Wire Rope Sheaves & Pulleys
The sheave is the heart of any lifting block. It is the rotating interface that carries the load and dictates the lifespan of your wire rope. A poor-quality sheave with a soft groove will wear quickly, creating corrugations that act like a file, shredding expensive wire rope strands. To maximize safety and minimize downtime, you need sheaves engineered for toughness and geometric precision.
Wire Rope Sheaves & Pulleys
Holloway Houston stocks the world's most trusted lineup of McKissick (Crosby) Sheaves. Unlike cast iron alternatives that can crack under shock loading, McKissick sheaves are Roll-Forged from high-quality steel, providing exceptional strength and a perfect groove profile. Whether you are replacing a worn pulley in a crane block or building a custom diversion system, we have the precise bore and diameter you need.
The McKissick Advantage: Roll-Forged Technology
Why are McKissick sheaves the industry standard?
- Roll-Forged™ Structure : A solid billet of steel is heated and split-formed, then "upset" and rolled to shape. This improves the grain structure of the steel, making it vastly stronger than cast sheaves of the same weight.
- Flame Hardened Grooves : The rope groove is flame-hardened to 35 Rockwell C (minimum). This ensures the groove retains its shape and smoothness, drastically reducing wear on both the sheave and the wire rope.
- Concentricity : Because they are machined from a solid forging, these sheaves offer superior balance and run-out characteristics, reducing vibration at high line speeds.
Bearing & Bore Types
Our inventory includes various hub configurations to match your specific shaft requirements.
- Design : Fitted with a self-lubricating SAE 660 Bronze Bushing.
- Application : Ideal for slow line speeds and high static loads (e.g., snatch blocks, deflection rollers).
- Maintenance : Requires regular grease lubrication via the shaft.
- Design : These sheaves are supplied with a precisely machined bore (e.g., 1.569", 1.875") ready for installation on a shaft or for the insertion of your own bearings.
- Application : OEM replacements, custom machinery, and applications where specific shaft tolerances are required.
- Key Feature : Available in a massive range of bore sizes to fit existing axles without additional machining.
Selection Guide: Matching the Rope
Selecting the correct sheave is important for safety.
- Wireline Size : You must match the sheave groove to your wire rope diameter (e.g., 1/2", 5/8", 1"). A groove that is too narrow will pinch and crush the rope; a groove that is too wide will flatten the rope.
- Sheave Diameter (D/d Ratio) : The larger the sheave, the less fatigue on the wire rope. A sheave diameter at least 20 times the rope diameter is recommended for standard hoisting applications.
- Bore Size : Measure your shaft diameter precisely. Our "Finished Bore" sheaves come in specific decimal sizes (e.g., 1.875") to ensure a tight, wobble-free fit.
Customization & Machining
Holloway Houston is a full-service rigging shop.
- Bore Modification : If you see a sheave with the right diameter but the wrong bore, our machine shop can often modify it to your specifications.
- Full Assembly : We can install these sheaves into Custom Blocks or Headache Balls fabricated to your requirements.
Browse our inventory below to filter by Wireline Size, Sheave Diameter, and Bore Size.