Desert Fox

Has anyone researched synthetic winch lines? I am considering shifting to synthetic for reasons of weight. A 100' steel line weighs about 35 lbs and a synthetic line around 10 lbs. I went to three catalogs for estimates and came away somewhat confused. I checked out the Warn , Quadratec and 4 Wheel Parts catalogs. There is a big price spread for the same spec'ed line,
100' of 3/8ths inch line:
- Quadratec: AmSteel Blue. 18,400 lb test. $230. Add $50 for a hook and
$40 for a fair-lead. Plus shipping/handling
- 4 Wheel Parts: Offers the AmSteel Blue for about the same price. They also carry Master Pull for $357 plus accessories.
- Warn: House brand for $650, which includes the hook and fair-lead plus free shipping. BUT their line has a 9,500 lb test limit.

Has anyone shifted to synthetic? How did you make your choice?

RotorHead

Call Dave at Northridge. He'll hook you up. I can't remember what I paid, but it was cheaper than anywhere else. I got mine with that fancy thimble on the end. I love it.

RotorHead

I'm pretty sure it's Viking. They are the only ones that do the thimble, I think. The thimble is awesome. You just winch it tight. There's really no need for an open hook. Most of the time you would use a D ring on a tree saver anyway.

Just call Dave. He'll know. He also talked me into getting black and I'm glad I did. It looks great and when it fades, it should look better than the other colors.

sandiasnow

I bought mine from Winchline.com

guinness

Deff. go w/ synthetic. Other than the warn which is boucoup dollars alot are very comprable and alot of the cost depends on end loop and hook options.
Ive had amsteel blue and mastercraft before. Im currently running a setup similar to rotorhead. They have all been totally reliable, and strong as hell.
Ive never had a prob. w/ synth lines but i would spend a little extra on wraps/guards to protect them from abrassion. Remember they are alot stronger than alot of wire ropes but they are still fragile by comparison. That extra $20-50 might save you alot of $ in the long run.

myorbital91

Check out rockstomper . com - good pricing-just call and tell them what you want...

sandman

Also have a look see at trsfabandonoffroad.com I found their prices pretty good.

Desert Fox

Folks,

Thanks for all the input. I will start checking these vendors out tomorrow.

RedneckJeep

That's a nice lookin rig you got. I like the winch and line setup too.

Woods

I've just researched synthetic winch lines, because I will soon offer them for sale. I recently picked up the Ramsey winch line and I want to offer a synthetic option. The Ramsey option is about $550 and I want to offer a better value.

RJ, I agree with you 100% about the weight. I think that weight, as a factor of Jeepin, is generally under rated. The other major benefit to Synthetics, are the safety factor. When a steel line breaks, it can produce a major back-lash. The steel acts as a spring, and a heavy dangerous one at that. Synthetics don't spring much and there isn't nearly the same weight involved. Synthetics tend to "lay down".

There are several synthetics to consider. Dyneema, Spectre, Tehcnora, Plasma, Kevlar... All of these fibers are strong, so strength is not a differentiating factor, when deciding if a fiber is good for winching. UV protection is a major concern for synthetic rope. Make certain that the rope has a high quality UV inhibitor.

Technora: The story that I heard years ago, is that Technora was developed for as conveyor belts material in Japan. If you think about the use of conveyor belts, the same requirements apply to winch rop. Abrasion resistance, UV stability, how well it deals with heat and how well it goes over rollers. The down side of Technora is that it's expensive. BTW, the synthetic rope that Ramsey offers is Technora.

I've chosen to offer Technora as my winch rope. Dyneema and Spectra (both less expensive than Technora) are offered by many companies and shares a lot of the benefits of Technora, with the exception of one. They do not handle heat well and Technora does. I didn't consider heat much of an issue initially, but as it turns out, it's a very important factor. Rope, as is coils around the winch drum, creates heat and a lot of it. Dyneema and Spectra have relatively low melting points . Technora has a working temp up around 900 degrees.

I haven't yet offered winch rope for sale, because I'm waiting for my bumper to be released. If folks start to express interest in the line only, then I'll make it available sooner. The rope configuration will be:
3/8" Technora
10' Chafe guard
Stainless steel thimble at the hook end, spliced with a mil spec eye splice.

I'm looking for feedback about what rope length to offer. I'm strongly considering an 80' length. This is a little smaller than the standard 95' or 100', but I think it offers the best value. Not only does is cut some of the cost, but it also gets your line closer to the drum, for more pulling power. The price will be $259 plus shipping, which seems to about the same price as most offer Dyneema winch ropes for. So this should be a very good price.

I'm also looking for feedback about color. I like the look of the dark grey rope (it turns to an olive drab color), but I think that yellow or orange may make sense in regards to safety.