Elevator cable tension

Same system as Ercoupes Only -- a bolt left off. The hardest part is safety wiring. Get a wire feed used to pull wire thur conduit. I got mine at Home Depot. Make getting cable thur Tail cone easy. You will need a tensiometer, .032 safety wire.

I recently had a freind who bought an out of annual cherokee.   On the ferry flight home the right rudder cable broke.  The pilot who was a airline captain managed to land it without issue.  The cable was 60 years old and at first glance looked good, aside from the fact it was broken.  It had corrosion and the cable end broke between where the cable was swedged and the threads going into the turnbuckle. 

This caused me to decide to replace the 60 year old cables on my Alon at annual.   I have a set enroute from Univair via Vernon Gregory @ Skyport.  This brings me to the technical issue.  The cable tension for the elevator cables is 160-190 FOOT POUNDS!

Has anybody done this?   I have never tensioned aircraft control cables anywhere close to that number.   Everything I have ever done on any aircraft is less than 50ish pounds.  I’m not even sure where I can find a tensiometer that goes that high.  

Something to consider, look at real hard at your next annual, and maybe test the elevator cable tension.