How do you protect outdoor cable wires?

It’s a simple question with a simple answer. Cover your important wires, cables, pipes and hoses with a cable protector ramp and prevent vehicle or foot traffic from crushing hollow lines, or creating a trip hazard. By creating a ramped surface over the cable, the weight from the vehicle is supported and dispersed so that the downward pressure cannot damage the lines.

Common locations where cable wires require protection

• Events: Concert halls, stadiums, racetracks, church festivals, county fairs, trade shows
• Indoor job sites: Warehouses, large-scale renovations
• Outdoor job sites: Pit mines, construction sites
• Airports and hangers

The type of cable and location will determine the cable ramp you need

Not all cable ramp protectors are created equal. If you work in an office and want to cover an Ethernet cable to prevent employees from tripping, your solution will look very different than if you are a firefighter who needs to keep an in-use hose from being crushed by a fire engine in motion.

How to choose the right outdoor cable ramp

1. Measure the outer diameter of your largest cable, pipe or hose. Most will be between .25” for basic cables all the way up to 6.5” for large fire hoses or PVC pipes
2. Determine the weight of the heaviest vehicle, equipment or object that will be going over your cable, this could be anywhere from 600 lbs. to accommodate ADA users all the way up to 100,000 lbs. per tire for large-scale construction or mining equipment
3. Determine how much of your cable you want to cover, and if there are any turns that need to be navigated, you might only need protection where tires will cross, or you may want to completely cover the length of the cable
4. Determine if you need any ADA-compliant ramp sections; this is applicable for event cable management where there will be patrons or visitors with limited mobility or in wheelchairs/power scooters
5. Determine if you will need illumination or high-visibility colors to draw attention to the protectors and prevent trip hazards in low-light environments, such as concerts or similar events
6. Decide on brand and style. Elasco, Checkers and Guardian are some of the top brands available, and each features subtle construction differences, connection points, weight capacities and number of channels