Wire Rope

[Deere Dude]

e-rigging.com is where I get my cable needs. I have a 50' 3/8 cable, a 100' 3'8 cable and a 100' 5/16" cable. All I do is tighten the ends around a thimble and clamp each end with three clamps minimum of appropriate size.

I have no problem pulling trees with a gmc 4wd dually and have jerked a couple feet to take up slack. Never broke a cable but had a 5/16 cable slip out of the clamps when I only used two clamps on an end. So now I use 3 clamps and have no problem since.

It is a hell of a lot lighter than fooling around with heavy chains. A couple years ago I got a quick release 15' choker for throwing around a tree while up on a ladder. I find it difficult to manhandle chains around trees while on an extension ladder.

 

[doneill127]

Not sure what size tractor you have, but you may want to match chain size/grade or cable to the load you’ll be pulling. The 1/4 HF chain while easy to work with has a working load limit of 1250 lbs vs 7/16 grade 70 chain with a 8750 lb working load. But way heavier to work with.

 

[marhar]

Chain..... It's easier to work with and adjust length and connect and what not.....

And its safer too... IF you have high tension on cable and it breaks loose it can come at you like a knife blade....

1/4 in. x 35 ft. Chain Coil

Amazing deals on this 1/4In 35Ft Chain Coil at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

1/4 in. 2600 lb. Clevis Grab Hooks, 2 Piece

Amazing deals on this 1/4In 2600Lb Clevis Hooks 2Pc at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

And if you need to adjust chain length this works really well....

The 1/4 inch 35ft chain will work. Per the HF website, it is only a little over 20lbs which is light enough to handle. Thank you for the advice.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

A Flemish Eye works good with a sleeve or wire rope clamp

gg

When I was a young lineman many years ago an old lineman taught me how to do that but he called it a Molly Heegan. I put a many an eye in wire rope through the years with this method up until not long before I retired the company wanted any loop or eye done by a certified rigging company , so they started paying hundreds of dollars per eye splice for what I had been doing for years.

 

[WranglerX]

The 1/4 inch 35ft chain will work. Per the HF website, it is only a little over 20lbs which is light enough to handle. Thank you for the advice.

I have done 50-60 pulls of some very stubborn tree trunks in very difficult situations and the 1/4 chain is successful ( but my tractor is probably 1/2 the size of yours) .... If log/tree trunk is not going to move tractor just digs in and tries to bury itself..... JUst be sure you are pulling from fixed draw bar below rear axle height...

I put a front pull ring on my tractor chassis so I don't have to pull from FEL and can watch what is happening with log while backing up ( good in some places/not so good in others)...

Also if you have problem with chain unhooking be sure you are going around log and bring chain up from under side of log so chain does not fall out of hook....

There is a old sailing term called "mousing" that you may also find useful... I sometimes use just a piece of mechanics tie wire... Mousing is also a term uses to tie the pin in a shacket to keep it from unscrewing...

 

[DGZRT]

https://ddsling.com/request-a-catalog/

DD Sling is a great company to work with . Check out the their catalog. And give them a call .

 

[Talltexan224]

I want a wire rope assembly with a thimble already crimped into the ends. I am looking for a 3/8in 50ft wire rope I can use to pull trees over or logs out of the pasture. Any recommendations where I can buy it?

If you cannot find a rigging Co find a sail loft. They make rigging for boats all the time

 

[oosik]

If you will be using any type of powered winch - you are probably stuck with wire rope - at least thru the winch. I learned many things - 20 years of winching in Alaska. Very important - use a thick set of leather gloves.

 

[John0829]

A Flemish Eye works good with a sleeve or wire rope clamp

gg

We called those "hastey slings", made a truck load of em' and taught many how to make them. Darn handy skill to have sometimes, just make sure you have good gloves when working with the larger wire ropes.

 

[WinterDeere]

Besure slip hook has lock lever that keeps chain from falling out of hook though....

View attachment 819350

I have at least two dozen hooks with those lever keepers, between various chains and tow straps. I can tell you not a single one of them has ever survived more than a few uses. They're all bent, distorted, jammed, or broken. I usually get around to grinding them off, if they're sewn into a strap, or replacing them with non-keeper hooks if they're on a chain.

I do like using chain as a choker, I have four made up with a grab hook on one end and a slip hook on the other. I've found that the keeper really isn't necessary, if you lay the chain right when setting up to lift or pull. If you can't manage that, I'd bet WranglerX's mousing trick is more reliable and less frustrating, although I've honestly never tried that.

One bit of advice on chain is to standardize on a reasonable size, so that as you can build up a nice collection of chains and hooks that all work well together. If that's not reasonable for your situation, then you'll want to make up some short adapter chains, with a grab hook on either end that adapts from one size to the next. I went with 5/16", partly because my father already had a few 5/16" that I inherited and built from, but also because it's a reasonable compromise between strength and weight, for most of what I do. Yes, my winch pulls hard enough to break 5/16", so I can't be an idiot at the controls, pulling against a dead stop. But I've never broken one, and my back thanks me every time I avoid picking up long lengths of 3/8" chain.