Coiling Hook-up Cable
I coil the cable up by looping it over my shoulder and hand and use a glove as I grab the cable with the other hand to remove moisture or mud. I then store it in a circular shaped bag. The problem is that it gets twisted and I find that I am fighting the
'set' in the cable every time. No room for a cable reel in the new vehicle. Anybody got a foolproof method for avoiding the twists?it's very frustrating.
Comments
-
I'm trying to visualise the action. Sounds like a way to dislocate something. I coil mine from hand to hand which givres a coil of just over a metre diameter. I'm left handed and coil from the right hand to the left hand, giving the cable a slight twist as I pass it to the left hand. That results in a relatively kink-free coil. Basically I'm using the same method as when I coiled rope on my boat.
0 -
When i was an apprentice spark i got a real telling off for coiling up cable in the way you describe
cable is very prone to twisting so the best way is too coil it up in the same way a cowboy would coil a rope up as a lasoo because he cant afford any twists or it just wont work 
.Hold the end in the left hand and draw in the cable with your right hand and as you form each loop you take out any twist by rolling it through your fingers.You can tell if there are any twists by how the cable forms as you place the loop into the left hand.Dont try too loop in into small loops keep them around 18in in diameter or even bigger..Also have the cable stretched out on the floor before you start and as you draw it in most of the twist will disappear as the cable rotates as it is dragged along.If its in a bundle this cant happen.Another good tip is that when you come too use it again roll out the cable as if you were rolling a wheel in front of you.This all goes towards keeping twists out of the cable which is where all your problems start.This may sound a little complicated but its very simple in practice.I hope this helps.peter.
0 -
I coil my cables in 4 foot deep loops (not as painful as it sounds!) then twist them to half the size for storage....they end up the size you already roll them.
Lift them out then a twist and they are not twisted when you run them out.
To store them I always use a thin piece of rag to hold them together.....instead of one loop through do two and it stays tight without any knot or bows (!) required!
PS. There are many video's on You Tube...but not my method!
0 -
yes we have those orange reels, I laid out the cable first then attached on end to the clip in the middle then left hand in the hub and wind the handle with my right. I believe it can also be used by left handed people but I am not sure
0 -
We also use an orange reel / drum......I've marked the middle of the cable with electrical tape, clip that bit of the cable to the clip on the reel, then wind both halves in at once.....half as much winding.
Write your comments here...Snap
0 -
wow, that is pure lush (as the kids say in school) I am going to adopt that
0 -
how come one end always manages to get caught on something, usually the cornersteady (the real one)
0 -
When i was an apprentice spark i got a real telling off for coiling up cable in the way you describe
cable is very prone to twisting so the best way is too coil it up in the same way a cowboy would coil a rope up as a lasoo because he cant
afford any twists or it just wont work.Hold the end in the left hand and draw in the cable with your right hand and as you form each
loop you take out any twist by rolling it through your fingers.You can tell if there are any twists by how the cable forms as you place the loop into the left hand.Dont try too loop in into small loops keep them around 18in in diameter or even bigger..Also
have the cable stretched out on the floor before you start and as you draw it in most of the twist will disappear as the cable rotates as it is dragged along.If its in a bundle this cant happen.Another good tip is that when you come too use it again roll out
the cable as if you were rolling a wheel in front of you.This all goes towards keeping twists out of the cable which is where all your problems start.This may sound a little complicated but its very simple in practice.I hope this helps.peter.
Write your comments here...Exactly !! Just as the cable came off the line !! Twist & turn !! .
.0 -
I've been doing the looping over the shoulder and the cable has ended up a right mess next time we have gone out in the van. I've given in and bought a reel that does look quite compact.
0 -
Memory playing tricks. My method used hand and elbow, not shoulder! Anyway, many thanks for the pointers to YouTube where I discovered somebody using my method and getting in a right mess!
Seems like the "over and under" technique is recommended so will give it a go.
YouTube is an amazing resource. Some years back I was in Barbados and tried unsuccessfully to water ski. That night I looked at an instruction video on YouTube; next day I went right around the bay without falling in. Off topic?
0 -
Same as Peter's system but I use a nice thin rag in my right hand, so that I can feel any cuts etcetera that my eyes might have missed. Then when its all clean & dry its stored in a Bags4Everything ( or some such
) thats designed for the job -- And I do the same for the T.V. cable if needed & that goes in the same bag. Must admit tho that T.V. co-ax is not capable of being trained like the orange stuff !!0 -
I do the coil and twist method as shown in peedee's video, never snags. Yachties also use this method with their ropes - or they should!
Write your comments here...We Do !! Oh Yes
.0 -
I coil the cable up by looping it over my shoulder and hand and use a glove as I grab the cable with the other hand to remove moisture or mud. I then store it in a circular shaped bag. The problem is that it gets twisted and I find that I am fighting the
'set' in the cable every time. No room for a cable reel in the new vehicle. Anybody got a foolproof method for avoiding the twists?it's very frustrating.I do exactly the same. Sometimes hard to get my hand back out at the end!
Go on the other side and you'll naturally reverse the kink you speak of over time.
0 -
I'm trying to visualise the action. Sounds like a way to dislocate something. I coil mine from hand to hand which givres a coil of just over a metre diameter. I'm left handed and coil from the right hand to the left hand, giving the cable a slight twist as I pass it to the left hand. That results in a relatively kink-free coil. Basically I'm using the same method as when I coiled rope on my boat.
never thought about this 'till now but you're right CY, it's much the same technique as that used to coil a hawser laid rope. I guess the set of individual wires within it are similar to a hawser laid and unlike that in a kermantle rope.
0 -
I coil and twist also, being a sailor for many years. I start at the supply post end, holding the plug in my left hand, and with my right hand holding a piece of kitchen roll, I clean the muck off by sliding my hand out to arms length, then give it a little
clockwise twist, coil it into about an 18 inch diameter coil. When fully coiled, I turn the ends in and out of the coil and plug them together to stop it uncoiling, then pop the coil into a plastic rubble sack, which keeps any muck off the caravan floor. You
can do similar with TV cable, but you have to take more care, and then tie the coil with string.l0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIHW4oj-NcI
