OK my friend you don't agree, then could you please tell us how the pro's outweigh the cons of a synth line.

 

Sure I'll Bite.

Synthetic Line:

Pro's

Wieght - approx 3.6 pounds for 100 feet of 3/8

Safety- Does not store energy when it does break it falls to the ground

Handling- Synthetic Line is very easy to handle you do not need gloves you will not get stabbed in the hand by a piece of steel.

Synthetic line can not get a kink in it.

Synthetic line has 19,600 breaking strength


Cons-

Cost - ranges from $150-$300 for a good line

Abrasion resistance- Synthetic cable is prone to getting cut if not used properly



That about sums it up. I have been running synthetic for over 4 years and have never cut it nor have I seen anybody cut one. Infact I have never seen one break or melt. And we usually wheel on trails so we are not winching through heavy brush.

 

Here is some good reading also





Frequently Asked Questions



1. Can I repair my own winch line?

Yes you can; with a little practicing it only takes about 15 minutes to repair a broken line. Please click this link to view or download the Samson End-For-End splicing instructions.

Special tools are available to make this kind of repair or splice, we have put together all the tools necessary to make this process simple and easy with our Splicing Kit. Here is what you need, scissors or knife, electricians tape, stitching needle and splicing fid.

2. Can I make my own eye in the winch line?

Yes you can; with a little practicing it only takes about 10 minutes to splice an eye. Please click this link to view or download the Samson Eye-Splice instructions.

Special tools are available to make this kind of splice, we have put together all the tools necessary to make this process simple and easy with our Splicing Kit.

3. Can I use a roller fairlead?

Yes you can, however, you do need to be careful to keep your synthetic winchline away from the steel roller housing, if your vehicle is at extreme up or down angles while side winching it is possible to cut the winchline on the sharp steel housing. Wether you use a roller fairlead or a hawse fairlead you always need to careful that your line does not come in contact with sharp edges on your bumper.

4. I have heard that you can pinch a synthetic winchline between the rollers, what's up with that?

We have tried to do that without success . Provided you are using equipment in good working order and based on our extensive testing it is not possible to get the line pinched between the rollers or between the roller and the steel roller housing.

5. How much weight will I save by going with synthetic?

By switching from steel cable to a synthetic winchline you will reduce the weight as follows:

5/16" x 100' of Steel Cable weights 18 lbs vs. 2.7 lbs for Synthetic, saving 15.3 lbs.
5/16" x 125' of Steel Cable weights 22.5 lbs vs. 3.375 lbs for Synthetic, saving 19.1 lbs
5/16" x 150' of Steel Cable weights 27 lbs vs. 4 lbs for Synthetic, saving 23 lbs.
3/8" x 100' of Steel Cable weights 26 lbs vs. 3.6 lbs for Synthetic , saving 22.4 lbs.
Additional weight can be saved by switching to Viking Delrin Rollers or a Aluminum Hawse Fairlead.

6. How much weight will I save by going with a Aluminum Fairlead over a stock Roller Fairlead

By switching from a stock roller fairlead that weigh about 13 lbs vs. the Aluminum Fairlead that weigh in under a pound you will reduce the weight by about 12 lbs.

7. Why is it safer to use synthetic winchlines that steel cable?

Since synthetic winchlines are so light , they don't build up as much kinetic energy as heavy steel cables. Therefore the synthetic line will not fly through the air like heavy steel cable will when it breaks under load. You can test it out by comparing steel cable to a wet napkin and a synthetic winchline to a dry napkin, throw a dry napkin as hard as you can it will only go a few feet, but soak it in water and now you can throw it ten times f a rther.

8. What if the attachment point breaks?

If the attachment point like a tow point on a bumper or a tree saver breaks watch out! It's like taking a dry napkin that you can only throw a few feet putting a rock in the napkin and now you can launch it a long way. You could compare it to a sling shot event thought a synthetic winchline has very little stretch with a heavy hook on the end it takes very little stretch to make a hook on the end of a line very dangerous.

To be save NEVER use a tow strap or yanker because they are designed for stretch and to build up kinetic energy. We recommend using the Viking brand Tree Savers or Rock Lines that are made from 3/8" Viking Trail Line with 19,600 lb breaking strength, with less than 1% stretch it's the safest tree saver on the market.

 

I have not used the"firelines" do look interesting they must know a thing or too about heat when it come to winching. Can anyone tell us more?

 

Good on ya mate, I do like getting into discussions like this.

When synth cable first came out, I thought it could change the way we used the winch for off-road recovery .
It was light and easy to handle, but the drawbacks of it's construction soon became evident when we used it practically in everyday 4x4 African conditions. The heat was the bad one and the synth cables started to melt and smoke on hot days when used on long big pulls. When used through heavy bush the cable would shred, if it was on a dynamic snatch block 2 or 3 line pull.

All I can say is that , for me the synthetic line is not up to the the job when it comes down to pulling out a 4x4 in a real situation.

If you do have a winch (synthetic line or not) get to know how to use use it.
When I do a 4x4 recovery class "winching 101" is 2 days.

Well that's it from me.

 

You seem to have a strong opinion about synth lines. It does not match the mainstream views. I have used synth line on hot days for many heavy pulls. I have never noticed any heat increase of the line from loading, and I assume your reactions are from winch loading heat impacting the synth line. This is a concern, but is much more of a concern for specific winch designs.

If you are teaching a class and winch over and over, I can understand your concerns for winch heat buildup damaging your line. In survival situations I suggest that heating your winch this much may case a reduced life of the winch.

I check my winch parts frequently with my hand when I recover. When I feel temperatures significantly over ambient I stop winching and wait. I do have to swallow my ego because my manly fast winch is quite slow if I have to wait, but it beats destroying my winch and line.

My winch line came with a protective cover and I use it successfully to avoid damage when "bush" is a concern. It will not work in dense "trail breaking" situations.

I think the fire line may be able to address your concerns. For so many users synth line addresses real safety concerns, and it can be used safely and successfully with very little additional technique.

 

this may be a con to some point, but, can you drag a wire cable across rocks, without causing damage to it and compromising it's strenght? i think not.

also, there are ways to protect synthetic line from abrasion. there are a couple companies that make abrasion sleeves, but i found a five foot piece of fire hose that works awesome for this.

heat may have been a concern for the synthetics when they first came out, but not today's modern synthetic lines.

there is a reason why rock crawling competition require synthetic ropes be used.

i know a guy who has used the same synthetic rope for the last seven years (somewhere around 50-75 pulls of himself and others) and it is still going strong. he is the one who i got the idea of using a fire hose as an abrasion sleeve from. he also uses an aluminum roller fairlead. he switched to the aluminum from the delrin hawse fairlead after melting right through two of the delrin hawse fairleads during extreme angled pulls.

 

[QUOTE][You seem to have a strong opinion about synth lines. It does not match the mainstream views. I have used synth line on hot days for many heavy pulls. I have never noticed any heat increase of the line from loading, and I assume your reactions are from winch loading heat impacting the synth line. This is a concern, but is much more of a concern for specific winch designs.

If you are teaching a class and winch over and over, I can understand your concerns for winch heat buildup damaging your line. In survival situations I suggest that heating your winch this much may case a reduced life of the winch.

I check my winch parts frequently with my hand when I recover. When I feel temperatures significantly over ambient I stop winching and wait. I do have to swallow my ego because my manly fast winch is quite slow if I have to wait, but it beats destroying my winch and line.

My winch line came with a protective cover and I use it successfully to avoid damage when "bush" is a concern. It will not work in dense "trail breaking" situations.

I think the fire line may be able to address your concerns. For so many users synth line addresses real safety concerns, and it can be used safely and successfully with very little additional technique./QUOTE]

Hey, if it works for you then go with it.
What I have to say is only my take on the subject . You say that you check your winch parts frequently, good man you must be using it quite a bit then . What winch are you using?

 

zungazi I have watched enough hunting shows on TV to know every thing in Africa bites back, even the bush. Ha Ha. You probably use your winch more in one year than most people here use theirs in a life time. How often do you drive on paved roads?


Howdy

 

Looking back at some of my posts I must apologize if some of my opinions on this subject may have come through a bit too strong.
Most of us have formed opinions out of our own experiences and not just what we have been told.
Looks like our opinions on this one may differ dew to geographic differentness and the conditions that we use our equipment in.

Must say that it is awesome that we all can communicate, learn and debate with each other on a forum like this.