Wire Rope Terminology

I asked a bit about rope a couple years ago when I should have done this, but didn't get any feedback. Well, I'm actually going to buy the rope now, because I need to pick something up that I can't reach with my loader. The spec in the user manual gives me the size, and construction, which I understand, but then adds "ends taped" to two out of the 3 different cables involved. This is a 1965 manual, so I know terminology may have changed, and tech certainly has. I'm not sure what they're looking for with "taped". Per book: Hoist rope - "1/2" 8x19 spin resistant, right regular lay, IPS, IWRC, preformed, ends taped ." Swing rope - "5/8" 6x25 right regular lay, IPS, IWRC, preformed, ends taped " I've got a mid 90's "Wire Rope Users Manual" from The Wire Rope Technical Board. It covers end terminations, but not "taped". Are they literally just saying run some tape around the end? I mean I do that with little stuff like 1/8", or 1/4" and it keeps it nice and neat for cutting, and handling, but that seems too simple in this case. Particularly since they don't mention it on the 3rd ("Equalizer") rope spec. Thoughts?

I would say from my wire rope experience that what is in the manual could possibly be a misprint. I think they may have used the word "taped" instead of "tapered". Tapering is a common way of terminating a wire rope to that the ends do not unravel. It also makes the rope easier to feed through the opening in a drum or an anchor. Tapered ends would be common in that size of rope. Here's an example I found on the internet.Your wire rope manual may well contain examples as well. https://www.unirope.com/ropes/fused-and-tapered-rope-ends/

Possible Nige but it is also common practice to tape the ends of a rope or closely wrap a very fine wire around the end of the rope for a 1/2" or so but that sometimes gets in the way and you then remove and tape with anything from black tape to quacker tape.

From my past experience we rapped tape on the rope at the area of the cut then had a gilatean and a 20lb hammer. 1 good swing would cut a -½ inch rope core SWR. Both ends would stay intact and made it easy to slip the snotter on.

HATCHEQUIP said: or closely wrap a very fine wire around the end of the rope.......but that sometimes gets in the way Click to expand... That’s a process known as “seizing” if my memory serves me correctly. That's what made me think about tapering the ends of the rope, especially if one end of the rope was to be installed in a drum anchor.

Whats worse is reeving a open backed block. Over the years I have seen some new rope come in that was tapered but have never ground one or seen one ground in the field but I have taken a torch and a coat hanger or brazing wire and melted a point on one for those dam open backed blocks.

I still have nightmares of seizing, and hand-splicing, 1-1/2" wire rope. An "endless" splice on that size of rope covered 140 feet overall. Oh and mounting 3" lock-coil winding rope into spelter sockets with buckets of lead solder......

Dont sweat in the pot

HATCHEQUIP said: Dont sweat in the pot Click to expand... Oh Hell no.......!! It was hard not to in a tropical climate though. I grew up in the age where all the underground coal operations were nationalised and so it was easy for the National Coal Board (NCB) to create a set of standards that were used everywhere throughout the country. Every colliery had a team of Ropemen whose job it was to install, service, & maintain all the ropes in the mine. This was everything from endless haulage ropes underground to the lock-coil ropes used on the shaft winding gear. The NCB Ropeman's Handbook was the gold standard. I still have mine.

Thanks. My book does cover the tapered option, and that would probably be nice for running the cable through all the sheaves on an H3. The op manual goes into great detail on the process of replacement, so perhaps there is more info in there that will clarify things.

Find a piece of hose that just fits over the end of your wire. The hose is easy to feed around the sheaves then you stuff your wire into it and pull back on the hose as you feed the wire around the sheave.I find thin wall plastic hose works great . Ive seen the ends of wire on Tirfors tapered. The rope shop we deal with has a rig you clamp the wire into and twist it by hand as its heated with a torch. Makes a nice tight taper on the end,but thats no help reeving an open back block.

On the spud lines that reeve through a shiv that is underwater, you weld the new wire to the old one.

I weld the new wire to the old on my topping lines .Its the only way to get around those tight sheaves easily.

Thanks for the hose trick @Tugger2 Good to have this stuff written down.

Our memory banks are shrinking at this stage of life. The ragged old note book is really important now.

The hose trick sounds good. When it came down to it, I just ended up crawing in to the cage to thread it through all the sheaves. It sucked, but it got done. I would have had to get in there to feed a hose too, so no big loss. I think it was harder getting in and out than it was feeding the cable once I was in there.