Thread: Roller fairlead with synthetic rope

I reckon your set up is ideal.........

the things to look for I reckon

• rollers are damage free (what your hook does not damage roller)
• there is plenty of overlap of the rollers i.e. horizontal roller is way wider than the vertical rollers
• the design of the bracket the roller sits in i.e. when winch at an angle the rope cannot come into contact with steel bracing)

unfortunately I cannot get off the shelf roller for my winch, if I could I would swap over straight away

I have watch 2 maybe 3 winch jobs with rollers winching at an angle with no issues.

rollers would have to look after the rope way better than the hawse

each to there own i guess

Toyota stil runs drum brakes on the rear of hi-luxs, spose I might change away from disc

if I did a lot of winching i.e. monthly than I would be looking at rollers....

Pretty sure the instructions that came with my Warn synthetic rope indicated that it could be used with a roller fair lead as long as it was in unmarked condition.

It really makes no difference if it is wire or synthetic rope, a Roller Fairlead is better. However, changing from wire to synthetic and using the same roller, which may be damaged due to small knicks etc caused by the wire rope can lead to damage with synthetic rope.

A Hawse fairlead can have a severe effect on synthetic rope if it is not sized properly for the winch opening and can also destroy synthetic rope through friction if the winch is used at excessive angles, either up/down or right/ left.

The friction of the rope causes excessive heat build up on the aluminium and when the winching operation is stopped the heat transfer from the Hawse Fairlead to the rope can be severe enough to degrade the rope and cause a potential 'weak' point in the rope, which may fail at a later stage. I have seen some hawse fairleads, which after only one winching operation have left a depression in the side of the hawse, which i could fit my little finger into. Not a good sign

On many Hawse Fairleads that I have looked at, the front of the fairlead has a nice radius but the back is at a 90 degree angle and is sharp. If the hawse is not sized to fit the opening properly, a situation arises, wherby the rope is being dragged over a very sharp surface at the back of the hawse, which can contribute to excessive wear.

Hawse fairleads can look a lot nicer than a roller setup, however, aesthetics does not necesairly make it a better option, 'form over function' i believe is the term used.

Synthetic rope has advantages over wire rope in certain conditions and likewise Wire rope can be more advantageous in certain situations. A similar setup arises with Hawse versus Roller Fairleads. If looks is an important consideration, then whom am I to stop you from using a hawse fairlead, If functionality and longevity is a consideration, then rollers work.

Remember there is also a market for new and sometimes different products and this market is sometimes exploited for commercial reasons rather than factual reasons

It is also a relatively simple job to splice broken synthetic rope and to have a repair which is, for practical purposes as strong as the original, this is not so easy with wire rope.

Most recreational users would prefer Synthetic Rope, whilst most commercial users are happy to stay with Wire Rope.

Hope that this helps

Regards

This does not occur if you winch properly. Have a spotter feed the cable until tight. Have them tell you before a bird's nest starts.
Aaron

I suppose like most things it relates back to the quality of the product...

I would personally not use a roller fairhead intended for use with cable with synthetic line, but that personal choice and not a statement for or against. In the event that you want to or choose to, it would certainly have to be brand spanking new roller that's never been used with wire. (Have one of those stored in my garage... )

I personally prefer a polished stainless steel hawse as there isn't even hint of heat build up and the opening is obviously significantly smaller than the cut out in the winch bumper, so no chance of damage. I can't however justify the cost of the SS hawse at this stage, so I've just got a good quality aluminium one (round edges inside and out) and I've not had any issues with it either.

Cheers,

Lou

Hi,
A Google search led me here. My Aluminium hawser has gone all crusty and will fray the rope.
Enquiries at a major store quoted very high prices for a fairlead with synthetic rollers, but suggested dressing the metal down with wet and dry to a smooth finish.
I used an old wire cup brush to remove the corrosion and flakey chrome , finishing off with a fine file and a fine grit paper.
It looks a bit rough, but will do the job.
Ebay seems to have Aluminium hawsers around $20, but have yet to find any in synthetic.
Cheers