The present application provides a yarn accumulator for use with a yarn sausage in a heat setting line. The yarn applicator may include a sled in contact with the yarn sausage and a tensioning device in communication with the sled. The tensioning device applies a variable tension to the sled based upon the length of the yarn sausage. The tensioning device may include a sled pulley in communication with the sled, a ratioed pulley set in communication with the sled pulley, a counterweight pulley in communication with the ratioed pulley set, and a counterweight in communication with the counterweight pulley.