Posted by Beth Smith on 12/14/2017 to How To...

Below is our video explaining different wire rope clips and the different environments in which each wire rope clip is best suited.

If you would prefer a text and picture explanation of the video, keep scrolling.

If you are seeking information on the proper installation of wire rope clips, please look to our Wire Rope Clip page, our YouTube Channel, or the direct link to the video at the end of this article .

Want more information? Please contact our team by using the link provided at the end of this article. We look forward to assisting you with any of your rigging questions.

Wire Rope Clips may also be referred to as Wire Rope Clamps, Cable Clamps, Wire Clamps, Wire Clips, U-Bolts or other local terms. These typically all refer to the same group of products.

Wire Rope Clips are used to form a load bearing eye at the end of a wire rope/cable and to connect two cables together using a lap splice.
E-Rigging carries a variety of wire rope clips in different materials, styles, and coating types. These wire rope clips are suited for less than permanent applications. They can be secured with common hand tools and are a cost effective alternative to swaged sleeves, if you only have to make a few assemblies.

There are 3 types of Wire Rope Clips Materials: 316 Stainless Steel, Hot Dipped Galvanized, and Malleable Zinc Plated.
 
Stainless Steel Wire Rope Clip
  • Most Corrosion Resistant
  • Best for outdoor applications as they are highly resistant to corrosion, especially in or near saltwater environments.

Hot Dipped Galvanized Wire Rope Clip
  • Lower cost than stainless steel
  • Suited for outdoor environments.
  • Not as corrosion resistant as stainless steel wire rope clips.

Malleable Zinc Plated Wire Rope Clip
  • May be used outdoors, but may exhibit signs of surface rust quicker than Hot Dipped Galvanized wire rope clips; especially if used in rain, snow, salt air, or saltwater environments.

Styles of Wire Rope Clips: Traditional, Fist Grip, Drop Forged, Cast, Malleable, Single Stamped Cable Clamp, and Double Stamped Cable Clamp

Traditional Wire Rope Clip Parts
Composed of three different parts: The saddle, the u-bolt, and nuts.

Fist Grip Wire Rope Clip Parts
Composed of only the saddles and nuts. The saddles are mirrored on this type of clip so there is no need for a u-bolt and provides unique advantages during installation.

Drop Forging
Drop Forged VS Cast Maufacturing
Drop Forging is the process of heating and hammering steel to the shape desired. This allows the steel’s grain structure to be consistent and conform to the shape of the forged item. Cast and malleable wire rope clips may fracture under heavy use due to the steel’s random grain structure created during manufacturing.

Drop Forged Traditional Wire Rope ClipDrop Forged Fist Grip Wire Rope Clip
E-Rigging’s Drop Forged Traditional Style and Fist Grip Style wire rope clips are the strongest and most durable type of clips that we offer.
These clips are the best choice in critical suspending, guying, and tie-down applications.

Cast Stainless Wire Rope ClipMalleable Wire Rope Clip
Best used in applications that do not involve overhead suspending and are non critical.
Cost effective alternative to drop forged wire rope clips.
Slightly less reliability than drop forged wire rope clips due to the difference in manufacturing processes.

These cable clamps are also known as Simplex and Duplex Cable clips/clamps and are composed of the saddle, top plate, and bolts.
Single Stamped Cable ClampDouble Stamped Cable Clamp
They can be used as an alternative to wire rope clips in some applications.
Most cost effective stainless steel option.
Suitable for light duty applications.
Double clamps are capable of holding a little more load than the single clamp.
Feature an aesthetic design that some customers use as the deciding factor when given the choice between using a wire rope clip or cable clamp.

How to Size Wire Rope Clips and Cable Clamps to Wire Rope/Cable
An important aspect of purchasing and assembling these items for your project is to properly size the wire rope clips to the cable. This will help insure that you have a safe and secure assembly.

Uncoated Cable
Size the clip to the size of the cable used.
If you are using ¼” cable, use a ¼” clip

IMPORTANT: The working load limit of the cable assembly will decrease if the vinyl coating is not stripped from the cable. This occurs because the saddle and u-bolt are making contact with the soft and pliable vinyl coating and not the wire rope, which may cause slippage in the assembly and can lead to failure. It is also important to note that different companies size vinyl coated cable differently. E-Rigging lists vinyl coated cable by the cable diameter without the coating. The vinyl coating adds a little thickness to the cable. We have the finished/ final diameter of the cable with the coating listed on our website.

Vinyl Coated Cable
Size the clip to the vinyl coating diameter of the cable used.
If you are using a 3/16" cable, coated to ¼” final diameter, use a ¼” clip.
Or, to insure a safer assembly, you can strip the vinyl coating and follow the sizing rules below.

Stripped Vinyl Coated Cable
Size the clip to the size of the cable used.
Same rules as if using regular, uncoated cable.
If you are using ¼” cable, use a ¼” clip

Now that you know the wire rope clip size and type you need for your project, check out our video on Installing Wire Rope Clips.

We hope this information was helpful to you. If you need more information, please contact our team by clicking here . Let us assist you in ordering the correct rigging supplies to get your next project started.