11
Mar
Wire Grips – Free vs. Fitted Lengths
Inquiries for wire mesh pulling grips come in from all over the place, and it’s interesting to see how local tradition will affect terminology.
The length of a grip depends on where you’re standing. If you’re reading a North American catalog, the length of the mesh is taken at the grip’s nominal diameter. That is: it’s measured when it’s fitted around the cable it’s pulling. This is the engaged length of the grip; the eye and the overall length are measured separately.
Other locales will measure the “free length” of the grip, when it’s hanging on the wall. The free length can be half-again as long as the fitted length, so it’s not a clear indicator by itself of the size of the grip in service. The comparison below shows the difference: a free length of 35″ can contract the mesh to just 21″ when it’s installed.
The wire weave of a pulling grip is flexible, and the grip will contract as the tube diameter increases. Variation of a couple inches in the free length is typical, and the fitted length will vary depending on the actual diameter of the cable.
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