[TowerTalk] Crimps vs Clamps on Wire Rope

[Brad Pioveson W9FX]

Hi, TT'ers.  I'm about to replace the winch cable on one of my telescoping 
towers, and it occurs to me that I don't really know if there is an 
advantage, real or perceived, of using crimped wire rope clamps (Nicopress 
is the brand name that comes to mind) vs the more common U-bolt and saddle 
clamp.  In my career, I dealt with large wire ropes - 1-5/8" dia or larger, 
and we used  a number of very large U-bolt/saddle clamps on the ropes. 
These ropes were used to hoist 30 ton loads up and down an 800' vertical 
shaft.  This will be a somewhat less demanding application - 3/16" dia., 
7x19 galvanized wire rope, carrying a maximum of about 500 pounds of load.

So...beyond the convenience of installation, i.e., a quick squeeze of a 
Nicopress crimper vs fumbling around with nuts, a U-bolt and a saddle, all 
while trying to remember which way to install the rope clamp ('never saddle 
a dead horse...'), is there an advantage?

73, Brad, W9FX