Falls and crackers take the brunt of the wear from whip cracking. Over time, the end of the fall will wear off. When it gets down to 12-18 inches, it needs replacing.
Leather falls also stretch and should be replaced when they have become noticeably thinner than the end of the thong. In addition, the kangaroo strands adjacent to the fall will, in time, break because of the sharp flexing at this point. The fall should be replaced as soon as the first strand breaks.
People often ask the difference between red and white falls. Neither one is better than the other. Red hide falls tend to hold their thickness but eventually break. On the other hand, white hide falls stretch more but need watching to prevent them from getting too thin.
We get many questions on how to replace a whip fall. For whips with the thong strands intact, it’s quite easy! If the strands of the whip are damaged, the process is a little harder, but you can do it with a little patience. Here is a link to the instructions at davidmorgan.com.
If you wish to have us change it for you, you can check out our service here.
Update:
We now have a video that demonstrates a whip fall replacement. Click on the YouTube Icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to see all of our videos.