ATV winch cable

[JohnB]

I had to do some repairs on my Warn winch (I think the snow blade is hard on them); anyway got it back together and decided to try out a synthedic rope instead of the wire cable. Is anyone else running rope and how do you like it? I was also tired of cutting up my hand on the broken threads of cable.

I got the rope from Northern Metallic (just over $60 for 50') and was $50 cheaper then the Warn brand that the local ATV shops sell.

[bingo1010]

i think the rope is awesome. make sure you replace your roller fairlead also or you will wreck your rope.

[BrownBear416]

Originally Posted by JohnB

I had to do some repairs on my Warn winch (I think the snow blade is hard on them); anyway got it back together and decided to try out a synthedic rope instead of the wire cable. Is anyone else running rope and how do you like it? I was also tired of cutting up my hand on the broken threads of cable.

I got the rope from Northern Metallic (just over $60 for 50') and was $50 cheaper then the Warn brand that the local ATV shops sell.

We tried them at work and dont believe the hype,they arent as strong as wire cable.

We broke 2 cables in 1 summer....

[sparky660]

From my own personal expereince there is nothing better than the synthetic rope. I have had my current rope on my 2007 Grizzly 700 since new and has done some severe pulling and haven't had a problem. No cuts from broken wires, easy to handle, doesn't squirell nest in the drum as bad and all around stronger if you take care of it.

My cousin has used his daily for over a year checking wells in the bush North of Grande Cache and her swears by them. Hwas finding that the loop on the cable would temper and break after 6 months of hard use. So far his synthetic has been going for a year and show no sign of wear.

[broadfieldpoint]

Just switched to synthetic after breaking 2 wires. I think another important factor is the fairlead...make sure it rolls if possible. I am using a blade on my ATV....alot of heavy pushing. The fairlead is what wore the cable down and then a quick wind in and snap!

Rope is the way to go.

[sparky660]

If you are using a blade stay away from the Cable. The constant bending on the fairlead and the steady back and forth motion tempers and weakens the cable. If you have a blade on you quad the rope is the way to go.

[elkhunter11]

Synthetic works great for me,but make sure that your fairlead is very smooth and turns easily.

[live to hunt]

Does anyone know where i can find that rope in Calgary cause i was actually just wondering what i was going to do as i need to change my cable as it is in really bad shape

[sparky660]

Any atv shop should carry it. Make sure to get Warn or Amsteel Blue sythetic rope. They are the best two on the market and most others are knock offs with poor quality.

[Rockymtnx]

JohnB, one thing you might find that using one with a snow blade, the end foot or two sees a lot of wear when lifting and lowering the snow blade all winter.

[tullfan]

Live,
Pm me and I'll sort you out. I'm a mechanic at a bike shop here in the S.E of Calgary.
I'll get give ya a good deal on warn synthetic rope.

Jason

[honda450]

I also tried both. Maybe fine for recrecational users but using nothin but wire cable now.

[bowandbuck]

Originally Posted by BrownBear416

We tried them at work and dont believe the hype,they arent as strong as wire cable.

We broke 2 cables in 1 summer....

It's a FACT that the Amsteel Blue is stronger (7x actually) not to mention easily repairable in the field, lighter, no fish hooks, does not retain the shape of the drum, will not rust and if spliced correctly retains 98% of the average rated break strength. If your lines broke, then you were not treating them as Synthetic....you gotta remember to change your roller fairlead to hawser style, smooth your drum before installing new line and use tree wrapper sling when winching. Try to keep sand from getting inside the line because as you stress the rope they act like little razors cutting from the inside out. The samthane coating does help but ya gotta remeber it still is Synthetic so keep it half a** clean, even just by wiping it off as you respool. Also remember to always keep atleast 5 wraps on the drum at all times. I have sold High modules synthetic for 15 years and was around when Amsteel (Dyneema SK75) came on the market. We have built 10's of thousand of atv/utv winch lines, Destroyer anchors, tug assist, pendents, off shore mooring lines for rigs etc with Amsteel Blue and Other High modules Polyethlyene fibers, so to say that it is not stronger then wire is false. Now I understand you are intitled to your opinion, but know all the facts before you put it in words...

[sourdough doug]

Is this synthetic rope affected at all by UV rays.? I have on my front rack, a couple of horns that I wrap approx. 25' of cable around, rather than spool it all the way in, so it is exposed to the sun. Also what different type of fairlead rollers are you speaking of.?
Are they the curved type.?

[BrownBear416]

Originally Posted by bowandbuck

It's a FACT that the Amsteel Blue is stronger (7x actually) not to mention easily repairable in the field, lighter, no fish hooks, does not retain the shape of the drum, will not rust and if spliced correctly retains 98% of the average rated break strength. If your lines broke, then you were not treating them as Synthetic....you gotta remember to change your roller fairlead to hawser style, smooth your drum before installing new line and use tree wrapper sling when winching. Try to keep sand from getting inside the line because as you stress the rope they act like little razors cutting from the inside out. The samthane coating does help but ya gotta remeber it still is Synthetic so keep it half a** clean, even just by wiping it off as you respool. Also remember to always keep atleast 5 wraps on the drum at all times. I have sold High modules synthetic for 15 years and was around when Amsteel (Dyneema SK75) came on the market. We have built 10's of thousand of atv/utv winch lines, Destroyer anchors, tug assist, pendents, off shore mooring lines for rigs etc with Amsteel Blue and Other High modules Polyethlyene fibers, so to say that it is not stronger then wire is false. Now I understand you are intitled to your opinion, but know all the facts before you put it in words...

In my experience they did not hold up as good as wire rope.Now I am sure we never did all the proper care techniques as you have stated above so likely it was our own fault..

In saying that I dont have time to baby a rope and rub lotion on it to keep it from breaking.lol Thats why I will stick with wire.

I used to mile out a quad in 2 summers and wire has not failed me yet...

[turbo mulcher]

Originally Posted by bowandbuck

It's a FACT that the Amsteel Blue is stronger (7x actually) not to mention easily repairable in the field, lighter, no fish hooks, does not retain the shape of the drum, will not rust and if spliced correctly retains 98% of the average rated break strength. If your lines broke, then you were not treating them as Synthetic....you gotta remember to change your roller fairlead to hawser style, smooth your drum before installing new line and use tree wrapper sling when winching. Try to keep sand from getting inside the line because as you stress the rope they act like little razors cutting from the inside out. The samthane coating does help but ya gotta remeber it still is Synthetic so keep it half a** clean, even just by wiping it off as you respool. Also remember to always keep atleast 5 wraps on the drum at all times. I have sold High modules synthetic for 15 years and was around when Amsteel (Dyneema SK75) came on the market. We have built 10's of thousand of atv/utv winch lines, Destroyer anchors, tug assist, pendents, off shore mooring lines for rigs etc with Amsteel Blue and Other High modules Polyethlyene fibers, so to say that it is not stronger then wire is false. Now I understand you are intitled to your opinion, but know all the facts before you put it in words...

Do you sell this rope? I need about 100' for a 3000 warn long drum.

[Huntnut]

Originally Posted by BrownBear416

We tried them at work and dont believe the hype,they arent as strong as wire cable.

We broke 2 cables in 1 summer....

Actually BB our shop sold 8 quads to Encna for the Hamburg plant north of Manning. They wanted 4 with cable and 4 with rope to compare. After a summer of abuse in the muskeg it was pretty even as far as having to replace them. They said the biggest thing was making sure that when you wrapped the rope around a tree to pull yourself out that you used the protective covering or eventually the hook would damage the rope then it would break. But your mileage may vary

[Dean2]

Rope or cable, if you are using it to lower and lift a blade, try using just a 2 or 3 foot piece for the winter, instead of your good rig. Works much better, easier to contol and easier on the winch. Best of all it costs next to nothing to replace.

[bowandbuck]

Naturally it is not gonna wear like wire....thats a given, thats why I'm sayin it's gotta be taken care of. I know its the last thing a guy wants to do after a day of riding, but ergonomically speaking it's the way to go for me (but of course I am a little partial to synthetic)..lol. I did mention you do have to use a tree sling, your right the hook will damage the line. We are testing a new line right now made up of technora fiber which is an Arimid fiber (similiar to kevlar) in a 12 strand braided core with a really tight coated Polyester cover, we are hoping it helps with abrasion a bit more, while keeping the good charecteristics. They have worked well the the DND glider lines (6500ft lines on a really big tugger used to pull up gliders. Still in the testing stage but looks promising so watch for it.......ps, please don't cofuse this with some cheap sales pitch, I am very aware that it is frowned upon without permission, just a good ol disscussion boys thats all....

BB

[bowandbuck]

sorry I missed the other question.

Yes Amsteel Blue or any Synthetic rope for that matter is affected by UV, Now a days however before the fibers are extruded they are mixed chemically with UV inhibitors, also most of the Urathane coatings have UV inhibitors as well. Inherent charecteristics of different fibers are affected in different ways....some take longer to degrade, depend on a number of things, exposed to water wind wet dry so on and so forth. Amsteel Blue has excellent resistance to uv degradation.
The fairleads are a one piece either aluminum or Nylite (hardelast Nylon formed) but not good in the cold. smoothed edges you can buy them at most atv shops

[TreeGuy]

Bowandbuck, the experience most people have with ropes are with the cheap yellow nylon ones that never hold a knot other than a bowline. They have absolutly NO idea how far and advanced the industry has come since Mallory's Everest attempt and Hillary's eventual triumph with hemp ropes. While they will likely never transcend cable for industrial applications, the possibilities are limitless otherwise.

Tree

[captain]

most new kits come with a new fairlead.The new fairlead has smoother bearings to allow it to roll better.The best thing that i like is not getting those wires in your fingers.