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.

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

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