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© Panduit Corp. 201 4
Aerial Cable Installation
Table of Contents
1.0 General ........................................................................................................................... 3
2.0 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 3
3.0 Precautions ..................................................................................................................... 4
4.0 Pre-survey ...................................................................................................................... 5
5.0 Materials and Equipment ................................................................................................ 5
6.0 Placing Cable Using the Moving Reel Method ................................................................ 6
7.0 Placing Cable Using the Stationary Reel Method ........................................................... 8
List of Illustrations and Tables
Figure 1 Moving Reel Method of Cable Placement ........................................................... 3
Figure 2 Statio nar y R eel Meth od of Ca bl e Pl acem en t ....................................................... 3
Figure 3 Cable Block ......................................................................................................... 5
Figure 4 Strand Storage .................................................................................................... 6
Figure 5 Splice Van Location ............................................................................................. 6
Figure 6 Lashing Wire Clamp ............................................................................................ 7
Figure 7 Setup for Moving Reel Method ............................................................................ 7
Figure 8 Setup for Stationary Reel Method........................................................................ 8
Figure 9 Snatch Block ....................................................................................................... 9
Figure 10 Pull-Back Lashing of Cable ................................................................................. 9
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DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITIES
The practices containe d herein are designed as a guid e for use by persons hav ing technical skill at their ow n
discretion and risk. The rec ommended practices are based on average cond itions. Panduit d oes not guarantee
any favorable results or assume any liability in connection with this document.
In addition, the materials a nd hardware referenced herein appear as examples, but in no way reflect the only
tools and materials available to perform thes e ins ta llati ons .
Local, State, Federal and Industry Codes and Regulations, as well as manufacturers requirements, must be
consulted before proceeding with any project. Panduit makes no representations of, nor assumes any
responsibility for, the ac c urac y or c omplete nes s of t his doc ume nt. Panduit discla i ms any lia bility arising from any
information contained herein or for the absence of same.
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Figure 1. - The moving reel method of cable placement
Figure 2. - The stationary reel method of cable placement
1.0 GENERAL
1.01 This procedure pro vides g ener al inf orm ation f or the instal lation of aer ial f iber opt ic cables . T he m ethods
described are intende d for guideline us e only, as it is i mpossible to cov er all the vari ous conditions th at
may arise during an instal lation. Individua l company practices for placing aerial f iber optic cable should
supersede any conflicti ng i nstruc tions in th is doc um ent when the y do not exceed the cab le’s optical a nd
mechanical performance specifications.
1.02 Placement methods for aerial fiber optic cable are very similar to those of strand-supported copper
cable. However it m ust be kept in mind that fiber optic cable is a high capacity transmission medium
which can have its transmission characteristics degraded when subjected to excessive pulling force,
sharp bends, and crushing forces. These losses may not be revealed until long after installation is
complete. For these reasons extra care must be taken during the entire installation procedure.
1.03 It is assumed that th e p er sonne l using the inform ation pr esent e d in t h is doc ument have prior exper ienc e
in the planning, engineering or placement of aerial cable.
2.0 INTRODUCTION
2.01 Two basic methods of lashing fiber optic cable are presented in this document:
1. The moving reel method is used when reel-carrying vehicles can drive the majority of the cable
route. Using this method, the fiber optic cable is raised and lashed to the strand in one operation.
2. The stationary method is used when reel-carrying vehicles c annot drive the majority of the cabl e
route. Using this m ethod, the fiber optic cable is pu lled into place beneath the strand using cable
blocks. Lashing the cab le to the strand th en begins at the f ar end of the cable ro ute with the las her
being pulled toward the stationary reel location at the near end.
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3.0 PRECAUTIONS
3.01 The following are s ome suggested precautions that should be observed when working with fiber op tic
cables. Before star ting any aeri al fiber opt ic cable inst allation, a ll personnel m ust be thoroug hly fam iliar
with Occupational Safety and Hazard Act (OSHA) regulations. Also, company safety precautions for
aerial fiber optic cable operations should be reviewed before work begins and practiced during the
entire installation process.
3.02 Before cable installation begins, the cable reels should be carefully inspected for any imperfections such
as nails, broken f langes, cable cross overs, or any tha t might cause dam age to the cab le as it is pa yed
out. Precautions should be taken to protect stored reels from possible damage by vandals or other
sources when left una tten d ed. The thermal protect ive c overi ng pr ov ide d o n eac h reel of fiber optic cable
should always remain in place when storing reels.
3.03 Whenever cable fr om the reel is p laced on the pa vement or other sur faces, it should b e protected with
barricades or cones to prevent possible vehicular or pedestrian traffic damage. A “figure-eight”
configuration should be used when the cable is removed from the reel and piled on the ground. This
prevents kinking and twisti ng of the cable, which could c ause damage. Fiber optic cable should not be
coiled in a continuous dire ction except for lengths of 100 ft (30 meters) or less. The minimum size for
the “figure-eight” is about 15 f t (4. 5 met ers) in lengt h w ith each loop 5 ft ( 1.5 m eter s) to 8 ft (2.4 meters )
in diameter.
Note: An alternative to the manual figure-eight procedure is the use of a figure-eight machine. This
equipment will m echanically figure-eight ca ble much faster than is pos sible using the manual method.
Using a figure-eight machine, a reel’s remaining cable is mechanically removed from the reel to the
machine’s storage drum . This mechanical rem oval process provides m uch faster access to the c able’s
inside end using less manpower than does the manual figure-eight. Once the inside end has been
freed, the procedure is rev ersed. W ith the figure-eight machine feeding the c able f rom its storage drum ,
the cable is pulled into pla ce inside-end first. T he machine’s drum and rollers are specifically designed
to prevent the cable from exceeding its minimum bend radius.
3.04 Standard fiber optic cable has a maximum recommended pulling tension of 600 lbs. The maximum
pulling tension is not to be exceeded. Please consult PANDUIT’s Best Practices for the proper
installation and use of pull ing grips. Cables may be ordered fr om the factory with pulling eyes alread y
installed.
3.05 Fiber optic cables are more susceptible to performance degradation due to tight bending than are
copper cables. The minimum bend radius of each cable is proportional to the cable’s diameter. A
general guideline is that a cable under tension should not be exposed to a bend radius less than
20 times the cable diameter and a cable with no tension should not be exposed to a bend radius
less than 10 times the cable diameter.
3.06 Never during the pull-in or lashing process should the cable experience sags, bends or twists, that
produce a bend in the c able whose ra dius meets or exceeds that s pec ified as t he m inim um bend rad ius
for the cable being installed. Failure to observe proper cable handling procedures during cable
placement can void the cable warranty and may result in permanent damage to the transmission
characteristics of the cable. A reduction in the cable’s transmission characteristics introduced during
installation may not reveal itself until long after the installation process has been completed.
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4.0 PRE-SURVEY
4.01 A pre-survey of t he f ib er ca ble r out e is very important in p lan ni ng f or a n aerial optical fiber cable pr oj ect.
The purpose of a pre-survey is to determine if any work may be required along the proposed route
before cable placement begins. Each section of the route must be properly prepared before cable
installation begins.
4.02 One of the objectives of the pre-survey is to determine where each reel of fiber optic cab le is to be
placed. Slack locations and cable storage requirements must also be considered along with splice
locations. The pre-sur vey will verify construction methods, s pecial tools require d, or possibly require a
revision of preliminary splice locations.
4.03 The characteristics of the ground along the route need to be investig ated. Trees or other obstructions,
which could hinder placing oper at io n, s houl d be not ed. Clear ance is sues over road wa ys, driv e wa ys, etc.
need to be taken into acc o unt b ef or e c abl e plac ement begins. Consult the Nat ion al Electr ic Safety Code
(NESC) if uncertain of clearance requirements.
4.04 The method of cable placement and the tools necessary for placement are dependent upon vehicle
accessibility to the cab le route. In areas w here a vehicle cannot go , the cable will need to be pulled in.
In other areas with easy vehicle accessibility the cable can be lashed as it is taken off the vehicle’s reel.
4.05 A good pre-survey will reveal clearance and separation issues on joint-use poles before they delay
construction. It will a lso qualif y the co ndition and s ize of the ex isting poles t o be used, t he con ditio n and
size of the existing pole’s anchors and reveal the need f or any new poles bef ore placement op erations
begins.
5.0 MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
5.01 When an aerial lift t ruck is requir ed for l ashin g operat ions , person nel i n the a erial l ift truc k bucket will be
responsible for direc ting a ll oper atio ns requ ired i n pl acing th e lif t into working posit ion, usin g the l ift, an d
restoring it to travel position. The op erator of the truc k will operate the tr uck only at th e direction of the
person in the lift buck et. There must be good com munications between t he p ers on in th e buc ket and the
driver of the truck.
5.02 A reel carrier or a cable trailer is requ ired for transport and pa ying out of the cable as it is las hed to the
strand.
5.03 A pulling eye or gri p is used to provi de a connection point between the cab le and the p ulling line. The
pulling eye can be factory installed by the cable manufacturer. A pulling grip can be field installed
provided PANDUIT’s Best Practices are followed.
5.04 Cable blocks and snatc h blocks will be requir ed for placing cable wh en the moving ree l method is not
practical (See Figure 9 for an illustration of a snatch block).
Figure 3 - Cable block
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5.05 All slack cable storag e loca tions re quire the insta llati on of slack cable storag e bra cket s. T he slack cable
storage bracket ensures a proper bending radius for the stored fiber optic cable and provides for
horizontal storage and tiering for storage of multiple cables and loops.
Figure 4 - Strand storage
5.06 The outside plant engineer responsible for the project determines strand requirements.
5.07 Lashing fiber optic cable to copper cable, either twisted pair or coaxial, increases the stress placed upon
the fiber optic cable bec ause of the diff erence in expansio n coefficient, extra weight on the stran d, and
damage from work being c onducted on adjacent cab les. T hese fac tors can contribut e to an acc elerated
failure of the fiber optic cable.
5.08 The lasher used to secure t he f iber optic cable to the strand must be of the correc t size to lash the cable
without damaging the cab le. If the lasher is under s ized , it wil l put p eriod ic dents in the c abl e as it pass es
along its length. W hen double lashing is require d, w ire m ust be load ed into both sides of the l asher. It is
recommended that the operator of the las her read and be fam iliar with the manufac turer’s instructions
for the lashing machine that they are using.
6.0 PLACING CABLE USING THE MOVING REEL METHOD
6.01 The moving reel m ethod is used in loc ations where a cable reel tra iler or aerial li ft truck can be m oved
along the pole line and there are no obstructions between the reel and the suspension strand.
6.02 The moving reel method of cable placement has an advantage over the stat ionary reel method in that
temporary cable block s and pul l-in li nes are n ot neces sar y. Whenever p oss ible, t he m oving reel m ethod
should be used.
6.03 When it is practical, the movement of the reel should be in the same direction as any nearby traffic.
6.04 Cable suspension cl amps are to be tightene d at least one spa n ahead of the ca ble lashin g operat ion to
prevent tension build-up in the strand as lashing progresses.
6.05 Start the cable lashing oper atio n by rem oving enoug h cable f rom t he reel to reach fr om strand leve l to a
splicing vehicle below plus 16 feet or so of extra slack.
Figure 5 - Splice van location
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Figure 7 - Setup for moving reel method
Figure 6 - Lashing wire clamp
6.06 Lift the cable guide an d lasher to the str and. Using a l ift or a hand l ine, raise the cable up to th e strand
and pass it through the cable guide, positioning the cable in the lasher. The lashing wire should be
placed around the tension rollers and then terminated in the lashing wire clamp.
6.07 Attach separate pulling lines from the vehicle to the lasher and the cable guide
6.08 As the reel movem ent begins, secure the c able at the po le to prevent an y movement along the str and
until the lasher has moved 50 feet down the strand.
6.09 The cable reel must allow sm ooth cable pay-out to allow the cable to sm oothly enter the cable g uide at
stand level. Hand p ull cable from the r eel to ensure a tens ion-free feed into the cable gu ide preceding
the lasher.
6.10 The reel-carrying vehicle should maintain an approximate 50-foot lead distance ahead of the lasher, and
drive as close to the pole line as possible.
6.11 If it becomes necessary to stop the lasher mid-s pan, a proper tension and bend radi us of the c able must
be maintained at the lasher.
6.12 Upon reaching a pole:
1. Clamp the lashing wire to the strand.
2. Transfer the guide, lasher, etc., to the other side of the pole.
6.13 Continue the cable inst allation, span-by-span from the starting point towards the end of the cable until
the entire cable run is completely lashed and properly sagged.
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Figure 8 - Setup for stationary reel method
7.0 PLACING CABLE USING THE STATIONARY REEL METHOD
7.01 Unlike the moving reel m ethod in which the cable plac ement and lashing operations tak e place at the
same time, the stationary reel method requires two separate operations.
• First: the cable is pulled into place beneath the strand supported by cable blocks (See Figure 8).
• Second: the cable is then lashed to the strand beginning at the cable end and ending at the
stationary reel location (See Figure 10).
7.02 Cable reel trailers s hould be disconnected f rom their towing vehicles. T he reel should be leveled an d
the trailer wheel securely chocked.
7.03 A cable guide should be installed to guide the cable from the reel to its position beneath the strand.
7.04 If it has not been installed by the fac tory, attach a pulling e ye or pulling grip to the cab le. This in turn
must be attached to a pulling swivel and the pulling swivel attached to a pulling rope.
7.05 Cable blocks are suspended beneath the strand to receive the pulling rope and to act as temporary
supports for the cable as it is pulled in. Use a cable block of appropriate size for the cable being pulled.
7.06 All cable blocks are to be place d on the strand facing the same direction with their locking levers (if
present) set to release as the lasher strikes them.
7.07 Cable blocks are to be s et at a maximum dis tance of 50 feet apar t on th e s tran d. When local company’s
practices call for closer intervals follow that practice. Make sure a sufficient number of blocks are
available before installation begins.
7.08 Attach the pulling rope t o t he pul ling s wivel that h as b een con necte d to the pull ing eye or pulli ng gr ip on
the cable.
7.09 Begin unrolling the ca ble, l if ting it up to s trand level a nd thr ough t he cab le guide as tension is applied to
the pulling rope. Control the rotation of the reel to prevent free running of the cable.
7.10 The pull begins with the r ope running through the cable guide and over the first cable block. As the
cable pays out, the rope is then lifted and placed into the second cable block and the pull continues.
7.11 For winch-assisted pu lls, the pulling r ope is firs t placed in position through all the cable blocks from the
stationary reel’s loc ation to the winch’s locatio n. The entire length of cable is then pulle d in using the
winch’s pulling force (See Figure 2).
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Figure 10 - Pull-back lashing of cable
Figure 9 - Snatch block
7.12 Where the cable route changes direction snatch blocks must be used to make each corner.
7.13 With the cable pulled int o place beneath t he strand an d supported b y cable block s, the next step i n the
procedure is to lash the cable to the strand.
7.14 First, install the neces sary spacers and straps at the pole far thest from the reel end. Then place the
lasher on the strand and prepare it f or lashing as per the instructi ons for the type of lasher being us ed.
Stranding must begin at the far end and proceed towards the reel end with any cable slack being
worked back towards the reel.
7.15 The lashing operatio n is begun by the lasher being pulled by rope along the path of the strand . The
lasher must be pulled with a downward pressure to keep the lasher mechanism spinning. Always
maintain tension on the las her to keep the lashing wire from wrapp ing the fiber optic cable around th e
strand.
7.16 The lasher is pulled t he length of the s pan to the next pol e. The cable block s are pushed ah ead of the
lasher as it progresses down the cable route. Upon reaching the next pole, the cable blocks are
removed from the strand.
7.17 Before releasing the lasher brake, the lashing wire must be temporaril y clamped to the stand with a
clamp. After the wire is secur ed, enough wire must be pulled out of the lasher for terminatio n before
cutting.
7.18 Transfer the lashing equi pment to the other side of the pole and contin ue the lashing operations. Be
sure to check all work at each pole before continuing on to lashing the next span.
7.19 Each span must be s ecurely lashed into place s tarting at the pull end a nd procee ding back to the reel’s
location. Cable slack must be carefully worked ahead of the lasher, span-by-span, back to the cab le
reel. Each span’s l ashing wir e must be s ecured to a las hing wire c lamp bef ore moving the lasher to the
next span. This process continues until the entire cable run is lashed and properly sagged.
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