Which device is used to guide cables during pulling operations, acting as a pulley in a system?

• A. Pulley
• B. Reel
• C. Sheave
• D. Guide Ring

Answer: (C)

When guiding a cable through a pulling run, you want a wheel that the cable rides over so it can change direction smoothly without snagging. That rotating, grooved wheel inside a pulley block is called a sheath? No—it’s called a sheave. The sheave provides the guiding surface and direction change for the cable as it moves, which is exactly what the question describes: a device that guides cables during pulling operations and functions as the pulley’s wheel.

The broader term is pulley for the whole assembly, but the specific guiding element is the grooved wheel—the sheave. A reel stores cable rather than guides it, and a guide ring isn’t the rotating guiding surface used in standard pulling setups.