A turnbuckle is a device which is used to increase or decrease tension on a rope assembly. The turnbuckle itself is made from three components; an oblong or rectangular body which is drilled and tapped in each end with threads that screw in opposite directions as well as two threaded inserts. These inserts are also threaded opposite to one another; one left and the other right handed. The inserts have a hook or an eye on the end opposite the thread. When the inserts are screwed into the threaded body and the body is turned in one direction the assembly length either gets longer or shorter which either increases the tension on the wire rope or decreases it.
Turnbuckles in Texas can range in size, the smallest has a body length of perhaps two inches and they go up to 12 inches or more. The threaded inserts are about half the length of the body, perhaps a little more; when assembled the turnbuckle can close so that the wire rope can be shortened by almost the full length of the body, and lengthened to almost twice the body length. As the threads on the inserts are fine pitched they easily allow the tension on the wire rope to be tuned in fine increments.
Turnbuckles in Texas are employed in many situations. A very common application is to use them when installing a suspended ceiling. Each of the drop wires have to be fined tuned in length so that the completed ceiling is perfectly horizontal, not sagging or drooping. Turnbuckles are also used extensively in the marine and aircraft industries to shorten or extend the length of rigging and to fine tune the length of aircraft control cables. The criterion for selecting a turnbuckle is that it must have at least the same breaking strength as the cable it is being used on.
Turnbuckles can cause injury if they are not used properly. As they are used to introduce tension into a wire rope they must be relaxed completely allowing the cable to go slack. If this is not done the sudden release of the cable can cause it to thrash about and cause injury and property damage. If a turnbuckle is found to have become misshapen it must be replaced immediately, a turnbuckle cannot be repaired and still retain its integrity.
Turnbuckles in Texas are but one piece of wire rope hardware that is commonly used when making up wire rope assemblies. Turnbuckles and other hardware are available in Texas from Thomas Wire Rope.
