[TowerTalk] My first introduction to guy-wire dead end grips

[Patrick Greenlee]

Unfortunately I don't know how they work, just that they do work and 
very well in deed.  I would guess it is some mechanical process similar 
to Chinese finger cuffs or the wire pulling thingies similar thereunto 
but I'm not a Mechanical Engineer.  I have a good friend who has a MS in 
Mechanical Engineering from UCLA plus over 35 years of hands on 
experience who helped me install them on a 4-way guyed tower.   I have 
made him Bcc on this email and hopefully he will enlighten me so I can 
pass it on.  A lot of them in service and I have never heard of one 
loosing its grip.  Anyone ever know about one loosing its grip?

Patrick        NJ5G



On 1/7/2016 12:49 PM, dw wrote:
> I'm trying to understand the use of pre-formed wire-wrap dead-ends for
> guy-wires.
> If I understand the install process, the guy-wire itself doesn't wrap
> around the lower anchor fixture.
> But the dead-end goes into the lower anchor fixture and the dead-end
> then wraps around the guy-wire.
> First the guy-wire tension is pulled up to pre-tensioned position.
> Then the dead-end is fed through the anchor fixture.
> Then one leg of the dead-end is wrapped around the guy-wire...either
> wrapped all the way or part way.
> Then the other leg of the dead-end is wrapped.
> And then the wrapping is complete....I think that approximates the
> installation steps.
>
> The question I have is, what is supposed to keep that wrapped dead-end
> from slipping off the guy-wire?
> Hard for me to believe it will grip the guy-wire just being wrapped
> around it, especially when the guy wire is fully tensioned.
> Why not put forged guy-wire clamps around the dead-end after its wrapped
> to ensure it won't slip off the guy-wire?
> What am I missing?
>
> Also, companies like Hubbell and AED manufacture straight-type bolt-on
> clamps that come in different lengths....like 6 inches with 3 bolts.
> How does the bolt-on clamp assembly compare to the dead-end, in terms of
> reliability and pull strength?
> Thanks!
> N1BBR :-]