What is a wire rope thimble?
Wire rope thimbles, also called cable thimbles, are used to make a reinforced loop (eye) with grips, clips, or clamps. They prevent the cable from fraying due to friction at the point where it bears the load, which helps protect and extend the life of the cable or sling. They are just one type of wire rope fitting (sleeves, clips, terminals, etc.).
Different types of wire rope thimbles, wire rope thimble installation, and their uses.
Wire rope thimbles come in a variety of strengths and materials (carbon steel and stainless steel, you should know) but mainly they come in two different duty grades.
Light Duty: Our light duty thimbles are all zinc plated, can be used in static applications.
Heavy Duty: Our heavy duty rope thimbles are hot dip galvanized, which can create thicker coating than light duty thimbles
If you use it in high moisture or corrosive environments, recommend our stainless steel wire rope thimbles which can offer resistance to corrosion on the surface, particularly in marine applications.
Wire rope thimble installation
- No 1
Just wrap the end of the wire rope around the outside groove of the thimble, stick the dead end of the wire rope through the U-bolt of the wire rope clips or a wire rope ferrule crimp to hold onto the load attachment point at the end of the thimble to keep it from fraying from rubbing.
- No2
Once you have it in place, put another wire rope clip as close to the loop you just wrapped over the thimble as you can. Tighten the nuts down hard but don’t tighten them to the proper torque yet, we recommend using a crimping/swaging tool to mash the ferrule down hard on the rope to hold your thimble loop really tight.
If you prefer, you can use a wire rope ferrule crimp to hold your thimble in place. This is a fast and easy way to install it.
- No 3
Put on the rest of the wire rope clips, spaced evenly between the first two, and tighten them down with a wrench to the right tightness. They should be 6-7 rope diameters apart.
How to use wire rope thimble?
Wire rope thimbles are used with cable and rope to protect the eyes and allow for smooth rope guiding around natural curves. The most important thing is to make sure the thimble eye is securely fastened. Here are some tips for using wire rope thimbles correctly:
- To know the right rope thimble size to the cable, for example when you are using 1/2″ uncoated rope cable, use a 1/2″ wire rope thimble.
- Make sure that the cable thimbles size properly and securely fastened in the eye of the loop, not too loose or too tight, so they can create an extra layer of support to connect with other properly sized rigging fittings.
- When you are using a vinyl coated cable, you should multiply the actual size of the cable, usually use a larger size thimble than normal, for the actual diameter is the thickness of the vinyl coating plus the inside wire rope diameter. For example, if you are using a 5/16″ vinyl coated cable that is coated to 3/8″ diameter, you’d want to use a 3/8″ wire rope thimble.
Find our full hardwares for wire ropes and slings, check out our Rigging Accessories category to download fittings file.
