Posted by David Sherman on Thursday, November 25, 2004 at 11:54AM :
In Reply to: winch chain and cable posted by Steve Pellock on Wednesday, November 24, 2004 at 5:22PM :
I would avoid crosby clamps -- ugly, unwieldly, hard to wind on the drum, and definitely not stock. A socket is best, with about 3' of chain and a slip hook attached. You may need a special large link to attach the chain to the slip hook. An in-between option that any rigging shop can make is a thimble with a crimped collar on it. It's easier to make than a poured socket and leaves nothing sticking out to snag on things.
Whenever you make a loop, either with or without a thimble in it, even if you use crosby clamps, weave a flemish eye rather than just looping the cable around. A flemish eye with one clamp on it will hold better than a simple loop with three clamps, and is very easy to make. I was told this by a man who rigged the anchor cables on the Evergreen Point floating bridge, so I assume he knew what he was talking about.
I'd be curious what your rigging shop thinks about SS. I suspect they'd recommend against it, even if you have an unlimited budget. The small winch drum on a truck is already too tight of a bend for normal steel cable, and tends to put a set into it. SS is even worse in terms of stiffness and fatigue from repeated bending. Winch cable should be oiled now and then to help the strands slip over each other rather than cutting and crushing each other, and that lubrication is normally enough to prevent significant rusting.
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