[TowerTalk] Fulton K1550 / K2550 Swap: Cable Question

[Richard (Rick) Karlquist]

All winches I am familiar with show a tension rating
of so many pounds with a footnote saying that the rating
applies with a single layer of cable on the drum.  So
it is actually good to be down to the last layer when
the tower is all the way laid over...as long as there
are "enough" turns left.  The KX550 cable grip itself has a
decent amount of tensioning ability, and the friction of
just a few turns is plenty to take care of 2,500 lbs
of tension.  The more tension on the cable, the more
friction from these turns; it is a mechanical "amplifier".
I would say 4 turns is conservatively all you need.

Rick N6RK

On 6/4/2015 12:07 PM, Tony wrote:
> All:
>
> I recently replaced the Fulton K1550 winch on my U.S. Tower rasing
> fixture with a Fulton K2550. It was a direct swap so I didn't have to
> modify mounting plate.
>
> My only concern is that the wider spool of the K2550 has 2 layers of
> cable on it so it will be down to last layer when the tower is tilted over.
>
> Although most of the last layer will still be on the spool, I need to be
> sure that it provides enough grip to safely lower and raise the tower.
> The K1550 had 3 1/2 layers to work with.
>
> So should I leave it as is or buy a longer cable?
>
> Tony
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