Freedom winch line 3.0 from the Bleepin Guy

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WTF, jjvw and mrblaine make the big time in the Bleepin Guy's latest utube vidya:

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You guys made fun of him and he hasn't forgot about it.

😆
 
I made my own version of the rope with my $80 pink barbie Jeep rope from Amazon.

If you don't know how to splice or figure out how to tie a diamond knot...then by all means pay someone $300.

First...I completely disagree with the video about everything with tree savers except sure... emergency...go for it. That was an oak. You'd kill a soft wood species doing that. They damaged the tree in the test and that violates every leave no trace ethic.

What about the concept of doubling the line width in the last 12'? First...does nothing for the capacity of the rope because if you're going to snap it it would happen in the 3/8" part. Second...I like a contiguous winch line whenever possible and I see at least two splices in this one...the last 10' or so is a spliced in red section...and then the 3/4" leader with the diamond knot.

I would also imagine a 3/4" end could side load the winch by pushing on the connector rods at the top. Or am I saying that wrong...side loading is getting too much rope on one side and hitting the rods...is that applicable to too much rope/width?

I do like the color change on the last bit of rope without using an abrasion sleeve. Wonder if there is a method to die the rope or more effective method than splicing/sleeving. And yeah yeah pay attention...got it... understand it...but we've all had tired stupid moments...and simple things help.

Also no coverage was given to attachment of the line to the winch. After finding and learning Mr B's preferred Brummel lock splice with a taped tail I'm sold on that method of attaching a rope to a spool.

Video was intended to sell a product... that's fair...we're all entitled to make a living...would be nice to see an unbiased and methodical test. When I tested Mr. B's rope I asked if he had a test protocol in mind...and this also might be a good discussion point...a list of what and how you do to a winch rope for an unbiased test that can be repeated between winches and vehicles without completely subjective results.

Amazon pink barbie Jeep rope (was red for about 6 hours) moved to my dump trailer...with Brummel.

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Why do you need to replace a good winch line just because it’s seen a lot of use? 🤔
 
I made my own version of the rope with my $80 pink barbie Jeep rope from Amazon.

If you don't know how to splice or figure out how to tie a diamond knot...then by all means pay someone $300.
Everyone who runs synthetic 12 strand or similar that is easily spliced needs to spend the 10 minutes it takes to learn how to do a buried tail eye splice and a simple double buried tail line splice. That miniscule bit of knowledge can save your ass when you most need it to.
What about the concept of doubling the line width in the last 12'? First...does nothing for the capacity of the rope because if you're going to snap it it would happen in the 3/8" part. Second...I like a contiguous winch line whenever possible and I see at least two splices in this one...the last 10' or so is a spliced in red section...and then the 3/4" leader with the diamond knot.

I would also imagine a 3/4" end could side load the winch by pushing on the connector rods at the top. Or am I saying that wrong...side loading is getting too much rope on one side and hitting the rods...is that applicable to too much rope/width?
You are watching for the line to stack up on one side of drum to over capacity based on diameter which can get into the tie bars. You can blow those out pretty easily and ruin the winch. If the tie bars are higher than the base of the winch to the drum, then the extra diameter can really tear up the rope dragging it across the winch deck.
I do like the color change on the last bit of rope without using an abrasion sleeve. Wonder if there is a method to die the rope or more effective method than splicing/sleeving. And yeah yeah pay attention...got it... understand it...but we've all had tired stupid moments...and simple things help.
Nothing wrong with a proper line splice. If you trust it on a thimble, no reason not to trust it elsewhere.
Also no coverage was given to attachment of the line to the winch. After finding and learning Mr B's preferred Brummel lock splice with a taped tail I'm sold on that method of attaching a rope to a spool.
I like it, I don't know if it is the superior method. More testing in actual use needs to be done to find out any downsides if they exist. I do know what doesn't work and that is most anything screwed to the side of the drum.
Video was intended to sell a product... that's fair...we're all entitled to make a living...would be nice to see an unbiased and methodical test. When I tested Mr. B's rope I asked if he had a test protocol in mind...and this also might be a good discussion point...a list of what and how you do to a winch rope for an unbiased test that can be repeated between winches and vehicles without completely subjective results.
What was my answer?
Amazon pink barbie Jeep rope (was red for about 6 hours) moved to my dump trailer...with Brummel.
;)
 
Also no coverage was given to attachment of the line to the winch. After finding and learning Mr B's preferred Brummel lock splice with a taped tail I'm sold on that method of attaching a rope to a spool.

I asked about this and they have a link on the product page to an install video.

 
Interesting.

Setting aside the price and the way it's promoted and basically everything he said about the need for a tree saver and just evaluating this thing for what it is...is there anything actually wrong with having this on the end of your winch rope instead of a shackle? My winch is more of an insurance policy than a tool in regular use so I'm not in a place to judge, but I can't think of a time where I've used it that this wouldn't have reduced the number of potential projectiles in the system.
 
Interesting.

Setting aside the price and the way it's promoted and basically everything he said about the need for a tree saver and just evaluating this thing for what it is...is there anything actually wrong with having this on the end of your winch rope instead of a shackle? My winch is more of an insurance policy than a tool in regular use so I'm not in a place to judge, but I can't think of a time where I've used it that this wouldn't have reduced the number of potential projectiles in the system.

Self recovery has a very high potential for damage. You have to evaluate and understand the risks you're willing to take and apply your own value system to them. Anything that lowers risk that you can also understand how to use is good.
 
While watching I just kept thinking, why not just use a soft shackle? I don't think the price is awful at $300 as long as it's real Dyneema rope.

I guess it's technically faster but in a life or death situation could you not just go around the tree with the rope and attach it to itself. Might kill the tree and ruin the rope but who cares?

Also, even in the scenarios where the person is upside down or nearly going over a cliff wouldn't you normally use your winch and not the jeeps winch that's in trouble?
 
Watched the video. I still stand by my old comments. The Freedom Rope isn't a bad idea, especially when we are comparing it to the hook and Factor55 crowd. The focus on weight reduction and connections is very welcome. But I still like my soft shackles taking the brunt of the wear and tear.

And perhaps Matt and friends wouldn't get stuck as often if they used a decent tire! 🤣
 
While watching I just kept thinking, why not just use a soft shackle?
End terminations and such like soft shackles should be considered disposable. As in you should have several, keep an eye on any wear or damage they have before use and dispose of any that are suspect. Also why you need to be able to acquire them cost effectively. If they are cheap enough, then you can have several on hand and get rid of the bad ones.
 
While watching I just kept thinking, why not just use a soft shackle? I don't think the price is awful at $300 as long as it's real Dyneema rope.

I guess it's technically faster but in a life or death situation could you not just go around the tree with the rope and attach it to itself. Might kill the tree and ruin the rope but who cares?

Also, even in the scenarios where the person is upside down or nearly going over a cliff wouldn't you normally use your winch and not the jeeps winch that's in trouble?

Agreed, it's an interesting design, but I can't see a situation where it works better than a soft shackle and tree saver.

The ability to form a loop with the winch line itself is cool and all, but 90% of the time I'm winching off a tree, where a tree saver is preferred. I imagine it might be useful if you mainly winch off of large rocks.
 
Watched the video. I still stand by my old comments. The Freedom Rope isn't a bad idea, especially when we are comparing it to the hook and Factor55 crowd. The focus on weight reduction and connections is very welcome. But I still like my soft shackles taking the brunt of the wear and tear.

And perhaps Matt and friends wouldn't get stuck as often if they used a decent tire! 🤣

What's wrong with Factor55?
 
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