synthetic line on any (wire rope) winch??

[Southeast Overland]

eventhough,

I 100% agree about the hook on steel lines. I feel they are vastly inferior to the Excel hook. It was only meant for the insanely cash strapped. If any has even the slightest bit of extra money to spend on the excel, I will second eventhough's recommendation. I personally run the huge 7/8"-1/2" hook on my 3/8" line with the giant tube thimble. Even if someone went with the old Steel Rope hook, I would recommend moving to the Excel soon afterwords. It is so easy to open those up and swith out Eyes, Hooks, etc that no one should worry that if you don't do with the best stuff at first you will never be able to change it.

Also, eventhough, that is the best price I have ever seen on 3/8. I might be calling you soon as I want to build a longer winch extension.

Give us a call for the extension pieces - we will take care of you.

Also, regarding reusing the steel line hook - we are in business of course to make money (so we can stay in business) but we have to keep customers happy and to do that we don't always make a bunch of $ from our recommendations. With that being said, I'd recommend dropping the steel line hook completely and just go with a regular ole thimble and put a shackle on the end to keep it from sucking through the fairlead. Many/most already have a shackle so all they would need is a thimble which is pretty cheap. We would definitely make less $ on that, but it is the cheapest and most viable alternative. That is how my Pig is currently set up and while it's not the cleanest option, it is by far the cheapest.

 

[Isotel]

My 5/16" rope starts at $165

http://crawlorado.com/ocart/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=50

 

[RAYJON]

Depending on what you use your rig for synthetic rope is nice but be careful it degrades in the sun so keep it covered when not in use, another thing I like steel it's heavy and a pain to rewind but it works and will take a lot of abuse without worry, synthetic is nice but it doesn't go well in the mud, dirt can get in etween the fibers on the rope and cause wear so be sure to Clem it , Where as my 15 year old steel line has been dragged mudded and generally abused and it still works well and does what I want...

 

[Southeast Overland]

Depending on what you use your rig for synthetic rope is nice but be careful it degrades in the sun so keep it covered when not in use...

Not necessarily ture - it depends on the fiber. Amsteel Blue by Samson is UV stabilized. Check out their website with specs HERE.

...another thing I like steel it's heavy and a pain to rewind but it works and will take a lot of abuse without worry, synthetic is nice but it doesn't go well in the mud, dirt can get in etween the fibers on the rope and cause wear so be sure to Clem it ,...

Steel cable is more abrasion resistant than synthetic but steel still needs maintenance. Don't forget about all the other positive benefits to synthetic too, particularly safety.

 

[land bruiser80]

what is the advantage to a synthetic rope

 

[Southeast Overland]

what is the advantage to a synthetic rope

Lighter, about 1/7th the weight
Stretches less, about 1-1.5% at typical load depending on a few things
Less stored energy for recoil if it breaks
Much easier to handle
Can field repair easier
Floats (this has helped me before)

 

[saillaw]

I can't find the link right now, but go to YouTube and search for steel vs synthetic cable and there are some good videos that show the difference in recoil. The amount that steel cable stretches is amazing and when it gives, it is tremendously dangerous with it's recoil.

 

[cruiserruf]

Synthetics are great but it doesnt last very long. My buddies and i have winched with our synthetics and one problem we found was the ropes tend to eat itself when the drum warms up and when under load. We've used our winch quite a bit this year. I've already gone back to steel and my buddy just bought some steel cables to replace the ropes.

Synthetics are great but for a winch that sees more than 5 pulls a year, i would stick with steel cable.

 

[Southeast Overland]

Synthetics are great but it doesnt last very long. My buddies and i have winched with our synthetics and one problem we found was the ropes tend to eat itself when the drum warms up and when under load. We've used our winch quite a bit this year. I've already gone back to steel and my buddy just bought some steel cables to replace the ropes.

Synthetics are great but for a winch that sees more than 5 pulls a year, i would stick with steel cable.

My current synthetic line is 2-3 years old. I wheel a lot, winch myself a fair amount, and run recoveries (winch others) even more. My line shows basic wear but is nowhere near the point that it needs to be replaced.

A hot drum can temporarily degrade Dyneema SK75 strength (Amsteel Blue is the brand Southeast Overland carries) but once the temp is gone the strength comes back unless the line melts. Melting and significant heat should only be a serious problem if you are winching out under load, i.e.: lowering a broken vehicle down an incline. Some other synthetics react differently to heat.