Dyneema Winch Rope Maintenance, what do you do?

Ok as the topic of winch rope care or maintenance has come up quite a few times it was mentioned to me we should start a thread and find out what or how others
do to maintain their winch rope.


so tell us your tricks, do you----


Nothing just spool it up and leave it??


un-spool it and wash it in a bucket?


un-spool it and give it a hose off??


Take it right off the spool and store it off the winch??


anything or any other way ??






also im keen to know how old is your current rope or how long have you had one last...


1 single winch/ recovery then snap, or hundreds of recoveries.


Have you had one snap purely from getting mud or grit on or in it and not washing it out in time???





Personally i just use it and spool it back up neatly, then when the ute gets washed i give it a hose while still spooled up.

So far mine has been on two D40's and is almost 3yrs old and done heaps of work, i would say at least 45 recoveries, and been used as a flying fox a few times as
well, lol




So lets hear it.

what about us fossils with wire rope?

Yah... I use wire rope too.

Dyneema is convenient but too maintenance intensive for an occasional winch user like me.

LOL i was waiting for this , maybe a mod can now clean up the cheap winch post and move it here , I've in the past taken if off the winch and kept it with my recovery gear ( until i go bush ) i don't wait until iam stuck to spool it back on , and other times I've just left it spooled onto the winch , like many I've read about sun damage / heat damage / dirt damage , and initially i took it off , not wanting to tempt fate , now i just leave it spooled

Geoff3DMN said:

Yah... I use wire rope too.

Dyneema is convenient but too maintenance intensive for an occasional winch user like me.

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Geoff dont start me!!

Thats what im trying to find out, are they really to much to maintain?? or is it just peoples beliefs.

steve1961 said:

LOL i was waiting for this , maybe a mod can now clean up the cheap winch post and move it here ,

Click to expand...

Good point, i will have a yarn to Tony or Dave and see what we can do.

Has anyone had a rope break??

nathand22 said:

Has anyone had a rope break??

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me, 3 times, but was on a winch truck. seen a few snap over comps.
tie a knot in it and go hard again.

d40ryan said:

me, 3 times, but was on a winch truck. seen a few snap over comps.
tie a knot in it and go hard again.

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Ryan what would you say caused those breaks??

Over worked? over loaded? not washing the grit out of the rope? Being used over a rough surface ? or something else??

just looking at prices for sk75 Dyneema rope (which i found 30m of 10mm or 9.5tonne for $140 free delivery) and notice they advertise it maintenance free.
take a look.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/10mm-x-3..._Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f17ebb42e&_uhb=1

I took this caption from their add.




10mm x 30m BLUE DYNEEMA SK-75 SYNTHETIC WINCH ROPE CABLE UHMWPE 9500Kg. 4x4 ATV



Item Description
Specification

- Dyneema SK-75 ( UHMWPE )

- 12 strands with Diameter 10mm.

- Working Load : 9,500 kg. Or over 20,000 lbs

- Double Blue coating : ( Chemical & Ultraviolet protection )

* Metal look Double coating : ( Chemical & Ultraviolet protection )

- 1st end High quality Metal Ring , NO Rust Guarantee

- 2nd end Flat metal plug : Diameter 8mm.

- Maintenance FREE

- Length 30m

Life time Warranty

For me, my approach . . .

Normal road use, just a hose off while still spooled during each car wash.

Dry/Wet Off-road use with no winch use - just a hose off while still spooled during post trip wash

Dry Off-road with Winch Use - just a hose off while still spooled during post trip wash

Wet Off-road with winch use, light mud contamination– Un-spool, hose mud off, re-spool rope

Wet off-road with winch use, heavy mud contamination – Un-spool, hose and broom off heavy mud contamination

Oil and brackish water/mud contamination – remove rope, wash in worm soapy water, rinse and re-spool

Rope wet and Vehicle place in storage (2 weeks or longer) – Un-spool rope and allowed to air dry in shaded, dry area.

What I am working on are the Rope Care principles for nylon life/rescue ropes that I have used for the past 20 odd year to preserve and protect the nylon ropes I use in my day to day operations, so I am looking at trying to protect it form:
* Chemical
* Abrasion
* Mildew
* Mechanical Damage
* Shock Load
* Ultra Violet Light
* Extreme Heat

for me my approach is as follows
buy cheap wire winch
stick head firmly in sand
remove head from sand when winch fails
replace winch
reinsert head into sand
repeat
there only $400 each
theres more expensive things on my nav for me to worry about
and i probably over service them

sparra04 said:

for me my approach
stick head firmly in sand
remove head from sand when winch fails
replace winch
reinsert head into sand
repeat
there only $400 each
theres more expensive things on my nav
and i probably over service them

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boy im glad you said "sand"

JAFO said:

For me, my approach . . .

Normal road use, just a hose off while still spooled during each car wash.

Dry/Wet Off-road use with no winch use - just a hose off while still spooled during post trip wash

Dry Off-road with Winch Use - just a hose off while still spooled during post trip wash

Wet Off-road with winch use, light mud contamination– Un-spool, hose mud off, re-spool rope

Wet off-road with winch use, heavy mud contamination – Un-spool, hose and broom off heavy mud contamination

Oil and brackish water/mud contamination – remove rope, wash in worm soapy water, rinse and re-spool

Rope wet and Vehicle place in storage (2 weeks or longer) – Un-spool rope and allowed to air dry in shaded, dry area.

Click to expand...

Grant i should of made the poll a multi choice so you could choose the lot.

nathand22 said:

boy im glad you said "sand"

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thats right
insult me then log off
be gone with you

I havent loged off im just hiding, lol

and im glad you said "log off" much more civil then the way i would of put it.

nathand22 said:

I havent loged off im just hiding, lol

and im glad you said "log off" much more civil then the way i would of put it.

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trying to catch krafty
arent ya

Some good video on splicing rope for those who may need it.

Its prob best to watch the first one as it shows the measurements and how to "taper" the ends.

All up there are 8 videos done by this guy as you will see when you follow the links all are good to know.

The first technique would be good if you did have a rope snap or fray and you wanted the dodgy section removed and joined back together while retaining the strength of the rope, and you had the luxury of a few minutes to do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjhBEe_8XHg&list=PLDEC93467E4AA63C9



The second one is handy for re-doing the hook end of the rope (locked Brummel using 1 end)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU1b1iYgdgw&list=PLDEC93467E4AA63C9

If you want to make shackles out of your Dyneema then check this out, he has had some strength tested and the results were surprising, and they are easy to make super light compared to D-shackles (not that you would do away with them altogether)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C8ZWRpUNPU&list=PLDEC93467E4AA63C9

anyway check them out, could come in handy one day.

JAFO said:

For me, my approach . . .

Normal road use, just a hose off while still spooled during each car wash.

Dry/Wet Off-road use with no winch use - just a hose off while still spooled during post trip wash

Dry Off-road with Winch Use - just a hose off while still spooled during post trip wash

Wet Off-road with winch use, light mud contamination– Un-spool, hose mud off, re-spool rope

Wet off-road with winch use, heavy mud contamination – Un-spool, hose and broom off heavy mud contamination

Oil and brackish water/mud contamination – remove rope, wash in worm soapy water, rinse and re-spool

Rope wet and Vehicle place in storage (2 weeks or longer) – Un-spool rope and allowed to air dry in shaded, dry area.

What I am working on are the Rope Care principles for nylon life/rescue ropes that I have used for the past 20 odd year to preserve and protect the nylon ropes I use in my day to day operations, so I am looking at trying to protect it form:
* Chemical
* Abrasion
* Mildew
* Mechanical Damage
* Shock Load
* Ultra Violet Light
* Extreme Heat

Click to expand...

This is what i do and the way we look after it at work. I work on tug boats and we use alot of this stuff! A good guide to follow thanks JAFO!

JAFO said:

For me, my approach . . .

Normal road use, just a hose off while still spooled during each car wash.

Dry/Wet Off-road use with no winch use - just a hose off while still spooled during post trip wash

Dry Off-road with Winch Use - just a hose off while still spooled during post trip wash

Wet Off-road with winch use, light mud contamination– Un-spool, hose mud off, re-spool rope

Wet off-road with winch use, heavy mud contamination – Un-spool, hose and broom off heavy mud contamination

Oil and brackish water/mud contamination – remove rope, wash in worm soapy water, rinse and re-spool

Rope wet and Vehicle place in storage (2 weeks or longer) – Un-spool rope and allowed to air dry in shaded, dry area.

What I am working on are the Rope Care principles for nylon life/rescue ropes that I have used for the past 20 odd year to preserve and protect the nylon ropes I use in my day to day operations, so I am looking at trying to protect it form:
* Chemical
* Abrasion
* Mildew
* Mechanical Damage
* Shock Load
* Ultra Violet Light
* Extreme Heat

Click to expand...

albatross said:

This is what i do and the way we look after it at work. I work on tug boats and we use alot of this stuff! A good guide to follow thanks JAFO!

Click to expand...

very thorough approach fellas and truly shows your dedication,
But for me i think my biggest concern for my rope and its longevity would be * ABRASION and specifically while using it,
Yes there are precautions you can take to help prevent it but for me the thing that will no doubt be the end for my rope is that the outer fibres will eventually fray past the 25% mark and the rope will go.
I think this will happen well and truly before "mildew, or ultra violet light takes its toll and as long as im not using it in a bush fire "extreme heat" shouldnt be a factor either.
so for me my focus will be on trying to prevent the rope scrubbing the ground and all things sharp or rough.
Then if i can i will remove the badly frayed or worn section and splice in a new section, If thats not possible i will just spool on my 40m of 10mm rope i bought new for $159, and for that price im not going to get to carried away with maintenance and will aways carry a spare.
When the rope first come onto the market and was over $450 to replace i would of been more concerned but not at todays prices.