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I have a MileMarker 9000# winch. It is currently spooled with regular steel cable. I am looking to switch to synthetic. I was thinking 3/8" Amsteel. How much will spool up on that winch? Is 3/8 overkill?
I have a MileMarker 9000# winch. It is currently spooled with regular steel cable. I am looking to switch to synthetic. I was thinking 3/8" Amsteel. How much will spool up on that winch? Is 3/8 overkill?
Personally, I like as much cable/rope as possible. The more you have the better. And in the situations where you "have too much" you can always use a snatch block and double up, thus easing the pull on your winch.
can you use a snatch block on synthetic that has been used for steel cable? I'm told no, and was refused the useage of the only snatch block in the group when it was needed the most(I have steel). I now have two snatch blocks in my possession, and 4 clevis and 2 snatch straps. I doubled everything I have in case I ever get into that hole again.
3/8 amsteel is definitely overkill. in retrospect i would have been happier with 5/16. if you do use 3/8 on that winch you can get 117 feet without fussing about binding against the rods that hold the ends of the winch on. you can go over 150 with 5/16.
if you have used synthetic before i can't even begin to describe how much nicer it is. handling it in the cold, running it through snatch blocks, the massively reduced fear of lash. really, if you use it is just wonderful.
one note: that winch is SSLLOOWWWW. sometimes, on a trail where i'll be using it more than once, instead of winding it back up each time i just flake the extra line in to a sheet bag(from the sailboat) then bungie the bag to the hood. I have though of using motorcycle pegs like the guy at Red-Ibex but have just not gotten around to it.
can you use a snatch block on synthetic that has been used for steel cable? I'm told no, and was refused the useage of the only snatch block in the group when it was needed the most(I have steel). I now have two snatch blocks in my possession, and 4 clevis and 2 snatch straps. I doubled everything I have in case I ever get into that hole again.
I used to do a lot of rigging on sailboats uing lne that makes amsteel look like bargain basement crap that it is. in those situations you don't run line through any block unless its sheave is perfectly polished w/ correctly sized grooves and oversized diameter. PBO line was 7 or 8 bucks a foot in 12mm diameter, and it's life under load with even a tiny sharp edge was measured in seconds.
that having been said, amsteel was developed to be a replacement for steel cable in the commercial towboat industry(tugboats). it is pretty forgiving of drums and blocks that aren't perfect, as long as there are no really nasty nicks on the blocks. it is coated with stuff that helps protect it from uv and it is slippery as you could imagine. i would have no problem using it. you definitely should give it a good looksee before using someone else's block no matter what the situation.
I've always wondered about synthetic,being as pliable as it is,compared to cable,does it change the gear ratio(pulling power) of the winch with a lot of wraps as much as cable does?
Say you have two identical winches one has 2 layers of cable and the other has 2 layers of synt.....which one is going to pull harder.Seems to me like the synth would because the line is more compressed?Am I on drugs?:shocked:
i've never spooled mine out even that far. that's probably a good choice.
if you are doing the splice yourself it's pretty easy. don't be tempted to skip the stitching afterwards. I save one of the strands i thinned out for the last tuck and split it in half and use it for the stitch. you can get thimbles in galvanized , stainless, and nylon. I much prefer the nylon ones with ears. 1" tubular nylon webbing fits perfect over 3/8. cut few lengths of it (about 40 cents a foot ) melt the ends carefully so as not to tighten the id. and slip them on from the other end before you spool it. it is really nice to have the chafe guard if you have to do a pull around an obstacle like a rock
anyway enjoy your line. it really does make winching almost a pleasant task. Even in winter.
It really depends on where you live and what kind of wheeling you do. Over here in the northeast, trees and anchor points are a dime a dozen, and I never had to use more than 75ft at the more. So when I order my syn. line, I only order 90ft of 3/8". This keep the actual winch line point deeper in the drum which makes for a stronger pull. A winch has its strongest pulling force on the first wrap. Now if i was out west, I would have as much as I could fit on the drum.........
