I have a job comming up where 4 lengths of 150m of 95mm 4core SWA needs to lifted up onto ladder Rack supended from the car park ceiling at 2.10m.

2.10m is the lowest level we can go to keep the height through the car park at it's minimum for car passage through it.

I'm fairly sure I can lift the reels up and unroll the SWA along the length of the car park - a couple of big cable jacks and a small car with tow bar (if i can find one) or winch of some sort and a large sock to grip the cable.

This is a new one for me - on the farm a long time ago a tractor did the job for me and the cable laid streight into a trench - easy.

Now I need advice from those that have done this before - the cable jacks are likely to fall over - as they do - is there a better way? Cable rollers I have heard of, but ones that I can hire or that will take so large a weight.

Can anyone recommend a good winch that I can hire or buy?

How on earth am I going to lift these bloody cables, once un reeled, up 2m into the air?

I have a 25m run of cable through a plant room before I enter the car park, so I that will complicate just lifting each run onto the ladder rack and winch/pull the cable off the drum along the ladder rack. Although this is my favourite option at the moment.

These are for new building chillers.

How about something really simple like some Acrows with Strongboys on top to provide a lifting point wound tight against the ceiling with some chain hoists hanging off them?

Fit three or so up in a line them keep leap frogging them forwards.

Andy

You could put a few uni strut brackets in and pull the cable over the top which would make it easy to cleat into place
http://www.curtpalme.com/images/Unistrut2.jpg

Leave the cable on the drum, put the drum in a decoiler frame (or as a minimum on cable jacks).

Bolt a primary roller to the entry point onto the containment. Place secondary rollers on the containment with further rollers at changes of direction.

Ideally pull in with a winch or for 95mm2 x 4 core - several of you could hand ball that in over 150m without too much grunting.

If you've not seen cable rollers, try here

Regards

OMS

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Failure is always an option

I'd go for large cable jacks, rollers and an army of man/woman labour

That's how's we have always done it, besides 95mm 4c are babies

I'd agree with Jobbo and OMS

At that sort of length on ladder/tray it's a hand job with plenty of hands. Ratchet straps can be useful if you find the need a little bit of extra guidance or support.

Stu

Always a handy item http://4theworkplace.co.uk/uno...oist-1500kg-p-191.html if you have a anchor point

Andy

There's a similar version around with webbing instead of chain. It's a bit lighter to lug around but I can't remember where my previous firm brought them from.


Stu

As OMS says not too bad to lift in by hand,start at the middle 2 runs of 75mts is easier than 1 at 150mts

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Regards

Dave(not Cockburn)

Over the years our various local wholesalers have always let us borrow there cable jacks,and sometimes they even drop off and pick up as required, (with the cable of course).

You can but ask?

As others have said make sure there's plenty of muscle around on the day.

Regards

Then there's this type of winch http://www.machinemart.co.uk/s.../230v-corded-pullzall

Andy

Complete waste of time Andy - it only pulls 15' then you need to refix/relocate etc.

A proper cable winch is a capstan type that allows you to pull an infinite length due to nothing other than the capstan friction.

As I said, 95mm2 4 core is probably just a hand balling job - and probaly easier if the OP has no experience of mechanical drawing in of SWA's to containment

Regards

OMS

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Failure is always an option

In my mind, although it is a car park,I am picturing working through a building fixing to the ceiling soffit, so hand mauling with a bit of mechanical assistance of the hand held type.

Tattyinengland is suggesting the approach of unrolling the cable on the ground then lifting into place, however I'd have thought there could be struts in the way, anyway a lifting rather than a pulling exercise.

To be honest I'd suspect it may need feeding in both ways from mid run as both ends are probably not that accessible compared to the car park in the middle, as they are likely to be a plant room and roof space.So at some time there will be a big lump of cable off the roll on the floor to handle.

Andy

There are companies that specialise in this sort of thing, and the main Electrical Contractors (Balfour Kilpatrick, Amec etc) use them so I suggest you do too. At 2 metres, the ladder will be about the same level as the top of the cable drum so no problem pulling it off.

It'll be a real sod when you pull the cable through and it's a metre or so short.

I seen it done with a rolled steel beam that was man handled into a roof then proved to be 100mm short.

Andy

As Harry says its specialist
The electrical game is diverse unless you have men stood round doing nothing. Get a cable pulling gang in its what they do. I would imagine in today's market that you could negotiate a deal with a specialist cable pulling contractor, get it put in professionally, limit your liability, make your margin and don't bust a gut doing something you're not 100% on.
Get them to terminate as well, they will have the crimping and hydraulic tools its horses for courses

MrP

95mm 4 core is baby stuff, a few blokes will pull that in easy
i can see your main problem is the fact you are working at height, by the time you have done method statements and risk assessments for working at heights, manual handling etc you will be so bogged down with H&S, it may be cheaper to get a cable installation firm in, they are geared up to do it and it'll only take them a few hours and it will save your back

Is there no stairway?, but careful now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71MxVPQrt2M

Interesting split here between the " twiddly bits of cable" and "sub it out" camps.

Four150 metre lengths of cable weighing around 830 Kg plus the drums in a work area that appears to have limited height. Hand mauling sounds the way forward with some mechanical aids, another aid not already mentioned is the tried and trusted Tirfor http://www.tractel.com/en/series.php?id_serie=47 which can be used with any length of winch cable that is available.

These pieces of hand equipment I am suggesting are actually things I have used in the past for moving heavy materials and equipment.

Andy

Contact fb taylors, cable monkeys will pull them in and be off site before the health and safety guy has finished his cup of tea