Versatrax 300™
Document: UMBH008532.docm
Revision: A07
Created by: KJB
Date: 26 Sep 2019
3047763-A07
Source Location: C:\ePDM\ISLEng\products\bh-vt300series4-trackchassis\manuals\UMBH008532.docm
Page 44 of 67
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Operation
Communication
Establish a good channel of communication between the operator and deployment personnel: whether
this be a system of signals, PA system or audio headsets. Good communication can avoid accidents and
damage to the equipment. The person deploying the vehicle and watching the tether must be able to
quickly tell the operator to stop the vehicle when something goes wrong. Because he is situated in the
office-like van, the operator is often provided with a CCTV system or view port so he can see directly what
is happening at the manhole.
Tether Handling
The tether should be considered the most important part of the vehicle system. It feeds power and control
signals to the vehicle and returns data from the sensors. If the tether becomes damaged from improper
use, poor handling or an accident, the vehicle may become crippled or inoperable. This is a serious
situation because of the cost for tether repairs, as well as significant downtime and loss of production.
For maximum tether life and reliability, ISL offers the following tether handling tips:
Never step on the tether. Trampling the tether may crush conductors, leading to premature failure.
Trampling is also abrasive to the tether jacket. Trampling fosters the wrong attitude toward the tether.
Remember, this is an expensive multi-conductor tether, not a common electrical extension cord.
Never allow vehicles, trucks, cars, etc. to drive over the tether. This will do concentrated, immediate and
permanent damage. Set up cones or blockades to keep vehicles away.
Do not bend the tether beyond its minimum bend diameter. The VT300
™ fiber-optic tether has a
minimum bend diameter of 16in. If the tether has difficulty bending, you have bent it too far. If the tether is
bent beyond its minimum diameter on pulleys or around corners wire fatigue will be accelerated. It is
important that any pulleys or tackle support the tether at or beyond its minimum bend diameter. For an
extended fatigue life, the minimum bend diameter should be considered larger.
Never kink the tether. A kink will permanently break the fibers and disable the vehicle. A broken fiber
cannot be repaired except by cutting the tether at the break and re-terminating. Take precautions to never
allow the tether to kink. Kink situations may occur when there is slack tether with closing loops, or when
coils slip off a full drum.
Do not snap load the tether. Your tether has a maximum safe working load of 300 lb tension. Loads may
peak at a very high value when the tether snaps taut. Snap loading may easily occur when a slack tether
is reeled onto a motorized spool, or when the vehicle is suspended from a swinging deployment crane.
Avoid loading the tether unnecessarily. Unnecessary large loads will only shorten the fatigue life of the
tether.
Always use the Kellems grip strain relief on the vehicle. The VT300
™ is powerful and can generate a lot
of pulling force. Even though the tether termination is designed to withstand tension in an emergency, it is
best to protect it with a strain relief.
