Training wire for polytunnel?

[Eoghan]

I have used 2mm wire on both sides but last year the wire support for the grape vine side gave way. Am I asking too much of a 26' length of 2mm wire to hang strawberry baskets from it? I have some cow fence wire but it is 3mm and impossible to bend.

[burnie]

Is it stainless steel? I use 3mm locking wire, but use as short a length as I can, so if one section were to break, the rest will still be ok.

[nickdub]

Put some intermediate support for the wire from the poly-tunnel hoops ?

[SimpleSimon]

I have 4mm wire rope running the length of mine. You'd defo struggle to snap that. £6 from Toolstation tho you need a tensioner and some the little u bolt things to make loops for the attachment points. Still cheap. I reckon it'd pull the door frames down before it snapped

[Eoghan]

I have 4mm wire rope running the length of mine. You'd defo struggle to snap that. £6 from Toolstation tho you need a tensioner and some the little u bolt things to make loops for the attachment points. Still cheap. I reckon it'd pull the door frames down before it snapped

Can I ask what the wire is - steel or stainless steel?

[SimpleSimon]

It's galvanised steel cable.
https://www.toolstation.com/galvanised-wire-rope/p89647

They do 6mm too.

[Eoghan]

I am looking at Amazon. The nearest toolstation is down in Inverness a 250mile round trip.

Aluminium crimps - any good? I will be hanging a dozen baskets from it!

[SimpleSimon]

It's free delivery over £15 at Toolstation.

You need the wire, the barrel strainer and a bag of the clips. You make a loop with the clamps where you want to attach it. I'll post some pics shortly.

And it'll defo hold as many hanging baskets as you want. I tightened mine real tight and had about 20 hanging baskets on one and it bent my crop bar rather than snapped or the clamps giving way.

Added some pics. Bit hard to see but you use 2 clamps to make a loop (15cm apart) at the attachment points. You'll need heavy duty bolt cutters to cut it as well.

Edit 2... The breaking strength of 6mm galvanised wire rope is 2600kg. So yeah think you'll be fine

[Eoghan]

I finally went with stainless steel aircraft wire with aluminium crimps. Your pics simon are VERY intriguing, can you explain your system? I will take some pics of my system and put them up later today.

[ameno]

I feel like steel rope is overkill.
Braided nylon rope ought to be more than sufficient. 6mm nylon rope has a breaking strain of 550kg.

[Mr Bones]

Just a little tip, if you stick a blob of silicone sealant on each cut end of the steel rope they won't stab your fingers

[SimpleSimon]

I finally went with stainless steel aircraft wire with aluminium crimps. Your pics simon are VERY intriguing, can you explain your system? I will take some pics of my system and put them up later today.

It's a 36x14ft tunnel with 4 lengths of wire running the length of it. That's about it. Not really a system as such, pretty simple.

[Eoghan]

Mine is a 36 x 14 foot but I didn't opt for additional bars so I have the hoops, braces at the end and a central spine bar along the middle. The central spine bar has a fluorescent light slung underneath it in an attempt to keep over wintering chooks laying - didn't work.

Anyway the wire is 26 feet long and unsupported. Hence my desire to have it strong.

[Eoghan]

[burnie]

Looking good, the turnbuckles are a real help in setting up such a set up aren't they, I don't have a tunnel so for my 12 foot run a simple set up using locking wire that is used on oil rigs does the job well enough and as it's stainless, it should last a long time too, currently 4 years and counting.