Chains/Ropes/Accessories & Load securing equipment

Product information on our range of chains, ropes and accessories

Safety instructions for the use of ropes, chains and accessories

At this point we would like to emphasize that the ropes offered by VORMANN are not approved for personal safety or for commercial use! There are special ropes for this purpose, for which special safety regulations apply. Never load the ropes beyond the values published in our special catalogue (load capacity or breaking strength)!

The same applies to the chains sold by VORMANN. Please do not use the chains to secure persons and also observe the values specified in our catalogue (load capacity or breaking load)!

The accessories that are often used in conjunction with our ropes and/or chains are also not suitable for securing persons.

VORMANN specifies load values for its ropes. This refers to the working load or load-bearing capacity of a rope. This value is the so-called safety value, which is approximately 12.5 % of the maximum tensile force. This means that the maximum tensile force of a rope is 8 times the value (e.g. load value = 130 kg, therefore the maximum tensile force is 1040 kg). The maximum tensile force is the breaking strength. If this value is exceeded, the rope may break.

The load values specified by VORMANN refer to brand-new, unused ropes!

All data are average values from ongoing tests and are subject to material-related fluctuations within a tolerance limit of

of +/- 5% for synthetic fibre ropes

and +/-10% for natural fibre ropes

Knots can reduce the strength of a rope by up to 60%!

Depending on the load on the rope, rope elongation may occur. In addition to the amount of load, the elongation depends on the rope construction and the rope material used.

Twisted ropes exhibit greater elongation than braided ropes. New ropes stretch more than used ropes. The elongation behaviour (as well as the breaking strength) is also influenced by moisture, dirt and ageing.

Avoid sharp edges. Pulling ropes over corners and sharp edges can damage ropes. Therefore, use edge protection whenever possible.

Natural fibres

Jute and sisal ropes

Jute and sisal are pure natural fibres. Compared to synthetic fibres, they are antistatic and have a lower tensile strength. Jute is the more supple fibre, sisal the firmer, harder fibre. Both fibres rot when wet and should therefore be protected accordingly. Wet natural fibre ropes should be air-dried before storage.

Further properties:

• medium weather resistance
• low light resistance
• strength increases when wet
• low elongation (only 2-4 %) under load
• Medium heat resistance (up to approx. 80°C)
• Low resistance to acids and alkalis
• Medium resistance to organic solvents
• Medium flammability

Main areas of application: Agriculture, home, garden

Synthetic fibres

1. polyester (PES)

Polyester yarns are fully synthetic man-made fibres. Polyester ropes have a high tensile strength, are supple, very durable, rot-proof and resistant to seawater.

Further properties:

• very good weather and light resistance
• Consistent strength in wet conditions
• only slight change in length when exposed to the elements (wet/dry)
• Can also be used at high temperatures (up to 120°C)
• Good resistance to acids and petrol
• Low resistance to alkalis
• flame retardant

Main areas of application: Nautical, commercial, leisure

2. polyamide (PA)

Comparable to polyester ropes in appearance and feel. Ropes made of polyamide have a high tensile strength, are supple, durable and rot-proof.

Further properties:

• very good resistance to light and weathering
• due to the slightly increased dynamic force, the material may stretch
• Loss of strength of up to 15% when wet
• weather influences (wet/dry) can cause a change in length of up to 5%
• Can be used in temperature ranges up to 100°C
• Good resistance to alkalis, sensitive to acids, limited sensitivity to petrol
• flame retardant

Main areas of application: transportation, house, construction, dog leash

3. polypropylene (PP)

With a specific weight of 0.91 g/dm3, polypropylene is the lightest of all fully synthetic fibres and is therefore buoyant (specifically lighter than water). Polypropylene is characterized by a high tensile strength and is also durable, rot-proof and resistant to seawater.

Further properties:

• very good weather resistance, medium to good light resistance
• No loss of strength when wet
• Medium heat resistance (up to 80°C)
• Largely resistant to acids and alkalis
• Largely insensitive to petrol
• flame retardant

Main areas of application: Camping, home, garden, leisure

Wire ropes

Here too, the safety factor of 8 applies to the lifting weight (maximum tensile force = 8 x as high). Wire ropes consist of a large number of strands of drawn wires that are twisted around either a fibre or steel core. The more strands, the thinner the individual strands, the smoother the rope (while maintaining the same strength and quality of the rope).

Wire ropes should only be used in conjunction with a rope clamp plus thimble or alternatively with a duplex clamp plus thimble. This is the only way to guarantee sufficient application safety, which is the basis of our specifications!

The bending radius (deflection radius) should not be less than 18 times the rope diameter, whereby the following rule of thumb applies: the more rigid the rope, the greater the bending or deflection radius should be.

The same applies to our wire ropes:

Please do not use them for personal safety or for commercial purposes; there are special ropes for this purpose!

The information on load-bearing capacity refers to brand-new, unused wire ropes and, like the information on fibre ropes, is subject to material-related fluctuations.

For outdoor use, we recommend plastic-coated wire ropes or, depending on the severity of the weather conditions, stainless steel wire ropes!

Chains

Our chains are also aimed more at the hobby user, although some of our round steel chains have very high breaking load values.

In this context, please note our safety instructions above!

In addition to round steel chains, VORMANN also offers knotted chains, various decorative chains and plastic chains.

An extensive range of accessories, some of which can be used for both chains and ropes, e.g. fire department carabiners, rope thimbles, rope clamps, various hooks etc., rounds off the range of chains and ropes.

As described above, the range of accessories is also not suitable for securing persons!

Load securing

In the load securing range, professional and hobby users will find everything they need for the safe transportation and lifting of loads of all kinds. For example, VORMANN offers lashing straps with ratchet tensioners or clamp locks with load capacities from 250 kg to 4000 kg, as well as lifting slings that can carry loads of up to 2000 kg, depending on their circumference. Other load-securing accessories such as anti-slip mats and nets in various sizes complete the range.

Even though load securing products are not generally used to secure people, it must be mentioned here for the sake of completeness that they should not be used for this purpose!