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The
Reliability of Amsteel
Blue Winch Ropes
by Bill Burke
This particular
update is because I have been getting so many questions about the
durability and longevity of synthetic ropes that I thought I
would share this latest information with you. Samson Rope
Technologies makes Amsteel Blue, the original synthetic winch rope
that found its way to the recreational 4-wheel drive market way
before the “other” types came about.
I only use
Amsteel because it has lasted and I have seen the other brands and
types break down after much use. Some of the fibers that can handle
heat can’t handle being run through pulley blocks consistently as
the fibers break down when moving through a tight radius over a
period of time. The reason some ropes were marketed to be able to
withstand heat is because of the improper winching technique being
used. That’s right improper winching.
Some folks
are/were using an electric planetary winch to “winch down” loads or
lower their buddies down obstacles. If you use a planetary winch to
power out more than 10 or 15 feet of line, the internal brake begins
to generate significant heat at the drum. Planetary winches are not
made to winch out for long stretches of rope, whether wire or
synthetic! So make good use of the clutch lever. And, remember that
most planetary winch brakes will only hold about 50% to 60% of the
rated capacity.
If one is going
to be powering a winch out for anything longer than just to slacken
the rope, they should consider looking into a worm or spur type of
winch since those winches usually have an external brake. As it is,
planetary winches are just fine for the vast majority of uses.
However, Superwinch is coming out with an external brake planetary
soon. You will need to contact them regarding that new product.
So, when powering
out and the internal brake tries to stop the drum from turning, as
is its job, the brake fins drag on the drum and can actually create
so much heat that it will compromise or melt the drum layer of
synthetic ropes. This is why some ropes are now being used that can
handle the heat, so to speak. Problem is, they don’t like being run
around roller fairleads at tight angles, and they don’t like being
run through the tight radius of a pulley block time and time again.
This is why I stick with Amsteel Blue and winch properly with my
planetary winch.
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The
pictures show the Amsteel Blue winch rope that I just pulled
off during a maintenance check of my Superwinch S9 and the
rope itself. After 6 years of use, you can see that the rope
looks almost new. There are some rust spots and a few flat
spots but all-in-all the rope is rather unfazed.
I use
my winch several times (to say the least) a month, sometimes
several times in |
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one day for advanced instruction. I have powered out the
planetary several times to reset and re-rig, but only for
that purpose. When I initially tested the Amsteel Blue rope
I did abuse it and did winch out for about 25 feet several
times. My winch got hot but the rope didn’t seem to have any
indication of the heat effect. I was not into abusing the
winch though and I think keeping the “powering out” to a
minimum effort was the key. Again, under normal winch
scenarios I have never had a problem with the rope. |
Amsteel Blue
presented some fuzziness and a few “pulls” (like in a knit sweater)
but I will continue to use it on the Superwinch S9 mounted on my
D-90. The bottom layer section rounded right up and I found no
reason to retire the rope.
In some other
testing I did a while back, my buddy Gus, Ed Fortson (former 4WD
writer) and I stretched out both 5/16” and 3/8” rope in wire and
Amsteel Blue under tension we measured to be 7500 lbs and CUT the
ropes. We anchored to a very large Cottonwood tree and had two Range
Rovers and a K5 Blazer all locked front and rear to get that much
tension. All the ropes were 125 feet when we started. I cut the end
that was tied off at the rear bumper and watched what happened and
filmed it with a digital movie camera.
The wire went
past the tree anchor with such force that it covered over 100 feet
past the tree. We then used various blankets, coats and winch
protection devices and found out that the blankets worked the best.
We had to wrap the sleeves of a heavy coat around the wire for the
coat to stay with the wire; otherwise the coat did the “Wiley
Coyote” thing and stayed in the air while the wire went past the
tree. We tried straps and chain all to no avail! The “Winch Weight”
worked with sand in the pockets and the sleeves wrapped around the
wire really well though.
The Amsteel Blue
went about halfway to the tree and just fell on the ground and
slowly at that. Not nearly the speed of the wire. With a blanket,
the Amsteel Blue just immediately fell. This is called “retractive
index,” which means the amount of stored energy in the rope under
stretch and how fast it recoils under release.
So, I am going
out to the shop now to put the Amsteel Blue back on the winch and
probably get several more years of good use from it.
Just thought you
would like to know how my winch ropes hold up to the use I give
them. The pictures tell the story better than I can. See you on the
trail.
©Bill Burke's 4-Wheeling America LLC
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Bill
Burke's 4-Wheeling America LLC
