Considering switching out my winch cable to synthetic rope
- Thread starter Kaptainkid1
- Start date
Lilnuts
TJ Enthusiast
Yes and no. In the normal 'in' direction we use our winches it's true they don't generate heat through the drum. But if you were using it in the 'out'/reverse direction like if you were lowering yourself or someone else backward down over the edge of a cliff then the internal drum brake could generate enough heat through the drum and damage the rope.
But in the normal 'in' direction we use our winches? Nope, heat is not a problem at all.
In normal uses I found my synthetic rope to hold up MUCH better than my previous wire ropes did. I replaced my first winch's wire rope twice in its first 4-5 years of use. My wire rope would get kinked during normal uses and then strands would break. Wire rope won't kink if you are able to rewind the rope evenly across the drum and retighten it after each use but sometimes you can't, like if you need to do multiple winching operations in one day where it's just not practical to respool the rope properly after each use... and that's what can damage a wire rope, like when it gets pulled down through its layers on hard pulls.
The third time I needed a new rope I went with a 3/8" synthetic and never looked back, it holds up to such uses as just described. I've been using a 3/8" synthetic for something like 15 years and I've not needed to replace it from damage yet. Synthetic ropes don't last forever but in my personal experience with lots of winching I can say my synthetic ropes sure hold up a LOT better than my previous wire ropes did.
ok, so 85ft of TRE 3/8" rope is 179. safety thimble is 75, and a soft shackle adds another 25.
all this comes in under what the M8S would have run, with a better pull rating and cuts the weight like i want.
85' shouldn't overload the drum, and i carry a 20k tow strap that could help if reach length was to become an issue.
abrasion would be a constant concern, and it's potential to hold moisture could pose an issue in very cold temps as well as possible UV degradation with long term exposure.
am i close here?
and thanx for the help.
all this comes in under what the M8S would have run, with a better pull rating and cuts the weight like i want.
85' shouldn't overload the drum, and i carry a 20k tow strap that could help if reach length was to become an issue.
abrasion would be a constant concern, and it's potential to hold moisture could pose an issue in very cold temps as well as possible UV degradation with long term exposure.
am i close here?
and thanx for the help.
In those situations the winch is being used as a hoist which is almost always cautioned against in the user manuals. They are winches, not hoists.
Very close with a few small things. Abrasion is not good for steel or synthetic. Protect both from abrasion like your life depends on it because at some point it could.
We don't deal with moisture much or freezing but the few times we have are not an issue. I've not noticed any UV degradation. There again, a simple cover solves that issue if you are concerned.
When I weighed my 100' of 5/16" wire rope it registered 19.6 lbs. The 80' of 3/8" synthetic I replaced it with didn't weigh enough to register on my scale but it couldn't have weighed more than a couple pounds including the Safety Thimble it came with.
I think theres some misconception about synthetic rope degrading rapidly when exposed to sunlight. I highly doubt that since it is widely used in the marine industry.
I think the misconception comes from dye used fades fast so people think its heavily degraded.
I think the misconception comes from dye used fades fast so people think its heavily degraded.
i've seen some old dry nasty UV exposed marine ropes. the fiber/strands crack if you bend the radius real tight.
but i believe that's a polypropylene rope. not dyneema.
i had full intention of using a synthetic line. i just did not purchase the winch with it.
i got the M8 for 569, the M8S was 969 (IIRC).
the cost of the better rated rope+thimble+soft shackle totals less than 300.
so a 100$ savings there, and now i can resell the brand new steel rope and recoup more.
this was my plan from the jump, some might see this as spending 300$ extra. but see it as a 100$ savings and a better end product.
the fairlead is the unknown here, yet. i need to sell the new roller as well and pick up an aluminum hawse this will change those #'s some.
but i believe that's a polypropylene rope. not dyneema.
i had full intention of using a synthetic line. i just did not purchase the winch with it.
i got the M8 for 569, the M8S was 969 (IIRC).
the cost of the better rated rope+thimble+soft shackle totals less than 300.
so a 100$ savings there, and now i can resell the brand new steel rope and recoup more.
this was my plan from the jump, some might see this as spending 300$ extra. but see it as a 100$ savings and a better end product.
the fairlead is the unknown here, yet. i need to sell the new roller as well and pick up an aluminum hawse this will change those #'s some.
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Polypropylene is a cheap rope that is often used by boaters and it has little ability to withstand UV and it definitely is not used for Jeep-size winch ropes. Good quality synthetic winch ropes are made from UHMP (ultra-high molecular polyethylene) treated to resist UV damage and they can last many years.
I talked to Ricky about this a while ago. He mentioned that the color fading is not an indicator of the rope deteriorating since the rope UV treatment is different from the color UV treatment.
I was also looking into synthetic lines, but I thought I read that a big drawback is that you can only use them four or five times before they need to be replaced? Is that not correct?
We've been on trail with a broken rig and had to use my winch at least 20 times for just that one recovery so no, someone is feeding you a line of bullshit.
Stop reading anything else from where you read that. Blaine's "bullshit" was the best way to describe what you read. My current synthetic rope typically gets used 1-5 times (and sometimes many more than that) each time I go out wheeling and it's over 5 years old now.
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OP
This thread is died now since it has moved over to "Gear". I've learned alot about synthetic rope, size, length and material matters. Will take this wisdom and purchased the correct synthetic rope.
I'm still going for cheaper under $100 synthetic but will be dyneema and minimum 3/8 thickness. Ready to risk $100 and my steel cable as a back up. Saw some good reviews on dyneema cable on Amazon. So I feel the risk is lower than ebay rope with no reviews.
I'm still going for cheaper under $100 synthetic but will be dyneema and minimum 3/8 thickness. Ready to risk $100 and my steel cable as a back up. Saw some good reviews on dyneema cable on Amazon. So I feel the risk is lower than ebay rope with no reviews.
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