30
ACT
FEBRUARY 2015
RIGGINGREVIEW
Withdetailedpictures
arranged to support
the text, the reader is
then taken through the
practicalitiesof unreeling
wire rope– something
almost every craneoperatorhasdone at
somepoint or another.
When removing the rope from the
shipping reel or coil, the reel or coilMUST
rotateas the ropeunwinds.Anyattempt to
unwinda rope from stationary reel or coil
WILL result inakinked rope that is ruined
beyond repair.
By popular demand
Filledwith real-world advice, the guide
reads as a sort of instructionmanual
to the industry,which in away it is. I
askedTonyFastuca, vicepresident of
PythonAmerica&HighPerformance
Products, how the guide came about, and
he referenced a situation that cameup a
number of years ago.
“Backaround2010, Link-Belt askedus
toput together informationon theproper
installationof Pythonhigh-performance,
non-rotating ropes for thehoist ropes that
weprovide for their cranes,”Fastuca said.
“Our clientswere looking for aguide that
wouldassist inproperly installing these
expensive ropes so theywouldnot get
damagedduring installation.”
According toFastuca, the result of Link-
Belt’s request is the current guide– filled
with images and illustrations that seek to
ensurePython’shighly engineered ropes
areproperly installedanddon’t assume
prematuredamage resulting in theneed
to replace the ropebefore it has evenbeen
put intouse.
“Theguidewas affixed to every reel of
non-rotating rope sent out into the field so
the craneoperator coulduse it as ahandy
tool for correct installation,”Fastuca said.
“We also envisioned the craneoperator
putting theposter-typeguide in the cab
for easy reference.”
BethO’Quinn, SC&RAvicepresident,
spokeof the fundamental need for the
guides and themany requests for them the
associationhas received todate.
“Sinceoffering theguides,we’ve received
numerous requests frommembers across
theU.S., aswell asNewZealandand
Vietnam, further validating theneed for
this informationwithin the industry,
regardlessof a company’s geographical
location,” she said.
Itmakes sense that userswouldwant a
resource suchas theguide even though
theymight be fromdifferent continents.
The advice and instruction theguide
gives regarding themeasuringof the rope
diameter, for example, is straightforward
and exact, anddoesn’t changebasedon
geography.
Remember thatmostwire ropesmeasure
slightlyover theirnominal diameter.Wire
rope is allowed tomeasureup to5percent
over its nominal diameter; however, some
drum systems (e.g., Lebus) requirea tighter
tolerance.
Perhaps a readeroruser iswondering
about the specificsof recordkeeping.
The same section, “Measuring the rope
diameter,”gives the following instructions:
Keepa recordof thenew ropediameter
for future references. Youwill beasked to
determinehowmuch the ropediameterhas
R
ecently, the Specialized
Carriers andRigging
Association (SC&RA)
partneredwithPython Industries to
provide itsmember’s access to the
CraneWireRope InstallationGuide
, as
well as theone-page
WireRopeQuick
InstallationGuide forMobileCranes
.
Bothof thesepublications aremeant to
help companies get themost out of their
wire ropepurchases by achieving the full
service lifepotential of high-performance
and standardwire ropewhenused for
a varietyof demanding crane jobs. The
guides are intended, amongother things,
to assist theuser inpreventing rope
damage causedbykinks, untwisting and
loose strands during routinehandling and
installation.
The
CraneWireRope InstallationGuide
,
which is 16pages andavailable as aPDF,
beginsby informing the readerof the
exact criteria required toorderwire rope
fromamanufacturer. The text thenmoves
throughaquick introductionbefore
touchingonwhat todo if you findyourself
ina situationwhereyou’re required to
field-cut a rope.
After cutting the rope, it is goodpractice to
braze orweld the rope ends to ensure that
theydon’t unravel. Leave the seizingon the
rope for addedholding strength. Be careful
not todamage the seizingwhilebrazing.
Helpful
guides
TimHillegonds
reviews two recently
publishedwire rope guides.
THEAUTHOR
TimHillegonds
spent
10 years in the heavy
construction insurance
industry before founding
Thrive Creative Services,
a creative copywriting
agency dedicated to helping businesses
tell their stories. Formore information
visit
Brought to you in cooperationwithPythonAmerica
14
How toorder |How to installmobile crane ropes | How to inspect
05/2014
CRANE WIRE ROPE
Installation and Inspection Guide
Brought to you in cooperationwithPythonAmerica
The CraneWire Rope Installation Guide,
which is 16 pages and available as a PDF,
begins by informing the reader of the exact
criteria required to orderwire rope from a
manufacturer.
