American Made!

Quite often I am asked where "Cable-Tite" is made. The answer: Gallatin, Tennessee. You may wonder why a foundry in Gallatin TN manufactures a hurricane tie-down system that's used in high wind regions outside of Gallatin TN.

We are first of all, a foundry, started in the 1950's making steel parts for a number of industries, including military, automotive, aircraft, and nuclear plants. A new home builder came to us to solve the problem of hurricane tie-down systems that were either difficult to install or lacked hold-down capabilities.

As a result, our engineers patented this cable tie-down system for uplift protection to meet a demand for better protection than current systems that use stamped aluminum hurricane clips or threaded rods. At Cable-Tite we love to say that we exceed codes, that we are better than we have to be, and "that it's not tight, until it's Cable Tite"

The three steel parts, the anchor nut, the anchor cap, and the top plate are made from poured steel in our foundry, the same basic steel materials used for tanks and machine guns. Steel, poured at 2800 degrees, not stamped out aluminum clips. The cable vises are made for us in Chicago.

So, when we say "Made in America" it is!!! Buy America!!!!

Brian Harris Homes - block foundations

From time to time we have questions about using Cable-tite as hurricane and high wind tie-down protection with block foundations. There is a little more work to anchor the top plate to the foundation anchor bolts, but it can be done.

I recently worked with Matt Harris at Brian Harris Homes, a new home builder in middle Tennessee. One thing I liked that Harris did was core fill the block to the footer. This offers much better hold down value than blocks with only the top block filled.

After the house was framed and roofed, I went to the crawl space and installed the anchor nut and cap. I drilled a 3/8 hole for the cable, then attached it to the top plate as standard installation. I crawled back under the house and locked the Cable-tite firmly in place.

NOTE: See the small blue electrical wire sticking through the floor above the drill in the photo above? I drilled a small 1/8" hole in the subfloor and used the blue wire to mark my place. Upstairs, I drilled the 3/8" hole for the cable. This is much easier when working in a small crawl space.

In this photo of the finished installation, note that the anchor nut, cap and cable vise are not seen. They are in the crawl space below.

More Cable-tite 101 Tips

This is a Cable-tite tip for installing Cable-tite on a porch or deck or in any area that doesn't have a traditional top plate.

In this house being built by Ronald Deutch shown at the left, there were 2 - 2x12's used to support the roof rafters. They are sitting on top of a site-built column. We drilled a 1/2" hole in the crack between the two 2x12's for the cable to install between the anchor bolts and the top plate. The problem in this case was the inability to drill a one inch hole for the cable vise to sit. The roof was already constructed and there wasn't room for a drill.

We found two scraps of 2x4 and nailed them together. Then, drilled a one inch hole in them. They fit perfectly on top of the 2x12's and allowed the vise and steel top plate to sit properly. Once the cable was locked it was installed correctly.

This is yet another reason Cable-tite is the preferred cable tie-down system for builders who need uplift protection from straight-line and hurricane winds in high wind zone areas. The system is flexible on site, and didn't add more than 5 minutes to the installation.

Porch/Deck tie-down applications

Recently we were asked to provide hurricane tie-downs for uplift protection for a customer's deck as shown above. There is no place to sit our top plate, like the 2x4 top plate in stud wall construction. Our engineers offered two solutions.

1. Photo one shows that you can drill a 3/8" hole upwards between the two 2x12s and then drill a 1" wide by 4" deep hole for the cable vise to sit. This meets the IBC codes and maintains out hold-down values. But before you drill through a support beam check with your local codes to make sure there's no variance in codes.

2. A easier and better solution is to use a cable bale and yoke to hold the cable vise in place, as seen in photo two. It is a simple, easy, and quick method to wrap the support rafter and hang the vise. The cable is extra high strength, so you will not lose any hold-down value. If you have a shorter or smaller span, you may have only one 2 x 12 or 2 x 10 so you will need the cable bale.

May 19th

NEW DATE!
A new date has been set for the open house at Fred Yates custom built home. It is May 19, 2009 from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM at 931 Lake Park Drive, Gallatin, TN http://www.mapquest.com/

Cable-Tite is launching the robust hold-down cable system at this house. It secures the top plate to the foundation and offers high wind uplift protection. This adds peace of mind in an area of strong shear winds.

This house has 61 Cable-Tite tie down systems in it. The walls are open so you can see the installation. You will see how easy it is to install from the anchors to the vises, cables, and top plate.

There will be engineers at the site this day to explain our system and answer any questions.

A nice lunch is planned, FREE, but....please.....call us an let us know if you plan to attend so we can have plenty of food.

We all look forward to meeting you.

Comparisons

I am often asked how the Cable-Tite system compares with other systems. My first answer is that it's so much better there isn't even a comparison....ha! But seriously.....some of you want to know. So here's my answer:

There are three types of tie-down systems being marketed: the galvanized metal fasteners, threaded rods, and cables. Cable-Tite is a system that outshines all three in ease, cost, and efficiency.

The galvanized metal connectors are the most poplar because of price and they are readily available at most lumber suppliers, Lowes, and Home Depot. They are time consuming to install because they require many nails. They are only as strong as the weakest point, which in most cases is about ½ the strength of the wood. They satisfy the minimum requirements for codes approvals.

For the better builders, the threaded rods seem to be used more frequently. They are even more time consuming to install than the connectors because the rods must be exactly straight to be secured tightly. The rods are not flexible. They need to be ordered prior to construction if lengths are greater than normal inventory, and cut on-site. Since there are several parts to the threaded rod system, care needs to be taken to order all the pieces to install correctly. There are some problems with accumulated compression, and in order to address it in 2 or 3 story applications, those connectors are expensive.

There are some cable tie-down systems. They require advance ordering because they are cut to length, and are a time consuming installation. They require expensive epoxy glue and 24+ hour wait. The systems have little room for error in lengths.

The Cable-Tite tie-down system uses the patented cam locking cap and vise that is easy to install, flexible in lengths, and cost efficient. It requires no pre-order. It can be installed in minutes by your own crews. Since cable is cut to length on-site, it is adaptable to any ceiling height. There are no bulky parts to store. And, it exceeds codes requirements with over twice the uplift protection. It is simple to order because the same 5 parts fit all applications.