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How much rope can a winch take?

Derek

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Just fitted a factory denso winch to the 80, but didn't come with any wire/rope.

Going to get the new plasma/synthetic stuff, but don't know how much the winch can take?

A lot of the stuff on ebay is 100ft and widths from 8mm to 12mm. Too long?

Help please!
 
Well obviously the thicker the rope the less you can wind on. With a 9mm rope you should really be able to get around 150 feet on there. All things being equal. With a 12mm rope on, you may only get 90 feet on. Most ropes between 9 and 11 come in 100 foot lengths for a reason. But the thing with a winch is that the 'pull' that you get changes across the drum as it fills up with rope. In effect it's like gearing when you put bigger tyres on. You lose torque. This rope builds up faster on the drum so technically your pulling power falls off faster. But this is really splitting hairs somewhat. Typically when you're stuck you only need about 10m of rope to get you out of trouble. Sod's law though states that no matter how much rope you have, the nearest tree is always 3 feet further than the end of your rope. I'd rather have less expensive rope on the drum and carry a long strap. I have a 30m strap which cost me £26. Much cheaper than plasma to replace. If I can't reach something with that then I'm really stuffed.

New rope is one thing, but with use they fluff up a bit and whilst a nice new 12mm plassy might spool on now, it might get a bit tight later. Especially in use when oddly the rope never layers beautifully on to the drum
 
Think i would fill the drum with rope to speed things up then fix a 30m strap to the rope . Rope on the drum that never unravels won't get frayed or worn but it's there for backup if your strap snaps .
 
Can't see the logic in that. Why fill your drum with pound notes that you don't use and at the same time reduce the pull from your winch? The more rope in the drum, the faster it reels in but the less pull it has
 
Can't answer that to be honest i suppose it's inherited logic from working on fishing trawlers , most of the boats i worked used about 100 fathom but there was always another 50 fathom on the winch . Different application but the principal is the same .
 
Have 100 ft of 12 mm on my 9.5 tds goodwinch, fits with no issues. Got various length straps so never needed it any more.
 
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Different application and I think a different principle Shayne to be honest. With a winch you are trying to move a static object from rest. Usually a very stuck object. But with a considerably less powerful winch I'd imagine than you'd find on a trawler.

When winching, people do tend to go at it like a bull at a gate. This not only layers the rope unevenly, traps the standing part in the layers but also hammer the battery. Really pulling a little at a time is better. Pull some rope in, then let it out again, layer it up on the drum evenly then pull again, let some rope off etc not only maintains the most effective diameter on the drum but lets the alternator catch up. Massive long heavy pulls are not good for the battery.
 
Just bought 100ft of 10mm, mainly because there isn't any other lengths, and 11-12mm was more expensive.

Don't think loosing torque on the barrel will be an issue, ill just engage the clutch, take it out all the way to the furthest tree the go from there.

Mostly be recovering other people from bogs ect so need as much distance from that as possible.

Thanks
 
If it's for occasional "insurance purposes" like mine is, I don't see the need for kms of expensive stuff on it. Get a reasonable length and use a strap.

The only advantage of a long rope is doubling it back with a snatch block. That cures any gearing loss on the larger drum and gives you loads of options. Takes time though at half the speed, but I'm never in a hurry.

Completion or speed winching is something else, with a whole different set of kit. That's my pennyworth, not worth much more, either :lol:
 
Needed most of the 100 ft tonight plus a strap lol. Had some traction issues while laning and rather then tearing the lane up had to winch out. Bloody ruts :lol: that's a lane I've driven countless times too!
 
I used mine on Saturday. Went to a small village and found it was their market day. What a nightmare, millions of folks all blocking the road. It took so long getting through the village, only to find the only way back (not going through the crowds) was across the mountain.

The track was very tight and in one low spot, 1/2 m mud! I managed to drive through the first part, but the next two were too deep without a pull. Handy, these winches! No proper photos I'm afraid, these are all I took that are handy from the iPhone, the rest are on the camera.

image.jpg
image.jpg
 
I'd rather have too much length than not enough, I always over think / estimate tasks for worst case situations. Most of the time i go out I'm with another 4x4 just incase, this will make for solo outings.
 
Didn't get pics but something to do with being a bit dark lol.
The lane had been a bit chewed up and multiple sets of ruts. It flicked me sideways and nearly backwards into a ditch!!! Lockers had no effect and just span all the tyres while slipping further back which started to make more mess (on the 255's so just turned to slicks) winch and straps deployed for a safe recovery. Got away with a bit of Matt finish paint and a load of deep scratches down one side!! Only one winch equipped so didn't carry on the lane. Shame really as a lot were like that last night, they were perfectly fine 3 months ago!
 
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Leaves can hide a lot, once went down a normal looking track and ending up belly`d up to the axles, just a dead weight then, hence the winch getting bought the day after :icon-biggrin:
 
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