PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-610
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 610
SEPTEMBER 2003
PS 610
SEP 03
14
Cleaning
Pay out the wire rope and stretch it
out straight on a clean surface, like a
paved motor pool. Use a wire brush,
like the one from your No. 1
Common shop set, to remove old
lube, dirt and corrosion. Clean the
entire cable. Grit and corrosion get
buried among the cable strands.
Inspecting
While you’re cleaning, look for bro-
ken wires, kinks, bends, caging and
other damage. Replace the cable if you
find kinks, bends or caging. Broken
wires KO the cable, too.
See your vehicle TM for inspecting
details. FM 5-125,
Rigging Techniques,
Procedures and Applications,
and TB
43-0142,
Safety Inspection and Testing
of Lifting Devices,
have more good
info.
A damaged cable with kinks, bends or birdcaging needs to be removed from serv-
ice. Your favorite welder will then destroy the cable by cutting it into smaller sections.
Lubing
Lube the wire rope according to the lubrication instructions for your equipment.
There are some other things you can do to keep the rope mission-ready.
If the cable gets lots of
use, coat it with clean OE-
HDO 30 engine oil. Stay
away from used oil. It has
acid that weakens rope
strands.
In dry, dusty areas, the
cable doesn’t need oil. In
fact, oil just collects more
dust and dirt.
If the wire rope isn’t
used much, or if conditions
are damp or salty, give it
extra protection with MIL-
G-18458 wire rope grease.
Get a 35-lb can with NSN
Wire Rope…
The
PM
Dope on Rope
Use wire
brush to
clean rope
Kinks?
Birdcaged?
W
ire rope used on cranes, winches and commercial construction equipment has a
hard life. It’s exposed to dirt, grit, rain and snow. These culprits creep in and weak-
en the cable until it’s no longer useable or safe.
You can lasso these cul-
prits with PM dope, espe-
cially after a muddy or
dirty operation, or when-
ever you think it’s needed.
But before you do any
PM, put on leather gloves.
They’ll protect your hands
from any broken strands
or wires.
Protect your hands
with leather gloves
I’ll
clean
off the
dirt…
…and
I’ll lube
with some
fresh oil!
bring it on,
bad weather!
I’ve got PM
on
my
side!
what do
you
have on
yours!?
610. 14-15 (C)
8/4/03
4:40 PM
Page 1
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