A guy on a job in Mobile said my swing wire looked like a spiderweb

He was right, I was letting it get way too slack. How do you guys keep tension without wearing out the sheaves too fast?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy6921mo ago

Tuning by sound is a legit skill, but that 'thwong' might be telling you it's too tight. Sheaves get chewed up from constant high tension, not from normal working slack. Find the middle ground where the wire moves smooth but doesn't sag. A visual check for a slight dip is faster and easier on the gear. Over-tightening just costs you money in parts and downtime.

robin8362mo ago

Wearing out the sheaves too fast" sounds like you're overthinking it. A little slack is normal, and sheaves are meant to take some wear. Just keep it tight enough to work, not guitar-string tight.

abby_king222mo ago

So is it bad that I basically tune my rigging by sound? I mean, I give it a good pluck and if it goes 'thwong' I'm like, yeah, that's good. Maybe that's why my sheaves look like they've been through a wood chipper.