How to Install Wire Rope Clips

Begin tightening the remaining clips starting with the clip closest to the dead end and working back to the eye.

Remove any slack in the cable between the clips by pushing the slack to the eye as you work your way down tightening all the clips in the termination.

After tightening all of the clips, it is important to do a first load on the assembly to seat all of the components.

Load the assembly with a load equal or greater to the load you expect it to see in service.

Inspect, tighten, and re-torque all the clips.

Now, your wire rope clip cable assembly is ready for service.

After proper assembly, a wire rope clip termination can be expected to hold 80% of the breaking strength of the wire rope for cable diameters 1/8” through 7/8”.

This number is typically referred to as termination efficiency.

Sizes 1” through 3 ½” has a termination efficiency of 90%.

For comparison, a swaged sleeve termination has a termination efficiency of 90% to 96%.

A benefit of using wire rope clips instead of swaged sleeves for making a termination is their ability to be reused, but there are some precautions you should take to ensure your wire rope clip is still fit for service.

The first thing to check is to make sure the u-bolt fits into the saddle with no force required. If it is difficult to mate these two components your U-bolt or saddle may be bent, and you should discard the clip.

Check the threads on the u-bolt to make sure they aren’t damaged, and that the nuts thread onto them easily.

Inspect the peaks and ridges on the saddle for damage or gouging.

Lastly, when installing the reused clips, ensure they can accept the recommended torque.

If you are using a pulley as a thimble, add 1 more clip to the assembly being sure to space the clips at least 1 saddle length apart from each other. The first clip near the pulley should be 1 pulley diameter distance from the center of the pulley and achieve a 60 degree included angle between the live and dead end.

Fist grip clips are a newer take on wire rope clips and are designed to make installation easier. Their saddles are mirrored allowing them to be installed in any orientation relative to the live and dead ends of the rope ensuring you can’t saddle a dead horse. In addition, they only have one nut on each side so a wrench can rotate freely when tightening.

To install, use the same procedure as traditional wire rope clips, but be sure to check our Fist Grip Clip page for the minimum number of clips required and recommended turnback and torque values.

The size of vinyl coated cable and the wire rope clips that fit may be confusing as some manufacturers measure different things. At E-Rigging, we list vinyl coated cable by the cable diameter.

The coating adds thickness, which is called the finished or final diameter, and is listed on our website’s product pages . It typically coincides with the next size larger cable or clip.

For example, 3/16” vinyl coated cable is coated to ¼” diameter. After you strip the coating off of the cable, it will still be 3/16” so you’d use a 3/16” clip.

Stripping Vinyl Coated Cable

Stripping the vinyl off of the cable in the area where the clips will be installed is recommended for maximum strength.

Measure and mark the cable and turnback just as you would if the cable was uncoated. Where the end of the dead end meets the live end is where you’ll want to start stripping.

Once marked, strip the vinyl coating off and apply the clips just as you normally would on uncoated cable.

Applying Wire Rope Clips over Vinyl Coated Cable

Applying wire rope clips over vinyl coated cable may be preferable to achieve a certain look or feel, or when corrosion resistance is valued over strength.

To size the connection properly, measure the outside diameter of the coated cable,

or look to our product specifications page.

If the coated or finished diameter is ¼”, use a ¼” wire rope clip.

The preferred method for splicing two cables together using wire rope clips is forming two interconnected eyes,

but for less critical applications, a lap splice can be used.

Overlap the two seized ends of the wire rope by twice the amount of turnback used in a traditional eye termination.

Using twice the number of clips required for a single eye termination, place the first clip one saddle length from the end of one of the dead ends, ensuring you don’t saddle a dead horse.

Tighten and torque that clip to the recommend torque value.

Work your way down the length of the cable equally spacing and hand tightening the clips.

Remove any slack in the line between clips as you work your way down.

Once all of the clips have been applied and the slack removed, work from the first clip you installed and tighten and torque all the remaining clips.

The process is even easier for fist grip clips because saddle orientation doesn’t matter due to their mirrored design.

Single and Double stamped cable clamps require a slightly different assembly procedure.

First, make sure the cable’s final diameter matches the clip you are using.

Then, seize the end of the cable.

Unscrew the nuts and remove the top plate.

Place the cable into the body of the clip and work it into the grooves and around the bolts, leaving at least 2 cable diameters of dead end protruding from the body.

Form the eye to the size you require and work the cable into the other side.

Place the top plate onto the body to capture the cable and tighten the nuts by hand.

Use a wrench for final tightening while alternating between nuts to ensure equal pressure.

If you wish, trim and seize any excess dead-end protruding from the clip, being sure to leave at least 2 cable diameters.

For single stamped cable clamps use the same guidelines as you would for a double stamped clamp.