Thanks for the explanation Blaine. I was more than confused when I read your above recommendation for me to abandon my roller fairlead and go back to the TRE hawse but it made sense after your follow on explanation.
Informative conversation. I guess I'll have to look at thimbles and splicing as well. Plus how the line attaches to the drum. And brake location in the winch. Not as straightforward as one would suppose, eh?
Basically if you aren't comfortable tying off to the crossbar across the top of any fairlead you use and then winching the front of the rig off the ground, don't use that product.That's a fair explanation. The plastic fairleads was a stupid idea from the start. It'd be nice if all companies thought about the consequences of a product rather than just the profit/marketing/flavor of the month.
There was a "run what you brung" race up Sledgehammer several years ago. I watched Kevin Sacalas part his winch line at least 5 times after he broke an axle in the front and then tried to get off the trail and out of the way for the other racers. The opening in the mount was smaller than the opening in the fairlead and it would cut it as soon as the line came under load.What you said about the difference in the size of opening of the winch plate vs. the fairlead was a big factor. It was something I hadn't thought of, but definitely wanted to avoid.
Talk about frustrating and embarrassing. It really is a simple concept, but for people like me who haven't had much experience with winching, this is a huge thing to realize and pay attention to. It'll save you money, but also keep you safer. Even though synthetic line doesn't hold energy like a steel cable, I'd still rather not be close to one when it decides it's had enough.There was a "run what you brung" race up Sledgehammer several years ago. I watched Kevin Sacalas part his winch line at least 5 times after he broke an axle in the front and then tried to get off the trail and out of the way for the other racers. The opening in the mount was smaller than the opening in the fairlead and it would cut it as soon as the line came under load.
Drum attachment is one of the more misunderstood things there is out there. I've done a lot of research and testing and know a whole bunch more than I should about it.Informative conversation. I guess I'll have to look at thimbles and splicing as well. Plus how the line attaches to the drum. And brake location in the winch. Not as straightforward as one would suppose, eh?
. Even though synthetic line doesn't hold energy like a steel cable, I'd still rather not be close to one when it decides it's had enough.
Another big misconception/myth. Synthetic actually does stretch and store energy just like steel cable does. In fact, identically. The difference is really easy to illustrate and has to do with the physics of mass x velocity. Both travel at roughly the same speed if they part under the same load.
To understand the difference, you get 4' of steel winch line and give your buddy 4' of synthetic winch line. Now take turns enthusiastically whipping each other with them. I suspect your buddy will give up long before you do. Same holds true for it parting under load. It is moving the same speed but because the mass is so much less, the potential for damage is much lower.