Guide wire

[Maplewalnut]

I promise I won't ask more than two questions a week!

What is the preferred method for securing guidewire for mainline. Looks like rachets, wire grippers, eye screws are all used. Any reason I couldn't break up say a 500' stretch into multiple smaller lengths, so I won't have to fight getting that long of a wire tightened?

Mike

[PATheron]

Maple Walnut- Run your wire out in as clear a path as possable. 500' will be no prob. Do not go around your trees for support like you do with your lateral lines. Once its all pulled out Youve got a couple options. If its a long run like 500' put a ratchet at each end if you want. Im going to tell you how I do it. Run some of your high tension wire around the tree and put a piece of sap line on it. Make two loops around the tree with the sap line over it to protect the tree. Place the ratchet on the wire. Then use a couple of the Wire clamps that bolt down on the wire. Now you have your ratchet on the end tree. Make sure the wire is a lot bigger than the tree so it can grow. Now run your mainline wire through the ratchet and take couple of wraps. Go to the other end and pull the wire up by hand and through the other ratchet as tight as you can and take a couple wraps. Now pull the mainline up about nice working highth. Now you can pull your mainline tubing out and attach it to the wire every 20' or so. Once youve done that either pull the tubing tight at each end with kellum grips and wratchets or by hand and then clamp it to the wire whatever. Once the tubing is real tight tie it to the wire real good with the wire ties. Pull the wire up as tight as you can with the ratchets and then you can side tie it good. Use lighter gage wire to side tie and find where there is a tree to the side and lean right into the mainline with your body and run a side tie around the tree and back to the main. Make it so you can move it up and down the tree. This will allow you to adjust it and will make the mainline fiddle string tight. On my stuff any more as far as in the woods I dont even use the wratchets much. I just pull it up tight by hand and side tie it hard and it usually works good. If you have a turn in the main where it might come up hard against a tree throw a rope around the wire to keep it in place before you pull the wire tight. If it comes hard against a tree it will kink the tubing on a sharp corner. Avoid sharp corners. The main is the main highway for the sap. It needs to be very well graded and very well supported. Remember if it is full of sap it gets heavey. Use pretty stout side tie wire but make it lighter than the main for a sort of fuse link. Hope this helps. Also remember that the wire has a lot of tension and treat it with respect and stay out of any pinch points. Theron

[maple flats]

I used to use the little ratchets for tensioning wire but it breaks the hight entsion wire sometimes so i started using crimp sleeves and a wire puller, both available at TSC. After the tool investment the sleeves are very cheap. I tighten the mainline as tight as possible with the wire puller and crimp it then I add side ties to trees to further tighten it. This gets it very tight. The wire puller was something like $20-25 for a mechanical puller and the crimper was more but I think it was still under a hundred. If taken care of both of these should last a lifetime. The crimp sleeves are less than $.25 each in packs of 25 and I use 3 on each end of a line but only 2 per for the side ties. Then as others suggest put tubing over the side tie wire to protect the tree and make your loops big enough to allow you to adjust up and down and not wear down one spot on the tree used to anchor the side tie.

[Maplewalnut]

Theron/Maple Flats

Thanks for the very clear instructions. So you can just tighten hose clamps to secure the tubing to the wire?

Does anyone use the couplers for mainline as a quick disconnect? I have one access road that just I use to get to the back of the property. I figured if I end the wire at a tree on one side and start it agin on the other side, I could use couplers at the mainline and discoonect and reconnect as I drive past.

[maplehound]

the problem with that disconecting during the season is that it is hard to get the pipe tight each time. I have heard of some who use rigid pipe for that aplication. It would be much easier. I have also heard of one man who made a gate that was triangler in configuration that would raise up over his truck or car as he drove through and then lay back down when in use. That way he wouldn't lose vacuum each time he went through.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I put a long eye bolt in trees at both ends of the guidewire I use the ones for cableing trees. They are longer than the ones that you get at Home Depot and have a thread that is for max strength. The reason for the long threads is for the tree to grow and not bury the eyelet. This does not hurt the tree and will last 20 years. In the tree industry they cable trees all the time with eye bolts and threw rods and that is to save the tree.

[DAVE]

Take a look at gripples. they tighten and connect. reasonably cheap, reusable and no eyebolts screwed into a tree.
if a mainline wire breaks, 2 gripples a short piece of wire and a gripple tool (opptional) will have you back together in about the same time it took to read this. We use the banjo style camlock fittings on our mainlines that have to be seasonaly opened at bar ways and such. dave

[Maplewalnut]

Does anyone use anything lighter than 9 gauge for support? I am only going to have 3/4 inch mains and about 100 taps and that 9 gauge is so darn stiff.

[Jeff E]

I am using 12.5 guage High Tension wire for Mainline support, up to 1" tubing.

Maplewalnut asked about securing the tubing to the wire with hose clamps...very expensive as it should be secured every 12" or so. I got the wire ties from my local maple supplier and they are a thin 6" wire with loops on each end, for easy twisting. Quick and easy with the right tool.

[royalmaple]

You can get rolls of 12.5 guage high tensile wire right at tractor supply. Best buy on it. They have 4000' foot rolls for roughly 90 bucks.

[Gary R]

The wire ties that Jeff E recommended you can probably get at a concrete dealer. They use them for tying mesh together. If you have the swivel tool for those ties, it takes about 2 seconds to tighten one.

[Russell Lampron]

Tractor Supply has the gripples and tool for the 12.5 gauge wire too I bought the tool, gripples, jenny and 4000' of wire for about the same price as 2 2000' rolls of wire at Bascom's.

The 9 gauge wire is hard to work with and breaks easy especially if you get a kink in it.

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

the 12.5 gauge will break easy if it gets kinked. but it is easier to work with

RICH