EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

I really like those leads that guy has been making and am so bored i want to make some of my own.  Do you guys think one could get all of that at tractor supply and crimp your own leads and snaps together??  I see that crimper by the electric fence wire stuff and its not much, prob is i hate today is all of those crappy snaps that are made in Chinka nowdays, omg, where can i get  a good snap online that wont break or has such a huge thumb knob on it a dog can rub it wrong and escape it???  I have not seen a good dog snap in years and wonder if one is even available any more???  Thanks in advane for any leads or tips in sources and how to make your own leads.

http://www.stillwaterkennels.com/hardware.htm

Scroll down to nearly the bottom of that page in the link and you should see em.

This guy has a pretty good following and has been spoken highly-of, many times in posts that I've read elsewhere.

i got my crimpers at home depot but tsc probably has them too.  I know they have the cable, tubing, and hardware. 

 I built 4 last year and only 1 is holding up and hasnt broke. Never again.

 


Why did they break??  Cable to small or snaps or crimps??  I am kinda scared of the cable crimp??  What size cabe any special kind works better?

I make them and never had a problem...It is cheaper to buy the snaps, tubing and crimps at the hardware store. I get cable from wal mart or tractor supply because I like different color leads.

My hardware store carries a box of steel fence splicing crimps or home depot will have the aluminum ones. If you are using a crimping tool...you shouldnt have any problem. I use 3/8 coated cable and then slide the rubber tubing over.

Never had a problem with them breaking and they double as hog drags too  ;D

I am not sure if big ben was on this hunt or not but i had a cable lead break.  It was from a dealer.  We stopped to unload catch dogs and before i could pull the magnet tue handle pulled right out of the crimps and i was left holdin the tubin.  I tryed to jump and catch him but fat boys move slow.  The dogs were bayed a quater of a mile from us.  Luckily he made it to them but by the time we got there he had swollowed a lot of water.  So never again will i buy a cable lead.  If that were to happen to a bay dog and they rolled out we might not be able to find them if they were bayed out of hearin distance and that would not be good.  I am done with them.

Here's another discussion on cable leads
http://www.easttexashogdoggers.com/forum/index.php?topic=22299.msg182417#msg182417

Never again for me eather make u a chain lead easier and imo better

i really like the cable leads but you can het the coated cale at ace, its not that expensive

I built some cable leads. I had the crimper tool, the crimps and the cable already and did not cost me anything.

And I still spent more on the hardware than If I just bought the whole thing already for $10 or $12.

Unless you buy the hardware by bulk.

It is cheaper to buy them already made than to buy the materials yourself.

I made some out of the regular uncoated cable once, and never again.  Those stinking little wires hurt when they stick you after the lead gets some age on it so now the ferrules are all redneck wrapped with duct tape.  I have had good luck with mine not breaking.  I think that the cable some of the stores use is less aircraft cable and more copper wire coated in plastic. some of them anyway.  I do like the chain and nylon leads too, but they make a lot of noise in a pickup bed or anything that has a plastic bedliner and that bugs me.  oh, yeah. once you find the ferrules you need buy a bunch of them, seems like they are the hardest thing to find.

i've beendoing my own leads for a while it cost about 6 or 7 dollors per lead

Exactly the same situation with me its cheaper to buy a nylon/chain lead.
 I was using 3/8 coated cable and a crimp tools, It broke right at the crimp in the handle. Cable leads are not for me anymore. Eventually with the use of them cable leads the lil wires are gonna break down eventually.

I have made some, I have the crimpers and cable at work. I like to make them different lengths. Definitly use the coated wire.

I use them nylon and chain tree leads! I never cared for the cable ones had a few but when they got a little age on em they 'd break on me usely when I was in a bind LOL

I like the cable leads because they are lighter and are not as noisy as the chains, but i wont own another. Everyone i have owned has broke or come loose at the crimp.

Well my big plans wrecked win i went to buy the crimper and enuff of those way way too toot high clamps down in Corpus Chrisiti Texas, i went to tractor supply and of course they have the crimper at like $60 bucks but those crimps are like almost $1 each in the 10 box sack they have, thats not smart to buy.  I then called Kenneedy Wire Rope and Sling and they sent me to a Shark leader maker called Roys Bait and Tackle, call them to quizz em up and if wont do, too small a crimper n guy did not have good price on the crimps.  I am going to go by Home Depo and look at there crimper and crimps to see if there are cheap enuff to fool with.  I wanted to use them on my 2x4 net wire fence we put up here to keep people out and the dogs in and as well make some leads for these smaller terriers i have.  I thank all who posted up about them on big snapping catch dogs and them not holding up too good for some.  I was trying to be frughal as we need to resplice some of this fence the worms i fired butchered.  I guess what I am asking is will the crimping tool you guys have bought also work on 2x4 non climb fence spiceing??  That way I could do both, I also need the name and exact model of the crimper and a picture as well so i can buy what you guys used to make sure i dont screw up and get a junky deal.  Also where can i go get a big box of these crimps and can you post a picture of the crimp you guys used and he box with model number so i can try to call or google and find one on hand in San Antonio or Corpus and go get it or ups it in.  Thanks so much for all of the comments about what to avoid and where to buy them.  I did not have time to try to go by Home Depoe and ask for it,  I git really tired due to still on crutches or i would have tried harder to go in the sotre, I have found if you call them up and get a wormy employee that dont know what it is they just say we dont have it, can you please post the exact name on the box and what exactly it is used for in Home Depos application so i can call a store or 2 and see if one is in my area??  Thanks again to all who responded, regards James

I finally found what i need and it is in stock at D and D Farm Supermarket in Sequin Texas, its a crimper for deer fence $48 and a box of 100 clamps for $20, going to drive up tormorrow and buy it and the crimps and just see what it will do with the plastic wire they have in stock at TSC here, if nothing else i can use it on the  2x4 fence non climb here at the house to splice it up pretty and workmanlike.  The terriers i have need just a lil smaler and a lil lees heavey snap and leads due to there size, I want to build a new dog trout line with the plastic cable and ll new swivels and rings and snaps, my old one is so rusty and lound its not funny, i been so sick it it for years, it sounds like a rattler when i put it on top of the tox box n it always leaves rust on my hands.  Will post up if i get a good looking  and using set up going,  Thanks

ive always just made my own cable leads and havent had one snap or break yet(knock on wood) and ive used them to drag hogs behind the truck or hang deer to skin yet the only lead&coupler set i bought online slipped out of the crimp so i do believe that some people have had some bad luck with the store bought cable leads.  i think its due to the fact that they only crimp the furrel up the middle in between the two slots for the cable to run thru, i normally use 2 furrels for each connection when im going to use a coupler on it just for added backup and instead of making one crimp up the middle, i make 3-5 crimps perpendicular to the direction of the cable thru the furrel and then crimp the middle.  also, strip the coating whenever possible too, i know its almost impossible to do on the loop end but i always strip the end with the latch, that means buying 2 different sizes of furrels but they seem to hold for me but again, i dont use the traditional crimper or crimping methods. i'll try to post a picture or two of some leads ive made for people if i can find some. good luck and PM me if you run into anything youd like some advice or ideas on, ive got plenty of time on my hands as i was just diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and am stuck between going to classes and getting bloodwork and Dr's apmts and physical therapy for my shoulder surgery i just had  :'(  so let me know! -lawson

(http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb378/lawsondawg/horse.jpg)
Here's a lead i made for a guy who hunts from horseback, you can kinda see the crimping done.

(http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb378/lawsondawg/basic.jpg)
Just a plain example, we'll see how well these are visible....

What size cable, is it coated, what part number is the ferrel????  Thanks looks good to me, I am going to use the coated wire in a smaller size and a smaller snap due to the terriers being not that big, largest one is 35 pounds.  Those giant snaps are hard for me to work anyway and kinda heavy to be danging off a terriwrs neck.

its 1/4'' coated cable, to make the main loop i use a 1/4inch furrel and use it over the coating, then for the ends i use two 3/16'' crimps for the stripped cable.  i find it to be fairly light and comfortable to carry around your shoulder, its the snap size that makes it heavy and clumsy, those were heavy dutu snaps for that guy cuz he plans on using them quite a bit. i think you'd be fine using the same width cable and just use smaller lighter snaps, or you could use 3/16'' coated cable but crimping on cable that thin might cause damage to it or it may even cut it as you crimp it down. i wouldnt go thinner than 1/4'' in my opinion. alot of the thicker ones you see online are just thin cable with a thicker plastic sleeve slipped over it to make it easier on your hands i guess but you wont need to worry w/ a terrier pulling your arm off anyhow but i dont feel that 1/4'' cuts into my hands but then again my hands always hurt lol. i'll add a pic of some smaller rigs i have

Thanks for the info, where do you get your supplies??   When i went up to D and  D I bought  Dare Fencing Splicing tool four slot #2154 for $58, i will try to find a picture online of it and of the box of crimp sleeves later.  Feel free to keep this thread going with tips and more pictures, I need help due to being a dumbass on trying to convert the metric size the crimper is and the wire that is sold in American standard size, this idiot crimper has the wire size chart in desimal system but not converted to 1/4 3/8 etc etclol  The sleeves are sold in metriclol

i bought a whole 500' spool of that coated cable a while back from my old boss for 100bux, we bought it for the ranch to replace winch cables on the ATV's, feeder hoists, cleaning station hoists, and anchor cable for tower blinds but he used about 75' of it, if that, and he decided to upgrade to a thicker non-coated cable for bigger jobs and tow cables for tractors, etc.  I wouldnt use the bulk bags of fencing splicing furrels unless theyve improved them since i last tried them, they seemed to be too stiff and would crack instead of modling around the cable, i use the heavy aluminum furrels that come in the individual plastic packets and they run .99$-1/4'' and $.69-3/16'', theyre a tad bit softer so they mold and shape better than those stiffer type but by no means are they easy to bend! it still takes alot of pressure to bend them down and crimped. after buying the store out as soon as furrels came in and bugging the owner to reorder all the time, he finally agreed to order me my own box of 100ct in each size for about $50 total, and thats at the cost he pays for them. 22$/box of 3/16'' and $27-1/4'' but that took time and explaining to get done and its just a bit bigger than a ma'&pappa store so he's more down to earth than TSC or Home Depot would ever be so you may have better luck buying in bulk online. as far as crimpers go, 58$ is steep to me but i never bought an actual crimper for this sole purpose lol, i use a combo of tools i have already to make crimps that i feel are more secure than the crimp jobs ive seen on store-bought leads.  I guess i just got a little lucky when it came to supplies but if youre willing to buy 3 or more leads online, i feel its cheaper or roughly just as much when you include shipping fees, to just make your own. if you lose as many things as me, it never hurts to have too much of somethings!  can you post a link to your model crimper tool please? or even just a picture for me to see what design youre using, whatever is easiest for you, i just wanna see it. thanks

(http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb378/lawsondawg/leadcoupler.jpg) 
lead w/ smaller swivel clip and a chain coupler adapter. you can see how i doubled up the furrels on the stripped cable loop, the lead itself is double crimped and i put an old scrapped piece i cut from an old project with just 1 furrel to show you the difference.

(http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb378/lawsondawg/leeads.jpg)
Longer lead w/cable 3-dog adapter

here is a link to the crimper,  i have no wire yet and have not done anything with it but i do know i took a section of the 2 x4 non climb horse pen wire i put up here to keep wetbacks out and the dogs in and let the manager select the right size Kewi crimp sleeve for it, i got 3 bottles of 100 in different sizes to try to figure out what size plastic wire l like for the small dogs like my terriers.   

http://www.petazon.com/price/category/Livestock-Fencing-And-Gates/2.html


the crimp sleeve KIWI is called a c2l-long for use on 16-12 1/2 ga high tensile wire  100 pieces 1500 hunder pound hold

this is what all of those deer fences use, they sell a real light KEWI crimper but its $200 each so i bought this 4 way size DARE they had

Directions on the bottle say 2 to 3 slot on tool  crimp at least 2 times to insure srong jobs leave 1/4 inch between sleeves

yea, thats the same tool most use, it leaves the 3 dot looking crimps up the middle of the furrel, id crimp it that way and then sideways again like in my pics, that way its gripped to the cable as much as possible. this is a store bought coupler i had slip out with just the 3 crimps up the middle, and it didnt have that much force behind it either, it just slipped right out lol. 
(http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb378/lawsondawg/crimp.jpg)

A friend of mine, (he's on here so maybe he'll post), just built me two leads.  Instead of crimps he used a press and hex nuts.  The nuts flatten out and the threads provide extra grip.  It works great.

MY dad and I used to make these 15 years ago for our beagles.  Went I got back in hunting dogs I remembered we still had all the supplies so I made a few.  I use a different clamp. It is an actual cable clamp and not a wire clamp. The stuff from TSC is smooth wire not cable. Check out the clamps in my pictures.  If looks like a set of bolt cutter with a hole cut in the middle about 1/8 inch wide. We actually had the clamps from our chicken farm.  They were used to splice the cable on the curtains and were always uder a substainial load.

(http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z371/beaucephus27/IMG_0567.jpg)

(http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z371/beaucephus27/IMG_0568.jpg)

dont buy the dare tool!!!!  it does not fit 1/4 ferruleslol  finally bought some 1/4 and 3/16 coated cable and the ferrules i listed and the dare tool dont fit either one, its only for fence wire looks likelol   Now I went back and called Keennedy wire rope down at CC and asked for a 1/4 and 3/16 alunium ferrule, 24 cents any quantity, but they dotn have the tool, so guess what, they say we dont stock the tool but Roys bait and tackle does, same place i drove by yesterday and called and wornhand assures me they dont have ferules that big or a crimper.  But, guess what, i get Roys wife on the phone by chance and quizz her up about the ferrules and crimpers, she says we sell them every week to boat peeps and who did you talk too??  Any going back down to get some 1/4 and 3/16 ferrules and the crimper for it from Royslol  Dang i just wanted to build leads and troutlinelol  I am having probs just cutting the wire, its pretty tuff, think i will use a sanding wheel and googles to burn thru it instead of trying to cut it with china boltcutters.  OMG project wire leads has bankrupted me and i dont even have 1 made up yetlol  Dont ya love it when ya make assumptions there is a reason the 3 first letters in it are ass!!!!lol

 I make mine out of 3/16 uncoated cable and 1/4 rubber tubing. I have a home made set of crimpers i made out of a set of bolt cutters(ground notches with a grinder). I use alum. crimps and havent had any problems so for (knock on wood). I try not to crimp close to the edge of the ferrules. I crimp the ends with my snaps first, then i slide tubing down leaving just enough bare cable for my handle, then i slide on my next ferrule, steel o-ring, snap for handle(optional) then tubing for handle, stick then end in the ferrule and crimp.

Could you post a picture of the tubing, i never seen one made with the tubing so far, where did you buy the tubing??  Does it come in different colors??  I see posts about different colored leads??  Are you guys buying different colored wire cable or buying clear cable and then slipping different colored tubing over it??  Where can i get some colored tubing??  Thanksa again for teaching me all of the tricks.  I know I wil get this down soon, on the way back to CC to get the correct crimper and different size ferrules.  I have a welding cable maker that you strike with a hammer for different size cable leads and usually make battery cables for dozers and graders macks etc, think that might work on the larger size 3/8 wire cable??  I going to try to dig it up later and see, i like the idea of making your own crimper with the old bolt cutter by grinding, i got one that mite work.

i buy the clear tubing off the rolls in the hardware store, it doesn't cost much and the extra padding around the loop where your hand goes is definately worth it. Just buy your cable first and then pick tubing that it will fit in best.  the colored insides comes from different color on the plastic coating on the cable.  Like if you buy one of the ready made tieouts or the cable runs that go over the dog they will be red. (The right name escapes me right now, but it's a cable you hang up off the ground about neck high to a person that has a pulley and another cable that goes to the dog).  They are pretty decent cable and usually cheaper than buying the same length off the roll.  I think home depot and lowes carry them and most pet stores.  Sometimes they sell cable clotheslines that are green but they are pretty fine cable.  I have also shot marking paint inside the tubing and then run the cable through but that can get messy.

kinda like this

http://www.petsmart.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=cable&origkw=cable&sr=1

1/4 aluimium ferules are 20 cents in bulk from Kennedy wire rope and supply, I went back to Roys lol Actually saw the tool and tried to put 1/4 alium ferrule in it no feaking fit!!!!lol  I went by Shineberg tool at 11:30 and was on the phone asking them if they had one in stock, they said not in stock but call back Monday for price and avialblitylol  So I came home filled up all of 30 dogs self feeders and went to find a sledge hammer to use for a anvil and a ball peam hammer to crimp the 1/4 ferules to the 1/4 coated wire, I beat the heck at out them without skinning them back, i tired to pull it out and if i cant i doubt a terrier will,  I have a real new sharp pair of china bolt cutters and been using it to cut the cable.  So far so good, I going to get some smaller cable from TSC and see if they will work for the terriers, this 1/4 inch cable is kinda overkill for my dogs.  I saw a cool deal at Kennedy Wire Rope Shop, a guy showed me a set of hog hobble he had made out of cable with a spring between the loops to keep them from slacking off, he had a bent washer kinda like a snare washer on the outside of the spring on both sides to make sure the spring has  a wide area to push against the spring, i going to get one tormorrow and try to repeat it with some kind of sping from TSC.  I googled some 1/4 ferrule hand crimpers and they are from 150 to $300 bucks with a cutter attached, wow, way to high, think i going to stick with ballpeam and a punch or some kind of extra pointed chiesel to set them after i beat them flat, i also might get one of those TSC china vises and just smash them with it after hammering them some, we will see what happenslol

I tried to post a pic of one of my leads and my crimpers, but i could never get it to upload. I resized it 3 times to almost a thumbnail size and it still wouldn't upload. I also use the clear tubing from the hdwe. store. I've never tried it, but you might be able spray paint the cable and let it dry before putting it together to get different colors.....

Ok i finally got the pic thing figured out thanks to Mike...Heres one of my leads and my homemade crimper
  (http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc496/ironheadknls21/lead.jpg)

I just built a new two dog lead last night exactly like the ones I posted above.  Went to TSC and bought
9' of 1/8 cable
9' of tubing to cover
3 -good snaps
1- Swivel
1 -1" ring.

Got out of there for $19.00

I had an extra 1' of hose and cable and that price does not include the 6 aluminum compressants

I am never building another one myself.  You can buy them for around $10.00.  What the heck?

this fella' uses the same crimping tool i do, youd be better off buying a cheap pair of bolt cutters from Big Lots or some off brand cheap-o's and dulling them down a bit and adapting them to whatever suites you best, no need to buy a special gizmo for hundreds of dollars. especially when smashing em' with a hammer works too, haha, you just may need an extra set of hands for that process but whatever works i suppose.  ive also tried those tri-ribbed barrel looking "cable clamps", for the actual "cable" and not the smooth wire stuff, and is actually what i used at the start of this do-it-yourself hobby but i always had the loops slip out on me? im thinking that the cable i have may be too thin for those style cramps to get a solid grip or something and always had better luck with the furrel style cramps, but i did like the way those crimped down more flush and smooth, i just wished they held tight for me but who knows why i had that problem, could have been a mis-labled box and i bought the wrong size or something haha  rolleyes
The smaller hardware store where i live has several color options for the transparent tubing to use slipped over main cable for added comfort and its pennies a foot, it is in a seperate section though, and is on racks nearer the electrical supplies, so they may have it in your town too and just stashed it away in an odd place so hope that helps whoever was looking for the tubing.  I only gave up on the tubing because i tend to lose alot and/or lend one on a hunt and never see it again way too often so i rarely get to use the same one long enough to get a blister from it lol, but id have to agree that adding the tubing makes it easier on the hands and if i were to make one and know it would not vanish a month later, i'd go all out and make it with that added luxury for sure!  8)