Thread: A winch rope question

Hi dm_td5, towards the bottom of this page:

Rockstomper.com

there is a list of winches showing the standard wire, and suitable replacement rope options.

Cheers,

Tim

yep it will but you will have to be vary carefull with the wind on wraps.

most winches have a safety height built into the side flanges to accomodate less than perfect wrapping but its usually only the nominal stack height +50% which isnt much..

what you need to watch with synthetic is that when you wrap it on it lays flatter and wider than spec especially when you wind it on under load. It has the potential to pinch itself if you dont take it into account when you start taking in rope. the first bits go on like normal rope and then as you start putting the load on they start to compress and flatten. When you start really putting the pull on the drum of the winch can slip under the loose turns and tighten them up under the already tight turns when that happens you can pinch the sheath and thats bad....


If you lay it all on right and start to increase the stack height you also reduce the effectiveness of the winch the further out you go... (unless you go a capstan...)



speaking of which..

has anyone got 10 feet or so of that synthetic stuff I can have a play with and probably destroy on a capstan winch?

Yeah I think it should fit...I think I have 125 foot of 8mm. Check out okoffroad.com. They have a fitting chart of sorts based on model of winch.

Angus

Just out of interest why are you getting rid of the wire?

I wouldn't bother unless you will be entering competitions and have to handle (run about with) it a lot.

Wire is more robust, a lot cheaper, can be repaired in the field just as easily as synthetic, if not more so.

Synthetic looks cooler, floats and is apparently stronger in optimum conditions but thats it.

If you end up dragging it through the mud when winching over a bank, you most likely will break syntheic but wire will be fine.

rgds
Pete

OK Offroad is who I was going to buy through. Would have done it the other week but the Aussie Rupee dropped.

I did e-mail them about the winch and their reply was it needs to have enough free diameter to take another layer. I'd call a mate over to help me un-box the winch, but I don't think any one wants me near them at present, I feel like *&^%.

Originally Posted by Psimpson7

Just out of interest why are you getting rid of the wire?

Actually killing two birds with one stone. My other Defender's winch needs new cable (it's damaged in 3 places) and so I'm taking the cable off the new winch and putting it on the older one.

hmmm

I've never seen cable tied in a 5 second knot and continued to be winched on unlike the plasma. Plasma is heaps stronger. It chaffes which is easy to get around, but it doesn't kink or have the handling issues of wire. As Dave says, it just needs to go on under load, not loose.

The big value though, is if plasma fails, then it just drops. The safety factor is important in what will already be a diabolical situation. There is no whip and so no major injuries directly off the cable like when winch cable breaks.

Yeah ok, maybe not 5 seconds, but its not that slow to fix.

Use a winch sail problem solved.

ETA 'heaps stronger' When new in a labroratory test condition maybe I am not so convinced when in teh real world. I have seen a lot of broken plasma cables at events. Also seen a lot of broken wire too to be fair.

Another point, if Plasma is so safe when it breaks, why do all events I can remember in the UK require a sail on a plasma rope aswell as wire?