It’s important to choose the right wire rope for lifting, pulling, hoisting, towing, and anchoring applications. So, you want to purchase a product made by a reputable wire rope manufacturer.
Wire Rope Essentials
When you work with a top wire rope supplier, you’ll get great service. But even with their help, you should learn as much as you can. That will make it easier for you to choose.
Always work with a good cable supplier. You want someone who sells products from a top wire rope manufacturer. Wire ropes are also called slings. The properties of wire ropes determine how much they can lift and how well they perform.
The Right Kind
Some examples of slings you can buy from a wire rope supplier are single leg, two leg, three leg, four leg, domestic, and braided. You want a sling that is versatile and strong.
Length
Length is another thing. You give the wire rope supplier the information, and they cut the wire rope to length. Length is the total number of feet when it is wrapped around.
Size
Next up is the size of the wire rope. Because of the demand, the top wire rope manufacturers make a bunch of different sizes. The size you see is the diameter of the sling. Sometimes it’s in millimeters, sometimes it’s in inches. You’ll also see the wire per layer, the number of layers, and the wire size per layer.
They make different sizes by using different patterns. You can get what you need from a reputable cable supplier. Here are some examples:
- Single Layer – A single layer sling usually has seven strands. There’s one in the middle and then six around it.
- Seale – This has two layers of wire around one in the middle. All the wires are the same size for Seale slings.
- Filler – This has two layers of wire around one in the middle. The inner layer has half the number of wires as the outer layer, and they’re the same size.
- Warrington – Again, there’s one wire in the middle with two layers around it. The inner layer wires are the same size, but the outer layer wires are two different sizes and alternate small and large.
- Combination – Although you can get any of the above from a cable supplier, a combination sling is very popular. As the name implies, the manufacturer uses one or more of the above patterns.
Lay
This refers to how the wires are laid to form a strand. There are three options. The first is regular lay, where the wires line up with the axis of the rope. The second is long lay, where the wires form an angle with the axis of the rope. The third is alternate lay, which is a combination of regular and long lay strands.
Finish
There are also different finishes. Again, the best wire rope suppliers will help you choose. The finish adds strength to the sling and protects it from abrasion, heat, friction, corrosion, and other damage. These include stainless steel, zinc coated, and bright.
Grades
The grades are classified by the strength of the steel. They are:
- IPS (Improved Plow Steel)
- EIPS (Extra Improved Plow Steel)
- EEIPS (Extra Extra Improved Plow Steel)
- GIPS (Galvanized Improved Plow Steel)
- DGIPS (Drawn Galvanized Improved Plow Steel)
Core Type
Finally, a reputable wire rope supplier will help you choose the right core type. This is what’s inside the rope. The options are Fiber Core, IWRC (Independent Wire Rope Core), and WS (Wire Strand).
One of the Best Wire Rope Suppliers
When you’re ready to buy wire rope or other industrial hardware, come to Ivitalrigging.com. We have a wide selection, and everything we sell is top quality.
