Winch cover, yes or no?

[AK Troutbum]

I just installed a new Warn winch and I have no experience with them so I was just wondering if it would be a good idea to purchase a cover, or is it not really necessary. I'm thinking that it would probably be a good idea to protect my investment, but IDK. What say you all?

 

[-Spike-]

I just installed a new Warn winch and I have no experience with them so I was just wondering if it would be a good idea to purchase a cover, or is it not really necessary. I'm thinking that it would probably be a good idea to protect my investment, but IDK. What say you all?

Synthetic rope is susceptible to UV, and breaking a rope while winching can be extremely dangerous in some situations, so protecting the rope from the sun could be prudent. More prudent if the vehicle is usually parked outside in a southern state, no idea if this is a concern in Alaska. Mold or rot might be a concern in wet climates, but maybe it wouldn't affect the synthetic fibers. I have no experience in cold climates, but I'd guess that if the rope got wet and then froze it could complicate things when you try to use it. The winch itself is not affected much by weather, at least not any more than the rest of the vehicle. Wire rope (cable) isn't either, which is about the only thing going for it IMO.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Synthetic rope is susceptible to UV, and breaking a rope while winching can be extremely dangerous in some situations, so protecting the rope from the sun could be prudent. More prudent if the vehicle is usually parked outside in a southern state, no idea if this is a concern in Alaska. Mold or rot might be a concern in wet climates, but maybe it wouldn't affect the synthetic fibers. I have no experience in cold climates, but I'd guess that if the rope got wet and then froze it could complicate things when you try to use it. The winch itself is not affected much by weather, at least not any more than the rest of the vehicle. Wire rope (cable) isn't either, which is about the only thing going for it IMO.

Makes sense, thank you for your input.

 

[kilmarkid]

I use a cover to protect my synthetic line from UV damage. But I remove it on longer road trips to increase airflow into the radiator. My cover blocks a big chunk of the grill.

 

[JoeCova]

Technically it should be replaced every 12 months so why bother. Takes decades for UV damage. Warn uses Spydura which has UV resistant coatings.

 

[cbmontgo]

A cover might help if the winch gets exposed to road salt or mag chloride. I've seen that stuff really mess up some winches here in CO.

UV protection is also a good point.

That said, I hate the way the winch covers look.

 

[george_tlc]

I've run hand made covers (I'm cheap...) on both my 80 (m12000) and my oz patrol (8274) for a couple of decades. Used some scrap marine grade vinyl material. The 80 lives outside (norcal) and patrol in a garage. The winches look pretty well new when the covers are removed for use. There's plenty of room for drying out etc., at least for the climates that I'm in.

The cover also gets the winch of of the eyes of folk and may help reduce the urge for them to do something stupid.

cheers,
george.

 

[Rgill]

Source Factor 55
You asked for it and we listened. Many of you wanted more information on the UV degradation of synthetic winch rope. For off-roaders, UV damage to winch ropes is secondary to the more damaging abrasion and impacts we subject our lines to. But with regard to UV damage, the web is full of anecdotal information about this subject, but what are the real facts? Many will claim that winch ropes are coated with UV inhibitors that prevent ropes from getting UV damaged, others say that all polymers are subject to some level of UV damage. Since we don’t have the facilities to conduct an accelerated UV exposure test ourselves, we turned to our friends in the cordage industry as well as scoured the web for any real test data. Here is what we have discovered. You can extrapolate the data as you wish.

First of all, a majority of the winch rope manufacturers do not manufacture the individual UHMWPE fibers that ropes are comprised of. These rope companies purchase spools of the fibers/yarns from companies like DSM which owns the Dyneema trademark. The real fiber knowledge resides with these fiber companies. In the images below we have included UV test results direct from the fiber source – DSM. We have also included data from the sailing (coated and uncoated fiber) and the climbing industry.

As the exposed outer layer of your rope sustains UV damage, the damaged fibers become opaque which attenuates further damage to the inner rope fibers. The problem is that the UV damaged outer rope layer is weaker and abrades and rubs off easier when used, exposing fresh undamaged fibers beneath. This is not as much a problem with a static application like standing rigging in sailing. However, this can be a problem in a dynamic application like off-road winching where we are repeatedly rubbing and abrading the dirty gritty winch lines across our fairleads.

So how do we tell how much strength our winch ropes have lost due to UV damage? You can’t. So what’s the take away then? All fiber and rope companies agree that prolonged UV exposure will damage UHMWPE fibers to some extent. In some cases up to a 20% strength reduction can occur in under a year. Take a look at the UV data charts and decide for yourself. The simple fix is to cover your winch line from the sun. Winch covers work well to cover the spool, and because silicone is inorganic, an opaque RTV silicone can be used to cover smaller areas of winch line as well. Common Cordura abrasion guards can also protect the last portion of your line from UV damage, but don’t rely on these guards for winch line protection when rock crawling.

 

[Marvelicious]

Technically it should be replaced every 12 months so why bother. Takes decades for UV damage. Warn uses Spydura which has UV resistant coatings.

There's technically correct and then there's what people are actually doing. I don't know many people who are willing to throw away their winch line every year.

As for the mold/rot concern, I'd think algae would be the most likely biological. Based on what I see attacking outdoor industrial equipment and insulation in a rainy climate, I don't think it would attack the rope directly, but grow on dirt trapped between the fibers, then get a foothold and attack the line once it is established. I'm thinking that if your winch line gets super filthy (pulling folks out of the mud), maybe unspool it and blast it with the pressure washer, or at least the hose. If you wash the rig once in a while, you're probably fine if you just slop some soap on the spool and rinse it thoroughly.

Anyway, I vote cover. This stuff is designed to get wet and not drying quickly won't hurt it, but UV will in the long run.

 

[Rgill]

Put a cover on it.
From a article by Factor 55....So how do we tell how much strength our winch ropes have lost due to UV damage? You can’t. So what’s the take away then? All fiber and rope companies agree that prolonged UV exposure will damage UHMWPE fibers to some extent. In some cases up to a 20% strength reduction can occur in under a year.

 

[george_tlc]

My home made cover, scrap marine vinyl, sewing machine, bit of time. > 20yrs old and 80 lives outdoors.

cheers,
george.

 

[-Spike-]

Or, if you're a cheap **** like me, you can wrap the spool in an old hand towel or t-shirt.

 

[JoeCova]

Your next question should be how many people actually winch more than once a year haha

 

[Mark W]

I just installed a new Warn winch and I have no experience with them so I was just wondering if it would be a good idea to purchase a cover, or is it not really necessary. I'm thinking that it would probably be a good idea to protect my investment, but IDK. What say you all?

Your warn winch will not really give a crap about much that a cover will address. Repeated lengthy dunkings in silty water will certainly get it's attention, but a cover won't do much about that. During breakup, the nasty road spray can be hard on chrome and paint, but routine powerwashing during the season will address that just fine. Snow/ice crusting the winch in the winter is a non-issue.

So far as the winch is concerned, dirt, mud and silt are irrelevant.

Your winch line is less than happy to be covered in and impregnated with glacial silt. This silt is everywhere around here, even in areas that you might assume have no glacial history in their geography. It is very abrasive and when it is deep in the winch line, between the fibers that are pressing and shifting against each other when loaded, it can really accelerate wear.

But this silt impregnation happens when the winch is in use, so again, a cover will not do much.

In AK, the exposure to UV is much much less a concern than it is at lower latitudes.

A cover will not do much for you here. But... I guess it can't hurt either.

Mark...

 

[Feldrian]

I'm personally not a fan. Winch covers hold moisture in and won't let everything dry out if it does get wet. I guess (like everything) it depends on your use case. If you rarely use your winch and it's susceptible to staying wet for months under the cover I certainly wouldn't use one. If you were somewhere like Arizona where the sun destroys everything, sure.

As for the UV winch line damage narrative I've personally never worried. My line will die from abrasion and abuse long before sunlight kills it. I also carry a spare winch line in each of my vehicles with that in mind.

 

[CharlieS]

Your warn winch will not really give a crap about much that a cover will address. Repeated lengthy dunkings in silty water will certainly get it's attention, but a cover won't do much about that. During breakup, the nasty road spray can be hard on chrome and paint, but routine powerwashing during the season will address that just fine. Snow/ice crusting the winch in the winter is a non-issue.

So far as the winch is concerned, dirt, mud and silt are irrelevant.

Your winch line is less than happy to be covered in and impregnated with glacial silt. This silt is everywhere around here, even in areas that you might assume have no glacial history in their geography. It is very abrasive and when it is deep in the winch line, between the fibers that are pressing and shifting against each other when loaded, it can really accelerate wear.

But this silt impregnation happens when the winch is in use, so again, a cover will not do much.

In AK, the exposure to UV is much much less a concern than it is at lower latitudes.

A cover will not do much for you here. But... I guess it can't hurt either.

Mark...

I've had people recommend a cover. One suggested a section of old fire hose as a cheap effective solution. For better or worse. I don't bother.

With the silt issue (and even for mud/sand) it sounds like you'd get more benefit from cleaning your line regularly. I suspect that this is overlooked by a lot of people (at least the ones I know). A 5 gallon bucket, a few gallons of water, a squirt of dish soap, and birdcage along the entire length. Then I hose it down to rinse it. Doesn't take long and helps avoid internal abrasion damage. It also gives an opportunity to inspect the entire line for physical damage.

I learned this in a recovery class, but googled this up: Care and Maintenance of Synthetic Ropes - https://www.masterpull.com/rope-maintenance/

 

[Mark W]

I've had people recommend a cover. One suggested a section of old fire hose as a cheap effective solution. For better or worse. I don't bother.

With the silt issue (and even for mud/sand) it sounds like you'd get more benefit from cleaning your fairlead regularly. I suspect that this is overlooked by a lot of people (at least trlhe ones I know). A 5 gallon bucket, a few gallons of water, a squirt of dish soap, and birdcage along the entire length. Then I hose it down to rinse it. Doesn't take long and helps avoid internal abrasion damage.

Your fairlead... hawse... is easily cleaned in a few seconds by wiping with a rag.

Just turning a hose on your spooled up line is probably sufficient. You will be willing to do that after every outing if you remember. Taking the line off and soaking it in a bucket, just ain't gonna happen on a regular basis.

Mark..

 

[CharlieS]

Your fairlead... hawse... is easily cleaned in a few seconds by wiping with a rag.

Just turning a hose on your spooled up line is probably sufficient. You will be willing to do that after every outing if you remember. Taking the line off and soaking it in a bucket, just ain't gonna happen on a regular basis.

Mark..

Yup, I used the wrong word, I fixed it.

Hosing off a spooled line doesn't get abrasive material out of the open weave of fibers.

This also gives a chance to respool it correctly so it works as expected next time it is needed.

 

[Mark W]

Hosing off a spooled line doesn't get abrasive material out of the open weave of fibers.

Yes, yes it does. I don't mean just running water at zero pressure. Blast it. Been there done that and watched the crud wash out of the line. Would soaking and scrubbing and massaging and sweet talking it work better. Sure. But few people who are using their rigs on the trail every weekend are gonna make the time for that every week. Making the time to turn the hose on the winch for a few minutes... that is realistically doable as you are cleaning the rig out and putting gear away.

Mark...

 

[jonheld]

FWIW, I live in the northeast and my Warn M12K is now about 27 years old. It has been on 2 80s, is on it's 5th winch line (1 steel, 4 synthetic), 2nd solenoid box, 2nd hand controller, gets fairly regular maintenance (like everything else), and I'm not afraid to use it. It's never been covered.
Winch lines are a consumable item, as are straps and most other recovery gear and should be inspected yearly and replaced when needed.