By TEBAOFLEX Jyen. Originally published on November 17, 2025.
A spreader cable must match the way the crane stores and retrieves it. A gravity collector basket relies on the cable settling into controlled loops; a motorized vertical reel winds the cable under managed tension. Similar voltage and core counts do not establish that two cables are mechanically interchangeable.
Basket collection and vertical reeling: the essential difference
- Gravity collector basket: confirm free-coiling behavior, permitted suspension length, basket capacity, coiling direction and the complete anchoring arrangement.
- Motorized vertical reel: confirm permissible operating tension, acceleration and braking loads, drum and guide geometry, reversing bends and termination strain relief.
- Both systems: specify power and control circuits, data or optical links, environmental exposure, maximum operating temperature and the required service duty.
Do not replace a basket cable with a general-purpose reeling cable solely because both are flexible. Obtain written confirmation that the proposed construction is suitable for the actual collection system. Equally, a cable intended to collect freely in a basket needs separate qualification before use on a tensioned motorized reel.
What the central support element does
A tensile support element provides a designed load path through the cable and its terminations. Some basket constructions also use ballast to influence gravity collection. The support member, fillers, conductor lay and sheath act together; the presence of aramid alone does not establish the finished cable’s working-load rating.
A published example is UTV’s ball-rope basket construction, which combines lead-ball ropes and aramid supports. Its installation instructions call for torsion-free counter-clockwise collection, a basket diameter greater than 30 times the cable diameter and a suitable upper anchorage. These are instructions for that construction, not universal limits for all spreader cables.
Manufacturer example: UTVFLEX BASKET with ball ropes
Do not cut open a cable and clamp its central support member unless the approved termination drawing explicitly requires it. Use the cable and crane manufacturers’ specified load-transfer arrangement. The electrical terminals and optical splice enclosure must not become unintended suspension points.
Check insulation, conductor class and temperature separately
A model designation is not enough to identify every compound or temperature limit. For example, UTV’s published BASKETHEAVYFLEX construction uses EPR insulation and lists different minimum temperatures for flexible operation and fixed installation. This does not support describing all 3GRDGÖU basket cables as silicone-insulated, or assigning them a 180°C thermal reserve.
Manufacturer example: BASKETHEAVYFLEX construction and temperature conditions
IEC 60228 addresses cable conductors, including construction and resistance requirements. Specify the actual applicable conductor class and resistance limit. Do not present a supplier’s “FS” description as an IEC conductor class or as proof that the complete cable can withstand a particular bending duty.
IEC 60228:2023 — Conductors of insulated cables
Size the basket and guides from the approved cable drawing
Record the finished cable diameter and tolerance, stored cable length, minimum moving bend radius, basket dimensions and any center cone or guide arrangement. Basket diameter, basket height, bend radius and the distance between opposite bends are different dimensions. A requirement for one must not be substituted for another.
For illustration only, 30 × 40 mm equals 1,200 mm. This arithmetic does not approve a 1,200 mm basket: a specification requiring a diameter greater than 30D would require more than that value, and capacity, tolerances and the remaining installation conditions still need checking. No universal 45D basket-height rule is used here.
Illustrative suspended-load calculation — not a product rating
Assume a hypothetical cable mass of 1.575 kg/m, a vertically suspended length of 90 m and gravitational acceleration of 9.81 m/s². These inputs are used only to explain the calculation; they are not verified TEBAOFLEX product or test data.
Static suspended load = 1.575 × 9.81 × 90 = 1,390.5675 N, approximately 1,390.6 N.
If an illustrative loading scenario doubles that static force, the result is 2,781.135 N. If a separate hypothetical breaking load is 20,000 N, its ratio to the static load is 14.38, and its ratio to the doubled load is 7.19. The ratio 20,000 / 4,500 is 4.44. These are arithmetic ratios, not approved operating safety factors or evidence that a particular cable is safe at those loads.
The actual working-load assessment must include the manufacturer’s allowable tension, acceleration and braking profile, reeving, wind and snagging risks, fatigue duty and the strength of the complete termination system. A breaking load must not be treated as a permissible operating load.
Information to request for a replacement specification
- Crane and spreader identification; basket or reel drawing; maximum free-hanging and stored lengths.
- Travel speed, acceleration, deceleration, cycles, emergency-stop conditions and any rotation of the spreader.
- Rated voltage, conductor sizes and core count; shielding and data-pair requirements; optical fiber type and count where applicable.
- Approved construction, mass, diameter tolerance, moving bend radius, opposite-bend spacing and permissible operating tension.
- Installation drawing covering coiling direction, reel alignment, anchorage, strain relief and maintenance checks.
Acceptance evidence to request — not measured results
Agree the inspection and test plan before supply. The following is a procurement checklist, not a statement that a TEBAOFLEX batch has passed testing.
- Traceable cable and drum identification, construction drawing and applicable specification edition.
- Conductor resistance and electrical test records using the methods and limits applicable to the ordered cable.
- Mechanical qualification evidence for the specified suspension, bending, torsion and collection duty.
- Optical or data-pair test records for the selected design, with wavelengths or frequencies and acceptance limits recorded.
- Clear separation between routine checks on the supplied length and sample/type qualification tests; destructive tests must not be presented as tests of every complete delivered drum.
Frequently asked questions
Are lead-ball ropes mandatory in a basket cable? No universal requirement is assumed here. Select a construction qualified for the basket arrangement rather than choosing it by the presence or absence of one material.
Can a reel cable be used in a basket? Only when the cable supplier and equipment designer confirm suitability for that collection duty. Voltage, core count and general flexibility are not sufficient evidence.
Does a fixed-installation low-temperature rating apply during repeated flexing? No. Check the separately stated moving-operation limit for the exact construction.
Discuss the application
Send the crane duty, cable route and equipment drawings to TEBAOFLEX for a project-specific specification. WhatsApp: +86 185 9591 3361. Request the applicable datasheet and documented test requirements before placing an order.