HIT Cable Cutter

The HIT cable cutter is a hand tool for cutting steel cable and strand cleanly, which is a regular job when installing tree support systems. A clean cut keeps the strand from unraveling and makes terminations neater.

Why a dedicated cable cutter

Cutting galvanized strand with bolt cutters or a grinder tends to crush and fray the end, and a grinder throws sparks and heat. A dedicated cable cutter has shaped jaws that shear the wires together, leaving an end that is easier to feed into grips and dead-ends.

Every cutter has a rated capacity, and some are not made for hardened steel such as high-strength strand. Check the tool's rated cable size and type before using it, and do not force it on cable beyond that rating, which can damage the jaws.

Keep the cutter in the cabling bag with the grips, dead-ends and thimbles, so everything needed to finish a run of cable is in one place. A cutter that lives in the truck tool box is a cutter that is not there when you are in the tree with a cable end to trim.

Using it on the job

Tape the cable on both sides of the cut to keep it tidy, set the cable deep in the jaws and cut with a steady squeeze. Wear eye protection and gloves since cut strand ends are sharp. Keep the pivot clean and lightly oiled. Cabling and bracing is structural work on a living tree. It should be specified and installed by a trained arborist following ANSI A300 Part 3, ANSI Z133 and the hardware maker's instructions, and inspected on a regular schedule after install. Find more tools in our cabling and bracing section.