only supplied by the factory with one balance weight, one outrigger weight and one anti-skate weight for a maximum 1.5 grams tracking force.  Clearly SME had the Shure V15 in mind!"

Yes, it seems by your description SME had a particular purpose for that arm in mind.

"Logically I should almost double the anti-skate weight from 3-grams to 5.6-grams."

Yeah, anti-skate has always been one of those controversial topics. On my current turntable after meticulously setting up the arm for my Hana I just applied the force recommended by Luxman by setting the dial at 2gms and its just been absolutely perfect.

@theophile 

"Run the cartridge in initially at the manufacturer's maximum(say for 60 hours) then set at the manufacturer's recommended tracking force whatever that is."

Yes, the option of tuning the VTF minutely once you become familiar with your cartridges sound is always an option.

Its really nice to come across a thread where all of the participants are on the same page regarding the topic at hand. You've all provided a wealth of knowledge to other Audiogon subscribers who stumble upon it.

FWIW:  The concept of elastic limits and transitioning to plastic is discussed in the article Stylus Mass and Reproduction Distortion, J. Walton Wireless-World-1963-04.pdf (worldradiohistory.com) which indicates that stylus mass is a significant factor in distortion and record wear.  Walton published a later article Stylus Mass and Elliptical Point specific to elliptical styli in 1966, Walton.pdf (freudhoefer.de).

The two factors that are important are the effective stylus mass (which includes the cantilever and is reported by some manufacturers) which the 1st article addresses tests done with a stylus mass of 3-mg (which is quite high by today's standards) and the VTF which the 1st article conclusion states to be less than 5-gms.  Here is a list of effective stylus/tip-masses first developed byPhono Cartridge Equivalent/Effective Tip Mass Master List | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum with the latest list  - Effective Tip Mass | myhi.fi.  Most modern cartridges have low effective stylus mass.   

Just to add to the discussion, I have an ART20, VTF 1.8 grams, mounted in my SME 3009 series II improved with fixed head shell.  It never occurred to me that this was outside of design parameters until I read this thread.  FWIW, it works just fine as verified both sonically and by measurement using AnalogMagik.

@billstevenson, 

I have an ART20, VTF 1.8 grams, mounted in my SME 3009 series II improved with fixed head shell.  It never occurred to me that this was outside of design parameters until I read this thread. 

How is your ART20 outside of design parameters?  It's perfect - Dual Moving Coil Stereo Cartridge | AT-ART20 | Audio-Technica | Audio-Technica.  The VTF is fine and although the effective stylus mass is not known, I am quite sure that it follows common design practices and is down around 0.3-mg.  

If the goal is to maximize LP life, then you’ll want to keep your LPs and stylus squeaky clean. Cleanliness can be as critical a factor as VTF.