How it connects
Friction clamping via self-tightening parallel or curved serrated jaws; tension applied to the pulling eye draws the jaws closer together, increasing grip pressure on the cable.
Male and female halves
Female receptacle/channel jaw accepting cylindrical male cable or wire rope along its longitudinal clamp face.
Usually connects to
- Bare or insulated conductor, cable or wire rope within the grip’s rated diameter and material range
Common sizes
- Cable capacity is model-specific. Listed examples accept 5–22 mm or 5/32–7/8 in (about 3.97–22.2 mm); some tools accept larger cable.
Where it is used
electrical utility worktelecommunicationslineman stringingriggingWire-rope tensioningUtility cable installationPower and communications line workConstruction cable pulling
Variations
- Parallel-jaw grips
- Chicago grip (curved jaw)
- Haven grip (notched/knurled)
- Hot-line latching grip
- Cam-jaw trigger-release grips
- Knurled-jaw grips
- Smooth round-jaw and V-groove grips for different cable materials
How to recognise it
Recognised by a hinged, spring-assisted or lever-linked steel jaw channel that opens from the side to seat a cable, mechanically linked to an elongated pulling ring/eye.
Often confused with
| Confused with | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Wire mesh pulling grip (Kellums / Chinese finger trap) | Wire mesh grips use a braided wire sock that slips over the end of the cable, whereas jaw grips use rigid metal clamp jaws loaded from the side. A mesh grip surrounds the cable with a woven sleeve; this interface grips it between rigid actuated jaws. |
| Wire rope clip (U-bolt clamp) | Wire rope clips are bolted hardware intended for semi-permanent terminations, rather than quick-release self-tightening pulling tools. |
| Permanent wire-rope clip | A rope clip uses tightened fasteners to secure rope runs or an eye; this temporary pulling grip has movable jaws and a pulling linkage. |
| Electrical cable gland or terminal | This interface transfers pulling force through jaws; it is not an electrical contact or an enclosure-entry sealing fitting. |
Also called
Parallel jaw gripChicago grip jawWire pulling clamp jawHaven grip jawCable-pulling jaw gripWire-rope pulling gripSelf-gripping wire clamp
Good to know
This refers to the clamping contact interface on mechanical lineman/rigging cable puller tools, not a permanent plumbing or electrical connector.
Related connections
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