Does this wire rope need to be replaced?

On 07/18/2015 9:18 AM, Joe Gwinn wrote: ...

Spent the money on the crane and compared to the new cable it's cheap insurance...

I have a huge amount of free hydraulic oil (barrels), and have a good amount of way oil (3-4 gallons). Wire rope lubricant is about $30 per gallon.

Most any oil will be better than nothing. The hydraulic oil may evaporate faster than Way oil.

I do not expect you will be using the crane for hours every day, so prevent ing rust is probably your prime concern. If you have any cosmolene you cou ld add that to some hydraulic oil and use that. Or if you have a pottery s upply near by you could get some Microcrystalline wax and add that to hydra ulic oil. Essentially the same as cosmolene.

Dan

Iggy, you have the BEST toys.

And I'm glad to see you've decided to replace the rope. I would go along wi th the suggestion of microcystalline wax dissolved in hydraulic oil. I woul d think this would have pretty much the same characteristics of LPS-3 which is ideal for this kind of application - penetrates well, then the volatile s evaporate leaving a waxy protective layer.

rangerssuck wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

Machinary's handbook (1943) recommends Linseed oil for wire ropes.

In marine applications, traditional wire rope dressings often contained anhydrous lanolin.

On 07/18/2015 9:59 AM, Ignoramus3944 wrote: ...

What's the cable going to be?

Machinery's Handbook sez that wire rope lubricants vary according to use. The maker of the wire rope should be able to tell you what kind of lubricant to use. If you cannot get the info or lube then an adhesive lubricant, such as the type used for open gearing, would be suitable. The Handbook also sez that the lube may be so thick at room temp that it must be heated to flow. It seems to me that a very thick sticky lube will probably stay in place the longest. Having to heat the lube to make it thin enough to penetrate to the core seems best to me because when it cools it will be thick enough to stay in the core on hot days or when heavily used. As erxpensive as wire rope is I would think lubing it properly would be a big money saver in the long run. Probably for you though Iggy some dude just gave you a 50 ton spool of new surplus wire rope if you will just haul it off. Eric

Main cable on a rough terrain crane. 1/2" 19x7.

Hey could sell it to a Yuppie "artist" for lots of money.

Knew that; I meant in $$ as compared to $30/gal...

Gunner Asch fired this volley in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Yeah...I know you weren't maritime. "Rope" is always metal. "Line" is fiber. "Cable" is electrical.

(old Navy) Lloyd

That may be navy, Lloyd, but it sure isn't "maritime." Rope is the twisted material, no matter what it's made from. A line is a cut piece of rope.

Fiber rope is made on a rope walk, as it has been for hundreds of years. It is stored in rope lockers. Line(s) are the cut pieces of rope used for specific purposes on a boat or ship.

It forges real well, makes interesting pattern welded steel.

I'd talk to experts. The thing about way oil is it is thick and sticky. Less dripping and evap off as with lighter oils. Made to stick.

But check with cable guys and see what grade they use. I think hydraulic would be a bit to light being an outdoor crane.

Mart> >> Hum - keep an eye out on a 55gal drum of way oil ? :-)

I wonder if it would be good sword material?

technomaNge

Gunner, thanks in general, but when seen in person, you can see that the wire rope is rusted bad. I already bought replacement wire rope, I will oil it generously. I oiled wire rope on the winch of the semi trailer 6 months ago and it does not rust at all. I am just deciding between way oil and used hydraulic oil.

It cannot be used for wire rope slings, I think. as it is so soft and flexible.

You should have had your readers on for that pic, Gramps. The rust cakes on top of that cable were deep. Last pic, magnified.

May we ask what you paid per foot?