Uncoiling Wire

[wkies]

I'm in the process of rehanging my 110 tap gravity system - mainline and all. I bought 12 gauge high-tensile wire to hang the mainline on because previous didn't wire at all. This morning a friend and I started to uncoil after securing one end with the two of us taking our time walking down the hill, unraveling the wire I we went - what happen next would have driven anyone mad. About half way down - Twists, kinks, and loops! I will end up rehanging the wire. Is there an obvious way that I'm missing to uncoil the wire??? Should I buy a mainline reel w/ adjustable brake?

HELP?

[jcb]

You can buy a reel for that at a fram store. Or if its a short use you could biuld one out of a 5 gal bucket and wood. It just needs to spin so the wire dose not come off like a spring.

[maple flats]

I use one I bought from TSC for $60 something. It comes with a ground spike to hammer in and anchor the spooler, I made a wooden rack that attaches to a hand truck and hold the pin. Then I haul the spooler with the coil of High tensil (HT) wire on it to where I need to use it, I lay the handtruck flat with the handle caught on something (or tied to a sapling etc) to hold it from rolling and I pull the wire as needed. I have to pull straight and not sideways so it won't tip, but it works like a charm. When I get to the far anchor tree I attach it to the tree and then I pull hand tight from the starting point , cut and anchor at the other end. All tension is achieved by using 14 ga galv. side pull wire. Each side pull is twisted around the HT wire, pulled tight around a tree, usually non maple, and tied back to the HT wire. I thread each sidetie wire through an old piece of 5/16 tubing to protect the tree when installing. Then height adjustments are made by raising or lowering the side tie wire on the side tie tree to get the proper pitch. I found I like to start and stop each section in 200-300' sections and start a new section. This makes it much easier to repair sections if a tree or big limb fall on the line and break some side ties. The side ties are sacrificial but very functional.

[wkies]

I just found a jenny from TSC for 29.99 - probably will make my life easier! Any insight?

[maple flats]

I forgot one point, when you cut the wire be sure to tie the free end of the coil to the spooler ( or if you just let it go you will usually have a tangle as you pull your next piece) while still holding the end that will be anchored to the tree. I found I like to use a crimp sleave and crimp tool (also bought at TSC) If you are only doing 1 or 2 short sections it might be hard to justify the cost of the tool, but if you are doing much it quickly pays for itself in connector fittings. At each loop around a tree, I slide some 5/16 tubing on the HT wire to protect the tree and I use 3 crimp sleaves (the sleaves must be threaded on before you thread the 5/16 tubing). I prefer to go around a tree rather than install an anchor eye bolt. I once had a HT wire snap when I tightened it right where it was at the sharp bend point thru the eye bolt. I also leave enough wire so the angle where the V meets at the crimp sleeves is not wide enough to pull a sleve apart (Don't ask how I know a sleave can be snapped) Thus the larger the anchor tree the farther from the tree the crimp will be. Going around the anchor tree allows fine tuning height by loosening a side tie or 2. When ready for the season the wire should be very tight but after the season I let off on the tension until next season by letting off on a side tie or 2. The crimp tool will likely last a lifetime and the sleaves are about $.30 each in packs of 25 and about $20 each in packs of 100 for the size that fits 12.5 ga HT wire.

[Thad Blaisdell]

I dont agree with maple flats at all on this, sorry. Pull your wire out, I have found that the farthest to pull out in one shot is easiest to be less than 1500', anchor to the end tree on one end. The other end use a rachet style tightener. Tighten the wire most of the way, walk the line to get the hight you want and finish tightening. Really crank it, piano wire tight. Walk your line again pulling here and there pulling the slack toward the tightener, tighten again. Now attach your pipe. Now do the few tie backs that you feel you are going to need to keep elevation. Spend the $6 on the tightener, it keeps your mainlines much straighter and is much less work.

[danno]

Let's throw in a third opinion - I like a combination between maple flats and Thad. I like to tighten the HT between the two end trees before I begin side tieing. If you use side ties to do all your tightening, you will have a pretty zig zaggy mainline.

But, if your mainline has to partially change direction, you can tighten too much at the end tree. You will need some slack at the mainline bend for a big side tie at that one spot to hold the line off the tree you are bending around.

[afretired]

wkies
I hate to laugh but I have too. A few days ago I built a real good unroller for the roll of HT wire I just bought. I really took my time making it, I used a spindle out of a car and made a frame that fits on my 4wheeler. This evening when I got in from work I had planned to string up my first mainline wire support. I was about out of daylight but I had been planning this for several days. I got all my tools together and the ratchet tightners, crimp tool and headed off into the woods. I looked the situation over and picked my best route through the trees. I then cut the straps holding that big roll of wire (spring) grabbed the end and started out through the woods. I looked back and the tension on the wound up wire was unspooling the wire faster than I could walk. After about 30 seconds I had the awfullest mess you had ever seen. I finnally got it untangled and wound back up. Either you have to have a brake or someone to slow the mess down while you unroll it. Maybe this weekend I can get some help and put it up.

Dave

[GeneralStark]

I made a simple wire spooler out of a bike wheel and a couple scraps of wood.

http://www.mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?t=9661

I agree that it is best to pull the wire off the stationary spooler and just take a walk with your wire. The brake is key!

[unclebuck]

This is my first attemp at putting up a tubing system. not a big system but should hold about 150 or so taps all red maples thuogh should have made a spooler. tried to save money and unspool it by hand by the time i was finished i was tired poked w/ the wire that was wound around 1/3 of the wire so that was the only amount that didn't un ravel when I slipped down the hill.
Will add laterals next weekend hope this is worth the hassle ????
this is a gravity system

[Steve Bedard]

Here's a technique that works well and costs no money!

Try holding the coil vertically and facing the direction you plan on deploying the material. Have someone take the end and travel with it downhill. The person holds a bit of tension and lets the material uncoil....coil by coil. After 5 coils are released, flip the roll 180 degrees and continue for 5 coils. Repeat until you get to the end. The coils will be self straighting after some tension is applied.

As for hoses and the like, coil them up in a figure eight serpentine pile on a flat surface. When you pull it out....it won't tangle.

I hope this is helpfully.

Colin Christie
Lapierre USA

[unclebuck]

Thanks that helped today. Started running the lateral lines out throught the trees won't add the drops untill we get ready to tap