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Repairing / reconnecting steel winch cable


jamesvfr

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Hi all

Not sure if this can be done at home or not

Last time i used my winch the steel cable snapped just 2 feet from the hook leaving lots left

I know it may have something to do with it being an slightly old cable which i will be replacing but i need to know of it can be repaired / reclamped if you know what i mean so i can re-attatch the hook

Only reason is a friend crashed his car into a deep ditch yesterday + im going to recover him tonight or tomorrow, might need to winch depending on how deep the ditch is, the cable wont be used after this + i cant get a new one in time

How can it be done?

Cheers

James

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you can still splice steel cable , lot more work mind and probably stab your self a few times in the procces ,

as some one has allready said it better to take it some where and get it swaged back on , had one done @ chester chain some years ago around £5

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A quick repair idea is Bulldog grips, 3 spaced about 2" apart with the tail of the rope under the U bolt. The Royal Sun Alliance lifting gear inspector who inspects the lifting equipment at work for insurance purposes is fine with them for wire ropes not used for hoisting.

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The reason I suggested splicing was the time frame involved i.e tonight /tomorrow for the recovery, I agree there are easier methods crimp/ bulldog clips but they may not be available locally. Besides learning to splice is a fun/ useful thing anyway.

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To make splicing a little less bloody you could weld the ends of each strand so the wires stay together. Carefully unwind the strands without disturbing the wires and then tack weld the ends. They end up as safe round blobs. Then you can get splicing. To open the rope for braiding you can use a 6" nail or centre punch.

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A quick repair idea is Bulldog grips, 3 spaced about 2" apart with the tail of the rope under the U bolt. The Royal Sun Alliance lifting gear inspector who inspects the lifting equipment at work for insurance purposes is fine with them for wire ropes not used for hoisting.

ditto the above....

on our cranes we use a wedge system to attach the hook.

i've seen metal wire spliced, it doesn't look fun :ph34r: we have to install a new spool of 1 3/4" line which someone suggested is spliced :unsure:

G

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the easiest method is to fit a new one, loads of people have them spare from fitting synthetic ropes :)

A quick repair idea is Bulldog grips, 3 spaced about 2" apart with the tail of the rope under the U bolt. The Royal Sun Alliance lifting gear inspector who inspects the lifting equipment at work for insurance purposes is fine with them for wire ropes not used for hoisting.

ditto the above....

on our cranes we use a wedge system to attach the hook.

i've seen metal wire spliced, it doesn't look fun :ph34r: we have to install a new spool of 1 3/4" line which someone suggested is spliced :unsure:

G

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i've seen metal wire spliced, it doesn't look fun :ph34r: we have to install a new spool of 1 3/4" line which someone suggested is spliced :unsure:

G,

For replacing 1-3/4" (drill?) line, you will probably use two wire rope snakes tied back onto the wire with thin manilla rope etc. - Stand clear when its going up n' over. ;)

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For 1 3/4" line it will have an outer layer of twisted wire laid around an inner core of either twisted or straight wires, which is more of a challenge to splice. Winch cable being 6 or 8mm will probably just be a 3 strand wire rope which is relatively easy to splice (useful to know how for field repairs as well).

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G,

For replacing 1-3/4" (drill?) line, you will probably use two wire rope snakes tied back onto the wire with thin manilla rope etc. - Stand clear when its going up n' over. ;)

yes it's a drill line. my pusher said that either a snake would be used or it would be spliced.... it's not been done yet afaik. we use snakes on all our other cables, my AD managed to snap one not too long ago whilst redoing a tugger in the derrick...turned a small job into a right ball ache LOL

G

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Its years since I spliced a steel rope...its a pig to open up the strands sometimes, and you do need a good size fid, a heavy round 6" nail is the absolute minimum you need. A decent size (3/4") centre punch would be more succesful.

I never welded the end of the strands, good quality insulation works well, the trick is to get it taped straight away so it cant start seperating.

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