Ahhh, that will look great. I want a red one when it's time for a new line. Mine is black right now because that's the line the Warn M-8000S came with.
4lowparts Winchline
- Thread starter PStov98TJ
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Ahhh, that will look great. I want a red one when it's time for a new line. Mine is black right now because that's the line the Warn M-8000S came with.
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That's a roller fairlead. And I researched it to death. The need for a one specific type of fairlead for cable vs. line is a myth that continues to spread. Line can be used with either a roller or hawse fairlead. I just didn't like the idea of my winch line moving over a stationary piece of metal, so I opted for the roller.
Okay, I wasn't sure about that. I've seen the roller ones but for some reason I always seem to see them being associated with cable winch lines for whatever reason or another. I guess that's just an Internet rumor that somehow got started.
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Yeah. People said that the synthetic line would get too small under tension and get pinched between the rollers and therefore needed to be used with a hawse fairlead. But if you think about it, that really can't be as true as some would have you believe. Otherwise, the line would also get super long as it got thinner. Not to mention synthetic line is often 3/8" where as steel cable is 5/16".
I don't see how the rollers would negatively affect the synthetic line either. I mean they're a smooth rolling surface with nothing jagged or sharp about them. Again... Can't trust everything you hear on the Internet.
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That's right. As long as the rollers are smooth, there's no chance of the line getting damaged. That is as long as your winch plate doesn't have any sharp edges protruding into the opening for the fairlead just behind where it mounts. Basicallly, it comes down to common sense (which isn't so common) when using synthetic.
OP
Even worse. At one point the big fad was a plastic fairlead which was even touted as being the go to solution by one of the most hardcore forums there is. As smart as they were, the simple matter of the fairlead needing to be able to withstand the force of lifting the front of the Jeep straight off the ground without letting the upper bar deflect into the mount and cut the line seemed to fully escape them.
That little bit of illogic then morphed into other "smart" folks making plastic rollers for the roller fairleads to protect the line. All of it was and is pure bullshit as is my use of very nice hawse fairleads for any other reason than cleverness and profile reduction.
I've called out several aluminum hawse fairlead makers for making remarks about how superior they are for protecting synthetic line. I start by asking them to make me snatch block that is a half circle flat disk with a groove in it for the rope mounted to a side plate so it won't spin and adding another side plate so it can be shackled to an anchor point. Or put another way, make me a snatch block out of aluminum with a pulley that doesn't spin. The reaction is always the same, "why in the hell do you want to abuse your rope like that?"
When I point out that they just said that doing the same with a fairlead is good for a rope there is always a long silence and sometimes the light bulb turns on, sometimes it don't. Yet another example of my mantra, knowledge does not equal understanding.
There is not a single thing wrong with using a roller fairlead and the damage it will do to a synthetic rope in a very odd set of conditions it will also do to a steel cable.
It's a damn good thing there's smart guys out there like Blaine to give us some real knowledge on matters like this. If it wasn't for that, some of us might never even know the truth with all the misinformation floating around out there.
I'm running 4LowParts orange 3/8" synthetic rope and Safety Thimble and it's very worthy stuff. They have both had a lot of use!
OP
I read your comment on another forum about the snatch block comparison @mrblaine. Light bulb went off followed by a chuckle for how I over thought the two choices into oblivion.
And I agree @Jerry Bransford, the line and thimble are awesome both in function and form. I feel very good knowing that will be what I'm using in a recovery situation.
And I agree @Jerry Bransford, the line and thimble are awesome both in function and form. I feel very good knowing that will be what I'm using in a recovery situation.