AERIAL LADDER TENSION CABLES -706880643

TM 5-4210-233-14&P-1

4-205. AERIAL LADDER TENSION CABLES

This task covers:

a. Adjustment

TOOLS REQUIRED

EQUIPMENT CONDITION

Tool Kit, General Mechanics, Automotive

Outriggers Extended (see para 2-14 .)

(Appendix B, Section III, Item 1)

a. Adjustment.

WARNING

When tightening the cables do not allow the cable take-up to

rotate as this will cause the cable to unwrap and damage the

cable and may cause serious personal injury or death.

CAUTION

Do not overtighten cables. Overtightening of the cables will

cause excessive wear on the cable, sheaves, bushings, and

pins.

NOTE

The ladder must be adequately lubricated before any cable

adjustments are made.

To check cable alignment, extend the ladder, raise it to 60

degrees elevation, and fully retract it, then lower it back down

to 0 degrees elevation. There should be 114" to 3/4" (6.35 to

19 mm) gap between the front of the base section front

crossmember and the back of the lower mid section water

pipe flange mounting bracket. This gap should be maintained

for all the ladder sections and should not be any larger or

smaller than recommended.

Any adjusting or retensioning of the extension cables should

start on the base section extension cables.

If the ladder is retracted too far back, the front cables on the

base section should be tightened as this will draw all the

above sections outward.

(1) Extend, elevate, the ladder, then retract and lower to see if an alignment problem still exists.

(2) If the ladder is still misaligned the cables should again be adjusted accordingly and the test

redone to check alignment.

(3) Once all adjustments are made to the base section the rear cables should have any excess slack

taken out of them with care not to overtighten the cables

4-514