How Technicians Use Hydraulic Cable Cutters for Cable Installation
When it comes to cable installation, it’s not uncommon for technicians to find themselves having to cut heavy-duty underwater cables and/or wire rope. A common measure for handling this situation is through use of a hydraulic cable cutter.
How Does a Hydraulic Cable Cutter Work?
Put simply, they carry out their function by way of pump action. If you dissect their mechanistic action, you’ll come to find that – like most hydraulic tools – they have two cylinders and a bleed valve, used in the transfer of fluid from one chamber to another.
After a technician has carefully considered the cut location, the operation of a hand hydraulic cutter is convenient in its simplicity to carry out said cut:
- Open the jaw of the cutter
- Place the cut mark on the blade
- Close the jaw of the cutter
- Pump the handle until the wire rope is cut
- Once cut through, the blade can be retracted by pressing the release lever
These cable cutting powerhouses are known to cut through an assortment of cables with ease, e.g. ¾” wire rope, ½” ground rods, etc.
Should you require seeing this in action before purchase, we at AMAC Equipment can send our Demo Truck to conduct a simulated on-site operation to provide you with first-hand experience to a hydraulic cutter’s effectiveness.
Potential Issues with Your Hydraulic Cutter
Many industries reliant on cable installation procedures turn to AMAC Equipment for qualified training and support surrounding their hydraulic cable cutter, or otherwise.
Let’s take an example - one of the more frequent issues associated with utilizing hydraulic cutters is the blade not retracting upon after a cable has been wholly cut (step 5, as outlined earlier). The cause of this, in most cases, can be traced back to detritus collecting amidst the blade and the cutter jaw. To remedy this situation, we recommend opening the cutter jaw, engaging the release lever, and moving the head back and forth so that the blade becomes disengaged. Should this fail, we recommend using one of the spray lubricants we stock at AMAC on the cutter jaw and blade to alleviate this issue.
