A coil of steel tow rope is often found in the trunk of a car. Hooks are usually placed at its ends. Under load when towing, they can break, after which, accelerated by a spring-loaded cable, their heavy fragments fly into the car, leaving dents. Having gained such experience, drivers prefer to make loops at the ends of the cable. Although they are untied, they cannot cause damage. The alternative between the convenience of hooks and the security of knots is to crimp the loop completely with a tube. This is a quick and cheap way to prepare a towing line that I want to share.
Materials and tools:
- steel rope;
- copper tube with an internal diameter for 2 sections of cable;
- hammer;
- a dull chisel or a flat, non-sharp screwdriver.
Loop formation and cable crimping
The first step is to choose a tube made of copper, brass or aluminum. A length of 15-20 cm is enough, but no less, as this will reduce reliability. It is important that its internal diameter allows tension to thread the doubled cable. If it does not fit, then the tube can be slightly pressed along the length with a hammer. An oval section will give more space.The tube is fixed on a cable folded in half so as to obtain a loop of the required size.
Next you need to smooth out the crimp. With light blows of a hammer, the tube is given a slight flatness. After this, using a blunt chisel along its entire length, a groove is formed between the cables. The same is done on the reverse side. Soft metal is forced into the empty cavity, creating a crimp on the steel weave.
For reliability, you need to apply a transverse notch on the crimp. It is better to do it with a screwdriver or a chisel with a thinner, blunt tip. To prevent the tube from losing its strength, it is important to apply notches for each cable separately. A step is selected at which 2 rows of notches do not converge into one line. Similar actions are repeated on the reverse side.
After finishing the crimping, you can put the cable in the trunk and use it if necessary. When used, one end of it is inserted into the towing eye of the car and a loop is made to tighten it. The second end can be thrown onto the tow bar of another car. If it is not there, and you have to attach it to a closed eye, then you cannot do without a hook or carabiner. A similar method can be used to prepare cable for guy wires and winches. This will be much cheaper than factory cable clamps and neater than the knots.
Original article in English
