"Cable Installation Machines" are highly specialized, with different types and capacities tailored to the specific voltage levels and characteristics of power lines:

• For Low Voltage (LV) and Medium Voltage (MV) Cables (e.g., up to 33kV):

  • Smaller Hydraulic Pulling Winches: Often skid-mounted or on compact trailers, with capacities ranging from 1 to 5 tons. Used for pulling service lines, distribution feeders, and underground residential distribution (URD) cables.

  • Vibratory Plows & Compact Trenchers: Ideal for direct burial of LV/MV cables in urban and suburban areas or agricultural lands, offering minimal disruption.

  • Cable Feeder/Pusher Units: Smaller, often track-driven, units that assist in pushing cables into ducts, reducing friction and sidewall pressure.

  • Mini and Midi Horizontal Directional Drills (HDDs): For installing LV/MV conduits under roads, driveways, or sensitive landscapes without open trenching.

• For High Voltage (HV) and Extra High Voltage (EHV) Cables (e.g., 66kV to 800kV and beyond):

  • High-Capacity Hydraulic Pullers/OHTLstringingequipment.com/Hydraulic-Conductor-Tensioners.html target='_blank'>Tensioners: These are the workhorses for large overhead transmission lines and heavy underground HV/EHV cables.

    • Pullers (Winch Type): Extremely powerful, trailer-mounted machines with capacities often ranging from 10 to 100+ tons. They feature bullwheel or capstan designs with precise constant tension control for pulling long lengths of heavy conductors or cables.

    • OHTLstringingequipment.com/Hydraulic-Conductor-Tensioners.html target='_blank'>Tensioners: Used in conjunction with pullers for OHTL stringing, these machines apply controlled back tension to the conductor drum, preventing conductor sag and ensuring safe clearance during stringing. They can be single, double, or even quad-bundle tensioners for multiple conductors.

  • Large Horizontal Directional Drills (HDDs): Massive drilling rigs capable of installing large-diameter conduits over very long distances (hundreds to thousands of meters) for HV/EHV underground cable crossings (e.g., rivers, major highways).

  • Cable Conveyors/Pushers (Heavy-Duty): Larger, more robust versions of feeder units, providing substantial pushing force to aid pulling of extremely heavy HV/EHV cables through long conduit runs, particularly in tunnels or long ducts.

  • Specialized Subsea cable laying Vessels (for Offshore HVDC/HVAC): For offshore wind farms or interconnector projects, these are highly specialized ships equipped with massive cable tanks, linear cable engines (LCEs), and sophisticated payout/burial systems to install immense HVDC or HVAC submarine cables.

The choice of "Cable Installation Machine" depends critically on the cable's weight, diameter, stiffness, the terrain, project scale, and the required installation method (overhead, direct bury, or duct).