Can anyone please enlighten me about the subject of choosing hardware size in cabling?
My understanding is, that the cable size/type/strength chosen is dependent upon an estimation of limb weight and size, with the object being to "stop the moment" of failure rather than to support the entire dead weight of the branch.
My question is, how is the appropriate size of hardware matched to the cable chosen? Are there tables that show this? Is it a simple correlation between diameter of cable and diameter of hardware shaft? Or is there some other way?

Reply to post by Mark Goodwin, on January 16, 2000 at 13:47:22:

Mark, there are several sources for this information. Harris covers the topic in his "Arboriculture; Integrated Management of Landscape Trees, Shrubs, and Vines".

There is also an extnesive discussion on this forum about the topic, starting with Topic 2- Construction, message #384
http://tree-tech.com/board/?topic=topic2&msg=384

Reply to post by Russ Carlson, on January 16, 2000 at 13:47:22:

Maybe this forum shoueld be changed to cabling and bracing?!

Be careful about relying on charts that say to use a certain diameter lag eye or bolt. You must check with the manufacturer to find out the strenghth. Mild steel and forged screws have much different strengths in the same diameter. In order to have a balanced system you might need to have a larger screw to balance the cable.

Nothing wrong with using a stronger anchor.

Tom

Reply to post by Mark Goodwin, on January 16, 2000 at 13:47:22:

Mark, I don't know what current standards are but I can tell you my experience. I think that 90% of the installations we did with 1/4", 5/16" or 3/8" 7 strand cable used 1/2" DROP FORGED eye bolts. Occasionally a very heavy system requiring 3/8" cable also seemed to require the heavier 5/8" DF bolts. On much smaller material... ornamentals, fruit trees, etc... with 1/4" or lighter cable or wire 3/8" DF bolts can be appropriate. I think we used eye bolts on 80% of installations but where lags were used we probably tended to use the 5/8" DF lags where 1/2" bolts would have been used... that might have been a simplicity decision so that the crews could use the same 9/16" bits for either selection. Again, smaller lags would be appropriate for smaller material.