Winch Line - which is best/strongest

p38

p38

Caught the Bug
I have a rebuilt/modified - new gears, upgraded motor - 8274 mounted on my jeep. The jeep weighs approximately 5,000lbs. I slid sideways off a fire trail when a section of the cut broke away. We got a chain back to one of the dozers to keep my jeep from sliding the rest of the way down the canyon, and hooked up the winch line to a tree. The pull was about 45 degrees off the nose, maybe 10 degrees up, and about 30 ft. I used front wheel drive only, turned the wheels in line with the winch line and started winching. The dozer advanced to keep the chain slack and the front tires started pulling. I got about 1 foot of progress and the winch line snapped. We tied the line together and tried again - same result - snapped.
The line is rated at 12k and is less than 1 year old.
The guys are inspecting the winch and mount to make certain there's nothing there to have caused the problem.

My question is: Which winch line is the strongest/best option? Which lines have the most problems? What did I do, if anything, to contribute to the failure?

Here's a picture of the jeep on a section of the fire roadIMG_2619.jpg
 
How old was the line? Was it exposed to weather, salt, sun bleached? How did you tie it back for the second attempt?

I had a similar situation with my Warn Spidura line that came with my winch. It had been used countless times in mostly wet conditions and put away wet regularly. It was frayed and didn’t look great. I believe my failure was actually a pinch failure from getting caught in a snatch block between the pulley and frame. I properly spliced it and finished the pull. If you simply tie a knot in the line you create a high stress point for another failure. There are simple tutorials online for how to properly field splice synthetic lines. I ended up getting a cheaper line from Freedom Ropes and have been happy with it so far. I have started taking a little better care of the line though. Washing off excess dirt/mud and letting it dry out before putting away permanently.


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Thanks Quicksilver. To answer your questions - the line was less than a year old, but has had the most use over the past 2 weeks. I've had to winch myself up some sections of fire trails because the base is so loose from the dozer traffic. I can power my way up them - but I: make a lot of noise, blank out the sky with dust, fill the jeep with dirt, scare the hell out of the passenger. For the record - I have no problem with the noise. Both times the line broke - it broke either at the fairlead or the drum. Both are being inspected. I spoke with a tech from Warn and he mentioned the possibility the line was not tensioned properly after the prior usage - I tend to agree with him.
 
A knot reduces a rope’s strength by about 25%. Splicing is better.

I think you should be looking at whether there is a sharp edge at your fairlead or near your drum that’s causing this. Or a burr on your fairlead.

Nice Jeep, btw.


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Thanks guys, we did find a sharp edge on the mounting plate where the fairlead is attacked. In fact, we found one on the opposite side as well. The slot in the mounting plate does not follow the profile of the fairlead at the edges. We have corrected the problem and installed new line. If you look closely in the picture you see fibers at the left edge of the fairlead.IMG_2742.jpg
 
p38 said:
Thanks guys, we did find a sharp edge on the mounting plate where the fairlead is attacked. In fact, we found one on the opposite side as well. The slot in the mounting plate does not follow the profile of the fairlead at the edges. We have corrected the problem and installed new line. If you look closely in the picture you see fibers at the left edge of the fairlead.View attachment 354815
Click to expand...

That’ll do it. Glad you found it, sorry you had to lose a line in the process.


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p38 said:
Thanks guys, we did find a sharp edge on the mounting plate where the fairlead is attacked. In fact, we found one on the opposite side as well. The slot in the mounting plate does not follow the profile of the fairlead at the edges. We have corrected the problem and installed new line. If you look closely in the picture you see fibers at the left edge of the fairlead.View attachment 354815
Click to expand...

Glad you found it, and it may serve the rest of us as a reminder to check for clearance around the fairlead.

I know I am going to take a second look at mine, and if there is even a hint of interference, I will pull the fairlead and take a grinder to the metal behind it then be sure to polish it smooth.
 
Yeah - it was a hard way to learn a lesson, but I'm thankful I had a safety chain back to the dozer and glad I was winching myself and not someone else. We've pulled the fairlead and cleared and smoothed the opening. Will do the same to my truck and equipment trailers too. Another one of those, "Why didn't I think of that sooner?" things.

Headed back up the mountain later this morning to fix the road and bring the dozers down. Another red flag warning for high winds - hopefully we have seen the last of the fires.

Thanks again for the suggestions.
 
Jkratt said:
Glad you solved the problem. By the way, I love your Jeep. Absolutely perfect.:clap2:
Click to expand...

Thanks, it's getting there. Seems the more I use it the more I find to alter or fix. Working out storage issues - the biggest question is what do I really need to carry? Then, where do I put it? We're going to re-do the headers this winter - larger diameter tubes and more clearance from the floor. I'm happy with the performance, the current headers were built for a 350 not a 383 and less body lift. We're getting some cracks in the sheet metal where we joined the two bodies and modified the fenders - might be time to pull it down and make repairs.
 
BTW - Just thought of this bit of info: Both times the line broke, it dropped straight to the ground. This was my first experience with a failure of a winch line.
 
p38 said:
BTW - Just thought of this bit of info: Both times the line broke, it dropped straight to the ground. This was my first experience with a failure of a winch line.
Click to expand...

That is one of the big advantages of synthetic line, it holds much less stored energy to release in a break.

I have heard of it, but have never seen it in person, though I have seen steel cable of many different sizes break.
 
12k rated LINE or 12K rated winch? Your line should be more like 20k rated. Dyneema 12 strand 3/8'' is minimum you should run IMO for SUV recovery.

My Jeep is 5240lbs and my line is rated at 18k pull strength. Have used it many times.
 
I have been running Warn Spydura for 2 years now and have used it many times already. No signs of breaking so far. Bought one because of the recommendations of my friends and the price I got.
 
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