Abstract: Short tidal working windows, discontinuous steel-truss working surfaces, and restricted trestle passages make large-cross-section collector cables difficult to install and increase pulling risks in tidal-flat photovoltaic fields. Using the Tianwan 2 GW tidal-flat photovoltaic demonstration project as a case study, a staged cable-laying method was developed that combines wharf-side pre-wiring, supplementary laying within offshore subarrays, and mechanized laying along trestles. Cable conveyors, rollers, and winches were used together to lay 35 kV collector cables. A low-speed steady-state pulling model was established for 3×400 mm² and 3×300 mm² cables on straight routes and combined routes comprising a straight section and a single horizontal bend. Pulling forces under an unfavorable route arrangement were calculated without accounting for the effective driving forces of intermediate conveyors, and the influence of the equivalent bend friction coefficient was analyzed. For the 3×400 mm² cable, the calculated pulling forces on a 500 m straight route and the combined route were 14.43 kN and 20.94 kN, respectively, both below the project control value of 27 kN. The corresponding values for the 3×300 mm² cable were 12.86 kN and 18.22 kN. The combined-route force reached 91.1% of the 20 kN control value and reached that limit when the equivalent bend friction coefficient increased to approximately 0.254. Field application shows that the staged and mechanized laying methods are suitable for the site conditions. The calculations provide a basis for identifying sensitive pulling conditions, arranging equipment, and controlling construction risks.