Which synthetic winch line for a large vehicle?

[FaronFaulk]

We have a Warn 16.5ti winch on our GXV AT (~20k lbs)
I'd like to switch to a synthetic line.
The Warn Spydura Pro 3/8" says it's rated to the 16.5k lb capacity of the winch.
The Yankum 1/2" says it's 30,600 lb MTS, so I feel like we're comparing apples to oranges.
Any idea which actually has more strength?
Are there other brands we should be considering?

thanks,
Faron

 

[Campndad]

The 100x3/8 spydura pro synthetic is rated up to 16,500 pound winches. My only concern is the attachment point if it was a steel line. Warn has great customer service and should be able to help you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[carterd]

Below is minimum strength of Amsteel Blue, which is often the basis of many synthetic winch lines.


Winches are only capable of their rated capacity on their first layer of wrap - it goes down after that. Warn 16.5 lb winches that come from the factor with synthetic line use 3/8", so that is what I would choose.

Bubba Rope, Factor 55, customsplice.com, and Master Pull might be worth considering. It is way cheaper to just buy the synthetic line and splice your own ends if you like the DIY approach. As a winch line can be potentially lethal, make sure you are dealing with a reputable place and getting what you pay for. Marine, arborist, and rigging supply companies are alternatives to 4x4 shops, as synthetic rope has been used in these industries longer than on 4x4s.

Here is another thread on the topic.

Synthetic Winchline question.

Pressure and heat will flatten out the rope, I wouldn't want to load more then 125 feet on the M12000. Even loading that much is really pushing the space limits. One thing to think about is what will happen if you start to winch at an extreme side angle. The rope will pile up on one side of the...

forum.expeditionportal.com

 

[zimm]

Why on earth would you need a 30k winch line? It’s not a yanker.

 

[IdaSHO]

Below is minimum strength of Amsteel Blue, which is often the basis of many synthetic winch lines.
View attachment 847928

Winches are only capable of their rated capacity on their first layer of wrap - it goes down after that. Warn 16.5 lb winches that come from the factor with synthetic line use 3/8", so that is what I would choose.

Bubba Rope, Factor 55, customsplice.com, and Master Pull might be worth considering. It is way cheaper to just buy the synthetic line and splice your own ends if you like the DIY approach. As a winch line can be potentially lethal, make sure you are dealing with a reputable place and getting what you pay for. Marine, arborist, and rigging supply companies are alternatives to 4x4 shops, as synthetic rope has been used in these industries longer than on 4x4s.

Here is another thread on the topic.

Synthetic Winchline question.

Pressure and heat will flatten out the rope, I wouldn't want to load more then 125 feet on the M12000. Even loading that much is really pushing the space limits. One thing to think about is what will happen if you start to winch at an extreme side angle. The rope will pile up on one side of the...

forum.expeditionportal.com

Those are minimum BREAK strength. NOT working load limit strength numbers.
I for one, would not place much faith on 3/8 working reliably on a 15k+ winch, considering its working load limit is just 4400lbs

Generally, 7/16 synthetic is considered standard for 10k - 15k winches.
Beyond that, Id look into 1/2"

AmSteel-Blue Synthetic Winch Lines w/ Self-Locking Hook | 9/16" - 7/8"

AmSteel-Blue Synthetic Rope is a proven alternative to steel cables and steel winch lines. Size-for-size, AmSteel-Blue is the same strength as steel wire rope - yet it floats! These 12-strand, single braid winch lines yield the maximum in strength-to-weight ratio and are torque free. Meaning...

zips.com

 

[IdaSHO]

With regards to Warns "Spydura Pro", considering the oddities in their listings, I would love to see an actual spec sheet for these ropes.

7/16x100 and 3/8x100 both rated for 16,500

Until you get to the extensions....
then the 7/16 x 50 is rated at 18k, and the 3/8 is rated for just 12k

yeah, something doesnt jive. Id assume typos
But unless Warn gives up the details.... who really knows.

All Products

Factor 55 leads the way in vehicle recovery rigging with Closed System Winching products and rigging accessories no matter what you ride or drive.

www.factor55.com

 

[Howard70]

I've had three Warn 16.5Ti winches. I've used three synthetic lines on them - Warn's Spydura Pro 3/8", Samson Amsteel Blue 1/2" and Cortland Plasma 1/2".

Of the three my least favorite is the 3/8 Warn Spydura. It smears on fairleads & rings leaving a deposit that is hard to remove. Being only 3/8" it wears to a point where I replace it much sooner than either of the 1/2" lines.

Of the two 1/2" lines it's a toss up for me. I like the feel of the Plasma slightly better than the softer Amsteel Blue and the Plasma is slightly stronger. But Amsteel Blue seems more universally available thus I can find it on sale or use special discounts more often. I prefer to purchase bare line and then splice loops on both ends myself. I use multiple layers of tubular nylon webbing on the loops as chafe guards and to provide a bit of stiffness.

After trying different lengths on the 16.5Ti drums, I like to have about 80 of line on the drum. That allows room to have some pile up on a side if the pull isn't perfectly straight before clogging up under the crossbars. I've tried several terminal fittings on the working end, but all had disadvantages for me so I now run simple loops.

It's a great winch and I agree with @IdaSHO - 3/8" just doesn't provide the reserve strength I want to account for weathering, wear and tear and UV damage over time.

Howard Snell

 

[carterd]

The off-road recovery industry does not have any standardization when it comes to rating equipment. Most winch lines, snatch straps, etc. will be advertised at their breaking strength. Shackles, however, are often advertised at their working load limit (working load limit = breaking strength / safety factor). Working load limits are more common in overhead lifting situations.

The most important thing is that you know at what points various parts of your recovery system will break, and then design in your own safety factors. 3/8" is a bit borderline for a 16,500 lb winch. Keep in mind that you lose about 15% capacity for every layer of rope, so your 16.5ti probably has about 14,000 lbs capacity on layer 2, 12,000 lbs on layer 3, etc. Also the specs I circled in Post #3 are the minimum breaking strengths, the average breaking strengths are about 10% higher. 7/16" rope would give you a bit of safety margin vs. 3/8", while not being that much more expensive.

 

[Metcalf]

I like running my winch lines close to 2:1 FoS to winch capacity.

That seems to give me a very long winch line life compared to cutting it closer to 1:1 like many winches equipped with synthetic line from the factory. For a 16.5 winch, I would much rather have the 1/2" line. I run 3/8" Amsteel-Blue on my 6000-8000lb Warn/Belleview upright winches and have gotten 10 years of service out of a line with a few end to end flips to even out the wear on the ends every 3 years or so even if I have to loose a foot or two to do it depending on the ends required.

 

[jsnow]

I work for Comeup winch although by no means a rope expert. We run 3/8" on our 9500 winches, 7/16" on the 12.5's and 1/2" on our 16.5 winches. I personally wouldn't run 3/8" on a 16.5 winch. Doesn't matter who makes it.

As mentioned above MBS is not working load limit, and it's important to understand that anytime you buy a piece of recovery equipment. I've worked and trained with several trainers, and several different organizations and the one thing they all preach is to buy properly labeled gear, with proper working load limits. There are very few companies that actually label them this way, and it is usually a bit more expensive because of the high quality materials used.

If I was going to buy a new winch line, I would look at ASR in WA state, or Freedom Recovery out of BC. Either of those companies sell quality winch ropes and can guide you to the proper diameter.