cable storage

[Stubborn66]

Here is what I came up with to store extra cable so I can grab it and go.  I have 75 feet on each wheel, I made up two of them with old cable that I damaged the ends.  What are you guys doing?

 

[sweetk30]

i was talking with a retired member here a few days ago . he said they coiled in inside a old car tire .

[Derlyn Z]

That is a neat idea. We just have a few coils of cable hanging around the shop that we just grab and go.

[ESC]

We have switched away from wire rope for extensions and gone to synthetic.  Its much easier to store and to handle.  I buy the small tool bags from home depot or craftsman and put the synthetic rope in them.  All of our wreckers and flatbeds carry at least 1 100 foot synthetic extension in their toolbox.   Trying to mess around with the Wire extensions can be a hassle.  They are alot more bulky and hard to work with.

[GRUMPS The Towman]

I too switched to the 100' synthetic extensions although I still have a couple old lines coiled into a tire like sweetk30 mentioned. The beauty of the synthetic line is like esc stated, you throw it in one of those small canvas tool bags and boom, now it is on board with you all the time. No need to run back to the shop to grab your tire or wheel of coiled extension. I "daisy chain" wrap mine then put it in the bag. this way you pull it out of the bag, hook it to your casualty and it will play out as you walk it out to your rig. 

[Stubborn66]

I had these cables laying here, I was having an issue with winches crushing so I saved these after I cut out the bad part.  I cant bring myself to throw them away.  I had never heard of the tire, but I don't know if that would work after the cables had been wound on a drum, they have some memory left in them.  I can handle these on my own now.

 

My other "extension" is 200 feet of guard rail cable that we put ends on.  We have that is strung across the rafters in the shop.  When that comes down it is automatically another guy, or two if I can find the help at the time.

 

Synthetic would be what I would buy, but I am a bit cheap and will use these as long as I can

 

 

[GRUMPS The Towman]

I too used to keep my damaged lines after cutting away the damage until one day you realize they have been laying around for 2-3 years, You have 3 or 4 of them and you havent touched them since you rolled them up on the rim or into a tire. Nowadays When I change one out, It gets cut up and thrown in the scrap bin.

I would urge caution on using the guard rail cable on recoveries Stubborn. Although they look like any regular winch line many of them have nowhere near the load limit of actual winch line. they are not constructed in the same manner as true winch wire rope and not to mention you have no idea what it's W.L.L. really is. Not to say it wouldnt do the job, but I dont know if I would trust it on any real hard pulls or tricky rigging.

I am somewhat cheap myself but, I am also not a fan of things breaking on me when I need them the most.

[Stubborn66]

22 hours ago, GRUMPS The Towman said:

I would urge caution on using the guard rail cable on recoveries Stubborn. Although they look like any regular winch line many of them have nowhere near the load limit of actual winch line. they are not constructed in the same manner as true winch wire rope and not to mention you have no idea what it's W.L.L. really is. Not to say it wouldn't do the job, but I don't know if I would trust it on any real hard pulls or tricky rigging.

 

My dad or uncle got a roll of this years ago and it is either 11/16 or 3/4 diameter.  I hear what your saying and I know they aren't rated like a regular cable.  We have had this hooked to the back of a dozer to drag out a stuck excavator years ago, we were all ducking and taking cover on that one LOL.  Sometimes you have to do with what you have available.

I don't think I could exceed the WLL (what ever it is) with 10 ton winches and I haven't had it down in a long time, it is kinda a last resort.

 

I ended up going short 50' on the roll back to stop getting the cable tangle.  The only thing I could figure out is that the drum is narrower than on my other truck, and once I got over three layers it would not stop tangling??  I am going to throw one of these extensions in the side box because at 50' I am sure it will come into play.

 

[GRUMPS The Towman]

I will admit that having 100' on my roll back can be a pain at times and it does take a bit of attention to keep it from messing up. So I can understand your frustration and returning to just a 50' line. I am basically a 1 man band so I keep myself well over equipped to deal with any situation without having to call for help or someone to bring me different gear or another truck. 

The main reason it is different on a roll back is there is no fixed sheave to constantly guide the line like there is on a boom. No matter what direction you pull off a boom, it still has that 6' or more of a fixed point to hold it straight from the sheave. Even adding a snatch block on the deck at times is too little too late depending on the pull. On a roll back we pull right off the drum so the line will naturally go where it wants to. 

[Stubborn66]

I had put a new 75 on it since that was what was on it when I got it and tangled that one and crushed it, ordered a replacement and it was a 100' by mistake but the drum has room so I put it on thinking maybe more was better.  I was using two snatch blocks when I had to pull from the side, taking my time to watch the line, the second block centered up on the bed and it would still want to overwrap itself.  Once they start to crush I get worried about them breaking so I gave up and put a 50' on it and cranked the tension rollers up as tight at they would go and it is better. 

Like you, I am generally out there by myself so I added the extension cable and another snatch block so I can get most of them without getting the wrecker.  I have a guy helping me part time that I trust but he drives school bus so I don't want to bother him late at night unless really necessary.

[sweetk30]

i had run 50ft and 75ft on 21' rollbacks and found 50 was great for city stuff or just transport . but if doing some light recovery the extra 25ft was nice .

 

i also found the flat plate with compression springs worked better for me to keep the cable the best possible on the drum . but every time i did a long pull i still had to re-spool just to keep it safe and clean .

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Part of my weekly maintenance routine is to re-spool and oil my line. Any long pulls usually do require a re-spool as well. As far as crushing, I havent had that issue since I started using the super swedge line. As far as kinks or over wraps, As long as it is not a sharp kink or there is any broken strands the super swedge will straighten itself out after a re-spool with tension on it. I have been running the same line on my truck now for almost a year. It is ready for replacement but Mainly because my hook end is really starting to show some serious wear. I use the self locking ends on my roll back and over time they wear out and start to get a lot of slop and play in them. I will be changing it out here in the next week or so.

[sweetk30]

if you have a engine hoist or friend that does give them the old self lock swivel hook off the cable . i swapped both mine to the B/A full clamp swivel hook a few years ago and LOVE it . so much better lifting and moving things on a full 360* spin over them stupid hooks and 3-4 links of chain .