In the operation system of rail transfer trolley, the cable reel bears the important task of power transmission, whether its selection is appropriate, directly related to the safety, stability, and service life of the equipment.
20T Rail Transfer Cart With Turntable Video
Based on Operating Conditions
Short Distances and Frequent Starts and Stops
Electric transfer carts are often used in short-distance, frequent start-stop operations in factories, such as material transfer workshops. These conditions place high demands on the speed and responsiveness of cable reels. Spring-driven cable reels are ideal for this scenario due to their unique operating principle.
The reel relies on the elasticity of the built-in spring to automatically wind the cable, and its simple design, without complex transmission devices, makes it not only low-cost but also relatively low failure rate. When electric transfer cart on rail is started or stopped, the spring-driven cable reel is able to react quickly to ensure that the cable follows well. In this way, the cable will not be dragged and friction and pull with the ground, track, or other equipment, thus effectively avoiding cable damage and guaranteeing the continuity of power transmission.
Long-Distance and High-Speed Operation Scenarios
Rail transfer trolley used for container handling in large ports is characterised by a long distance and high speed. Under these conditions, the cable is subjected to complex and drastic changes in tension. If ordinary cable reels are used, it is difficult to accurately control the cable tension, and it is very easy for the cable to be overstretched, worn out, or even broken, which in turn affects the normal operation of rail transfer trolley.
Constant tension cable reels have emerged; such reels are generally motor-driven and equipped with an advanced tension control system. In the process of operation, the system can monitor the cable tension in real time. Once the tension changes are detected, the motor will accurately adjust the winding and releasing speed, so that the cable is always in the appropriate tension range. In this way, the constant tension cable reel not only guarantees the stability of power transmission, but also effectively extends the service life of the cable, providing reliable power support for long-distance and high-speed operation of transfer trolley on rail.

Based on Cable Specifications and Types
Influence of Cable Thickness and Rigidity
Cable thickness and rigidity are important factors that must be taken into account when selecting cables. Different specifications of the cable, its weight, flexibility, and bending radius requirements are significantly different. For thicker, more rigid cables, ordinary cable reels are difficult to meet the needs of their load and storage.
In this case, the need is to match with a greater capacity of the reel, and the reel should also be equipped with a suitable cable discharge mechanism. Arrangement mechanism can ensure that the cable in the cable receiving and putting process, the cable on the reel is neatly wound, to avoid mutual extrusion of cross cables. Once the cable winding is chaotic, it will lead to the cable insulation layer, which and then lead to a short circuit and other serious safety hazards.
Adaptation of Special Material Cables
With the diversification of industrial environments, oil-resistant, cold-resistant, high-temperature-resistant, and other special material cables are increasingly widely used. For these special cables, the material and protection design of the cable reel must be adapted to them.
In the high-temperature environment, for example, if the use of ordinary materials, the reel shell, heat will be rapidly conducted to the cable, seriously affecting the performance and service life of the cable. Therefore, in high-temperature environments, the reel shell needs to be made of high-temperature-resistant materials to block heat transfer and provide a safe working environment for the cable to ensure its normal operation under special working conditions.
Consideration of Working Environment Factors
Humid and Dusty Environment
Cable reels face severe tests in the harsh environments of humid, dusty, or corrosive gases, such as underground mines and chemical workshops. In order to ensure that the cable reel can work properly, its protection level must meet the appropriate standards, generally required to reach IP54 and above.
With an IP54 and above protection level of the cable reel, its shell can effectively block the entry of dust, and prevent water splashing into the internal, thus protecting the internal mechanical structure and electrical components from erosion, to ensure stable operation of the cable reel in harsh environments.
Material Selection
In addition to the level of protection, the choice of reel material is also critical. In wet, corrosive environments, stainless steel or carbon steel with special anti-corrosion treatment is ideal.
These materials have excellent corrosion resistance and can effectively withstand humid air, corrosive gases, and chemicals, greatly extending the service life of the cable reel and reducing equipment maintenance and replacement costs.

Rational Planning of Installation Space
Part of the transfer trolley on rail has a compact overall layout due to design and functional requirements, leaving very limited space for cable reel installation. In this case, the traditional large cable reel obviously can not meet the installation requirements.
In this case, it is necessary to choose a small, compact reel model. If the standard models still do not meet the requirements, customised designs can also be considered. Customised cable reels optimise the use of space to the maximum extent possible while still meeting functional requirements and ensuring that there is no interference with other components on electric transfer trolley, thus guaranteeing the smooth running of the equipment as a whole.
Balancing Cost and Ease of Maintenance
Cost Considerations
Cost is an important factor in the selection of cable reels. However, the selection should not be guided by price alone – the more expensive the product, the more suitable it is. Rather, it is necessary to meet electric flat car on rail operation needs on the basis of a comprehensive comparison of the price of different brands and models of cable reels.
Through a comprehensive assessment of product performance, quality, and price, choose the cost-effective products, not only to ensure the normal operation of the equipment, but also to effectively control the cost, to achieve the maximisation of economic benefits.
Maintenance Convenience
Cable reels in the process of use inevitably need maintenance and repair. The choice of an easy-to-maintain reel can significantly reduce the subsequent maintenance costs and downtime.
Easy to maintain, the reel usually has a strong generality of parts, is easy to dismantle, and has other characteristics. When a fault occurs, the maintenance personnel can quickly replace the damaged parts, shorten the maintenance time, improve the production efficiency, and ensure the continuous and stable operation of electric transfer cart on rail.
Electric transfer trolley on rail cable reel selection is a comprehensive decision-making process, which requires comprehensive consideration of operating conditions, cable specifications, working environment, installation space, cost and maintenance, and other key factors. Only according to the specific use of the scene, a comprehensive weighing of all aspects of the factors is required to select the most suitable cable reel.