Winch fairlead for synthetic cable

[BlindingWhiteTaco]

Sand the winch drum to remove burs left by the wire rope. You can use a new roller fairlead, but synthetic rope is much more flexible than wire and may get caught in the corners of the roller fairlead. A hawse fairlead with wide radius and an inside radius is the way to go. I have a 1” hawse from Factor55. They make a 1.5”, but it’s really out there. If you don’t have synthetic rope yet, Masterpull makes a “light” option with a spliced soft loop and a captive puck style stopper. You could splice your own using a hockey puck with a couple holes drilled in it. It really is a neat idea.

Make sure to clean synthetic rope after getting it dirty. Abrasive material can collect inside the rope.

 

[I Leak Oil]

Don't over think it, use what you like. Either style works fine. I've had the same synthetic line for better part of 18 years now with minimal maintenance. Been exposed to to the weather, sun, dirt etc. Still reliable.

I prefer a hawse over traditional roller because they are simple, no moving parts, almost no maintenance, lighter and don't stick out as far.

 

[Metcalf]

Don't over think it, use what you like. Either style works fine. I've had the same synthetic line for better part of 18 years now with minimal maintenance. Been exposed to to the weather, sun, dirt etc. Still reliable.

I prefer a hawse over traditional roller because they are simple, no moving parts, almost no maintenance, lighter and don't stick out as far.

I'll also concur with this, I think people are WAY to worried about this stuff with synthetic line and we are getting into urban myth territory.

I have line on my old flatty that is 10 years old now. I've purposely abused it to try and find the limits, and I have still haven't had a failure. It has never been washed, it has been used in sand, mud, snow, etc.

According to our Amsteel Rep, most long term UV damage will be contained to the non-structural 'fuzz' fibers that develop after some use. The structural fibers are rarely effected.
Most synthetic winch line is going to be rated at about 20k, where most 5/16 steel winch cable is rated at about 9900lbs MBS.

As mentioned, most synthetic rope damage is caused by HEAT. Most low profile winches have the brake in the drum. Powering OUT the winch line will usually generate a ton of extra heat on those winches from brake drag.

I also use an aluminum hawse on all my winches. I have never been able to generate any measurable 'heat' that could damage the line.
I even use low friction rings to replace my snatch blocks and have not had line fail with those yet either.

There is a LOT of urban myth stuff still going around about synthetic winch line. Find someone that has been using it for decades now and ask them.

 

[CharlieNorth]

At this time I just tack welded my new to me Chinese roller set. These rollers are a larger diameter than the original Ramsey rollers. I am thinking I want to raise them up a bit before finishing this off.
They could go up an inch allowing a straighter run in to the drum not to mention less chance of grounding out on terrain. Not that that was a major issue in the past,but it had been hit.

 

[billiebob]

I'm ready to buy the cast iron hawse fairhead for my steel cable to be more compact and lighter weight. But since the aluminium fairhead is the standard for synthetic line, I cannot imagine why not just go there and save weight too.

 

[billiebob]

umm looking at the detail of this bolt/tube/mount...... is there a crush tube inside the square crossbar? or is the bolt just crushing air inside the tube. Either way, this is a mount just waiting for enough load to fail

 

[karlmagnum]

I know a roller will work fine but I want to protect my synthetic line from getting abrasions, so I bought a Warn hawse fairlead from 4wheelonline. So far, I have no complaints.

 

[WOODY2]

umm looking at the detail of this bolt/tube/mount...... is there a crush tube inside the square crossbar? or is the bolt just crushing air inside the tube. Either way, this is a mount just waiting for enough load to fail

View attachment 654963

There you go again, making perfectly good sense!

 

[VinceAtReal4x4's]

I'll save anyone reading this lots of time: Factor55 fairlead.

 

[CharlieNorth]

umm looking at the detail of this bolt/tube/mount...... is there a crush tube inside the square crossbar? or is the bolt just crushing air inside the tube. Either way, this is a mount just waiting for enough load to fail

View attachment 654963

Sorry, missed your question some time back.
No, no crush tube, The box tube is 2" .25 wall. This has a 1/2 bolt on each end to mount to the frame. The Monteros have a sleeved hole through the frame that is uniform from the earliest till the 2000 model. This winch and mount went into service in 1989 when I started playing and working my turbo converted 1987 Montero.
I have dragged two vehicles through rather deep mud pulling a little Bronco behind me, a 4 hour pull.
I hung this Monti from a tree like in the Gods must be Crazy movie, I realized I was crazy when the rear bumper slid under when I got it up high. Damn glad my friend was there taking picture and had his Bronco to drag mine back.
Won't and haven't done that again.
That image is when I was trial fitting on my 95 SR. It was on that rig for another 15+ years, mostly used as a tool and not much recovery use.

At this time this winch is bolted up under my 3.8 Mivec swapped SWB Pajero I am building. Has an aluminum hawse but room for rollers should I choose. The drum was cleaned up and painted with POR 15 so the rope should have a decent surface to reside on.

 

[Ragnarok Overland]

It will weld to syn rope.

My first choice for a syn rope fair lead or rollers is stainless steel, second is aluminum. ***Edit. . . . rollers with delrin bearings

Rollers are 10x better than a fair lead.

Any type of abrasion ruins syn rope.

Allowing syn to cross wrap on the drum is as bad for syn as it is for steel wire.

I'd never use bare (galv or plated OK) steel as I've seen what wrapping it steel drums and capstans do to it.

Actually, you are suppose to cross wrap synthetic rope to avoid rope dive when pulling, which will create a lot more heat forcing all the additional coils to the sides, and then having to force it all out again, Sampson even has a short guide and video on how to properly cross wrap

Winding Rope on a Winch

Information how to properly wind rope on a winch

samsonrope.com