Installation of a wire rope on a plain (smooth) face drum requires a great deal of care. The starting position should be at the correct drum flange so that each wrap of the rope will wind tightly against the preceding wrap. Here too, close supervision should be maintained throughout installation. This will help ensure:


1    The rope is properly attached to the drum
2    Appropriate tension on the rope is maintained as it is wound on the drum
3    Each wrap is guided as close to the preceding wrap as possible, so that
      there are no gaps between turns
4    There are at least two dead wraps on the drum when the rope is fully
       unwound during normal operating cycles

Loose and uneven winding on a plain (smooth) faced drum, can and usually does create excessive wear, crushing and distortion of the rope. The results of such abuse are lower operating performance and a reduction in the ropes effective strength. Also, for an operation that is sensitive in terms of moving and spotting a load, the operator will encounter control difficulties as the rope will pile up, pull into the pile and fall from the pile to the drum surface. The ensuing shock can break or otherwise damage the rope. The proper direction of winding the first layer on a smooth drum can be determined by standing behind the drum and looking along the path the rope travels, and then following one of the procedures illustrated on page
4.33. The diagrams show: the correct relationship that should be
maintained between the direction of lay of the rope (right or left), the
direction of rotation of the drum (overwind or underwind), winding from left
to right or right to left.