Istalling Synthetic Winch Line

[fishEH]

I'm looking for tips or a how-to on installing my new synthetic winch line.
My head keeps going back to the days when I worked at Bass Pro and having to spool fishing reels with braided line. Without a "backing" the line would literally spin around the spool, thus not properly engaging the drag system. Some people used electrical tape for backing but I always spliced the braided line to monofilament that would "stick" to the spool.
Anyways, I'm wondering if the same thing holds true for synthetic winch line? My line has an end that gets screwed to the drum. Will this be sufficent to prevent slippage on the drum?
Thanks

 

[ColoradoBill]

These guys know what they are doing.


http://www.winchline.com/documents/Viking Truck Winchline Instructions v1.2.pdf

 

[tdesanto]

My line has an end that gets screwed to the drum.

That's how mine is secured. I also made sure to spool it under some tension to take out any stretch in the line; I did this after pulling several wraps taut.

 

[Count Fred]

The screw itself will not hold the line on the drum. Just allow you to tension the first 10 wraps or so tight and firm next to each other. After those first 10 are pulled taut you then roll up the rest of the line under tension (e.g. dragging your vehicle towards a tree). Those 10 then grab against each other and will hold the pulling weight of the winch. Just don't ever pull out line down past those first 10 wraps.

Fishing line being a solid line behaves much differently from a multi-filament line. Even with a braided fishing line, the individual filaments are much larger than any filament in a synthetic winch line. Hence, they have much more springiness. A simplification, but general accurate.

Cheers,
JFS III

 

[Eventhough]

What type of end is on the synthetic winch line that will be attaching to the drum?

 

[hext]

good find, thanks!

 

[Master-Pull]

Did your rope come with heat guard to protect the line from the drum? Spool that on first with the rope and always try to keep one whole layer of wraps around the drum. If you have that much on there it wont be able to pull the rope off the drum, the little screws are just to hold it in place while you are spooling the rope on.

-Alex

 

[opie]

Lay about 8" of the end across the drum, lets call it a tail, towards one side or the other and then spool the line on going over the "tail" towards the opposite side.

Unless you power out on a regular basis, "heat guard" is not neccessary. The drum will not produce enough heat to bother SK75 under normal use. If you have a technora line, then you dont need to worry about it at all.

 

[Master-Pull]

Unless you power out on a regular basis, "heat guard" is not neccessary. The drum will not produce enough heat to bother SK75 under normal use.

Sorry but I disagree, the drum heats up quicker then you would think. We have seen plenty of ropes come back melted when the heat guard wasn't used properly. Better to have it in place then to wonder if you need it.

-Alex

 

[opie]

Sorry but I disagree, the drum heats up quicker then you would think. We have seen plenty of ropes come back melted when the heat guard wasn't used properly. Better to have it in place then to wonder if you need it.

-Alex

Disagree all you like. But the drum won't generate enough heat to affect SK75 unless you are powering out on a regular basis or your brake is dragging. There is plenty of reading on this subject all over the net and I'm not the only one that thinks this way.

 

[Master-Pull]

That may be the case, Amsteel Blue has a max working temp of around 150 degrees Fahrenheit, melting point of 300. The heat guards are necessary for the people who aren't educated as much on the subject, or the ones who winch out under power because they have to or don't know any better.

I am not saying the winch gets hot every time you use it, I am saying that the heat guards are necessary just in case.

-Alex

 

[opie]

That may be the case, Amsteel Blue has a max working temp of around 150 degrees Fahrenheit, melting point of 300. The heat guards are necessary for the people who aren't educated as much on the subject, or the ones who winch out under power because they have to or don't know any better.

I am not saying the winch gets hot every time you use it, I am saying that the heat guards are necessary just in case.

-Alex

Emphasis added to your message by me...

Then do you not think it would be a good idea to educate your customers on the limitations of the products you sell? Rather than a blanket, false notion, that all winches generate heat.

I can link you to some articles that go into specifics on SK75 and how it handles both ambient heat and cunductive heat if you like. Basically heat does not travel through SK75 at an alarming rate. A section was placed on a hot plate at 70c and the entire section did not heat to 70c. It was found that at 50c you can factor in an 8% derate of the average strength.

Also.. That "heat guard" doesnt stop heat from transferring to the rope. A better approach, if you are concerned about it, would be your LCP rope.

 

[yyc_ranger_4x4]

So....instead of offering your help to the OP, there's going to be another war about this issue? You're obviously both educated on the use of synthetic lines, and both have some very valid points on the use of synthetic line. The research that you have both done on this subject is obviously immense, and I find it great that you're willing to share it. It's amazing at the expertise on this site (and many others) and the wars that can start from it all. I've been caught up in it in the past, so I'm no angel but it's disheartening to see it happening more and more on various boards.

I agree with you both, I'll use the heat guard when I spool my amsteel blue line onto my 9.5XP (thanks again Martin!), but I also know how I use my winch and don't power out save for taking the tension out of a line so I should never actually need it. However, it's there in case I might. So with that said, how about that for advice for the OP. Install it just in case, and hopefully never need it.

When installing the synthetic line on a winch, you'll most likely need more that 4-5 wraps on the drum...I'll personally be sticking with about 6-7 unless I really need the extra foot or two of lenght and then it will be situation dependant. This is because the synthetic line doesn't bite the drum as well as wire rope, and the extra couple wraps should give it the friction needed to stop it from pulling on the little set screw that holds the end of the line on the drum. There is a cool (and really simple) device out on the net that physically stops you from being able to spool off more than you should, but it takes a little bit of finger work to install it. Here's the link for the install instructions: http://www.muddyoval.com/articles/generalinfo/roperetainer.htm. I've made this with nothing more that a scrap piece of 1" tubular webbing sewn together in the middle. It works well, but I have not had a chance to use it on the truck as it is currently sitting in the garage getting a SAS and new suspension.

What ever you do...think it through from start to finish, and even to the point of clean-up. If something doesn't seem right, then it most likely isn't. If it doesn't feel safe, then don't do it. Any second guesses....get a second opinion.

 

[opie]

yyc, all excellent points and I apologize for going OT. This is an important thing to think about when choosing a line. If you are concerned about your drum getting to hot for SK75, then a better choice would be an aramid fiber like Techonra. Size for size compared to SK75 they are about even with the technora being just a hair weaker and a hair heavier.

Heat Guard may prevent your line from melting to the drum should your drum actually get hot, but it doesnt prevent heat degradation of the line which can start around 122 degrees. But put into context of how SK75 conducts heat, and what actually causes heat bulid-up in a winch drum, its a non issue. These are all points I would expect the "leader in the industry" to convey to their customers.

EDIT: and I did offer my advice to the OP about how to attach his line to his drum. You should pay attention if you choose to mount it with a link to the side of the drum. A side pull could have you running the line over that attachment point and damaging your rope.

 

[oz97tj]

I don't see it mentioned here, so I'll add this. If your rope has an eye for a bolt, cut it off!!!!!! The bolt, and that eye, will be nothing more than a pressure point that will wear on your line and cut it.

Do as Opie suggested and start the rope across the drum. I like to tape it one just to hold it and make life a little easier. Then start spooling it on. After 8 or 10 wraps, that rope won't go anyway and there won't be anything to cut your line.


The biggest killer of syn rope I've seen is abrasion.