6 pdr drag ropes

[tankbarrell]

I'm trying to get my head round the drag ropes for the 6 pdr. At first sight, it seems as though they might be the same as 25 pdr ones but they are not. There have been references on here and other places to 'correct 6 pdr ropes' but what is the difference.

The handbook just says they are 'the 30ft ropes converted' and the parts list states the rope size as 3", the same as 25 pdr and 17 pdr et al. The thing is, the hooks on the shield come in different lengths and the short ones are not really long enough to take a coiled up 25 pdr rope.

So, are the 'correct' ropes a standard rope but shortened or are they made from smaller (2"?) rope? If the former, how long are they and are the chains the same length as the wheel is considerably smaller than a 25 pdr wheel. The standard rope works on the 6 pdr wheel but I would like to know exactly where they are different.

I am aware rope sizes are measured as circumfrential, not diametrical.

Any help gratefully received as I will likely have to make a pair and would like to get them right.