Switched from wire rope to chain on my ladder dredge

Had a bad kink in my 3/8 wire rope last month. Cost me $200 to replace. Swapped to a grade 70 chain instead and it holds up way better in the rocks. Anyone else made that switch or stick with cable?

2 comments

2 Comments

iris57416d ago

Grade 70 chain is way tougher for rocky bottoms, no contest. Wire rope kinks drive me crazy, especially when it's cold and stiff. The chain just lays down flat and doesn't bind up like cable does. You'll save money in the long run not having to swap it out every few months. What size chain did you end up going with?

the_anthony16d ago

Read an article in Field & Stream a while back that said Grade 70 chain is the same stuff they use for logging chains, so it takes a beating way better than standard stuff. It's got that higher tensile rating so it can flex a little without snapping on sharp rocks. My buddy swapped to 5/16" Grade 70 on his boat and he hasn't had to replace it in three years, even with all the jagged limestone around here. The way it just lays flat on the bottom really does save a ton of headache with kinking and binding.