By: Hal Jones
If you find vertical wooden balusters to be commonplace and dreary, consider building your next handrail with a horizontal metal cable system. The Ultra-tec Cable System offers homeowners a way to install stainless steel cable railing with easy-to-install push and pull locks, providing a safe, strong, low-maintenance guardrail that you can see right through. The Cable Connection is exhibiting the Ultra-tec system at the 2012 International Builders Show.
“There are thousands of 3/16” push and pull-locks in service , but we had enough failures that we did not feel we were delivering the quality of fitting that we felt good about, or that our customers deserved,” says owner Mike Kechely. “We have since tried many different designs in an attempt to solve the problem; it has taken us four years to get here, and we are confident this design will be as reliable as our 1/8” version.”
It’s not just a matter of using the same design for both size cables, as the dynamics of the cable itself differs. “The 1/8” cable hardly compresses at all, whereas 3/16” cable does compress. This means what works for one may not work for the other – which is what proved out. We now have a distinctly different design for the 3/16” push-pull-lock,” adds Dave Goles, Quality Assurance and Product Development Manager. “We have conducted extensive testing, even to points well beyond reasonable limits. The new design has proven itself.”
CEO Lou Marino reflects, “It’s been four long years since we’ve been able to sell this fitting and many of our customers came to think we’d never offer it again. We’re very pleased to be able to say it’s again available, but better, it will hold as we all want it to!”
The 3/16” push/pull-lock fittings will be available for shipment beginning March 1st and will be offered in 7 different varieties, as they are currently for 1/8” cable: the push-lock and pull-lock for straight run outside of post applications, the push-lock with threaded eye for inside of post stair or angled applications, the push-lock lag for inside of wood post straight run applications, the push-lock threaded bolt for inside of metal post straight runs, the push-lock stud for use with the Invisiware® receiver tensioning device, and the push-lock turnbuckle tensioning device.
