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Synthetic rope for hydraulic winch

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Cosmokramer

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Getting the 10,500 lb hydraulic winch soon for the hmmwv. Any one put the synthetic rope on it? Any reason to NOT switch from the stock steel wire? Any specific brands recommended for the synthetic rope?


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B3.3T

B3.3T

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Amsteel is what SOCOM uses on their's. The only downside is cost. Huge safety and ease of use benefits.
 
Hard Head

Hard Head

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There are all kinds out there! You have to worry about first layer heat. You also need a traveling abrasion sleeve about 10' long to go over the cable. Do not reuse a fairlead that has any damage from a steel cable. Replace with a hawse fairlead. I put 300 feet of 3/16 amsteel on a 18 k winch for hoisting items on an off cell towers and had to put a heat sleeve over the first drum layer of rope to prevent over heating due to the drum brake heat! If you winch a lot and are concerned about weight, synthetic can be a great option since it is lightweight and easy to handle. It doesn't develop sharp burrs like steel rope, and doesn't store as much potential energy when under load. On the flip side, synthetic rope is more prone to abrasion, and should be regularly inspected for frays or other damage caused by UV, chemicals, and overall use. And when using synthetic, you always want to lay down the abrasion sleeve when needed to guard against rope damage. Not good at all around hard rocks! On the bright side you can mend it! You want a 2:1 ratio in breaking strength so you want a minimum of 21k which is a 7/16" synthetic. They are all expensive compared to steel. Cover you winch to prevent water from getting in and freezing on the synthetic. A cheap neoprene cover should be kept on your winch if exposed to protect it.
 
Squirt-Truck

Squirt-Truck

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We always require a MINIMUM of 5:1 for synthetic rope for non-lifting loads, (some manufacturers call for 15:1 when rating) and even then you can only full working load once then you have to de-rate. Do not fall for the "less dangerous because it does not recoil", bunk, it recoils at over twice the velocity of wire rope.
Yes it is lighter, no it does not rust, yes sunlight is not it's friend, neither is dirt, water, abrasion, oils, greases, temperature, or careless operation.
We test all kinds, so my comments are based on test results not "cause i think so" and this includes testifying to these comments.
 
C

Cosmokramer

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Squirt-Truck said:
We always require a MINIMUM of 5:1 for synthetic rope for non-lifting loads, (some manufacturers call for 15:1 when rating) and even then you can only full working load once then you have to de-rate. Do not fall for the "less dangerous because it does not recoil", bunk, it recoils at over twice the velocity of wire rope.
Yes it is lighter, no it does not rust, yes sunlight is not it's friend, neither is dirt, water, abrasion, oils, greases, temperature, or careless operation.
We test all kinds, so my comments are based on test results not "cause i think so" and this includes testifying to these comments.
Click to expand...
So what weight rating do you recommend for pretty stock hmmwv that weighs 5-6k lbs? Should I go for a rope that can handle 25-30k lbs or more? What size would that be?


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Squirt-Truck

Squirt-Truck

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Cosmokramer, those numbers would be good if you use the winch regularly. For rare use, a breaking strength of 18K would be a minimum, assuming you do not bury the truck to the point of needing a full 6k of recovery force.
FWIW, my truck has 5/8 IWRC and we regularly load it to 18K plus, so I do understand the loads.
Just be safe when winching.
 
Last edited:
GadgetPhreak

GadgetPhreak

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I do 20-30 hard pulls a year on my winch(s) for the last 20+ years and only trust one combination, Warn winches with Masterpull synthetic line. I've done some crazy pulls, sometimes completely submerged, and put way more weight on them than I should, and that combination has never let me down. I've never had one fail. Never had a line break. They just work.

I'm sure there are lots of good products out there, and lots of people like me who would swear by them. However when I let my winch out during a Search & Rescue mission there's often a life on the line (literally and figuratively) so I stick with what has been proven. Get a winch that's at least 1.5X the weight of your rig, and get a line that's rated at 3-4x (a little more won't hurt) and you're good to go. It bums me out to see people cheap out on recovery gear because it's not something you want to fail when needed.

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snowtrac nome

snowtrac nome

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m16ty said:
Yea, but it I had my choice I'd rather be hit with a recoiling synthetic than a wire rope. :grin:
Click to expand...
yes and no the reason for the higher velocity is less mass. At the end of the day there is a certain amount of energy released when it breaks, the energy released is the same wire carries more mass and may do more damage, if you get hit with synthetic you may not get cut in half but you are going to feel it
 
NormB

NormB

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snowtrac nome said:
yes and no the reason for the higher velocity is less mass. At the end of the day there is a certain amount of energy released when it breaks, the energy released is the same wire carries more mass and may do more damage, if you get hit with synthetic you may not get cut in half but you are going to feel it
Click to expand...
My dad used to share this "bar joke": which weighs more, a pound of gold, or a pound of feathers?

Answer's obvious if you're sober and think about it, but the real answer is, would you rather have a pound of gold or a pound of feathers dropped onto your head?
 
m16ty

m16ty

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NormB said:
My dad used to share this "bar joke": which weighs more, a pound of gold, or a pound of feathers?

Answer's obvious if you're sober and think about it, but the real answer is, would you rather have a pound of gold or a pound of feathers dropped onto your head?
Click to expand...
A pound of gold, if I got to keep it.
 
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