Synthetic winch rope

Thanks for the info. Yeah ive had my eyes on some line on Amazon, it comes with a few feet of anti chafe on both ends. It also has a lug on one end and a thimble with or without a hook on the other. Lots of different colors to choose from aswell.
I hate steel cable, im excited to finally have some synthetic to be able to use. Gettin some contradictory info on here now though about what size and length will or wont fit on the drum. At this point im just leaning towards keeping the same size that comes with the winch, 100 feet of 5/16.

 

I had Southeast Overland put together 85' of 3/8 on my m8000. Also had them braid a custom 50ft extension as well. Plenty of line.

 

The closer to the drum the wrap-in-use is, the stronger the pulling force.

Also, gives you room for the line to bunch up on off angle pulls.

Use extensions to reach the anchor as needed.

 

This kinda leads to my question. If you have a link, I'd like to see what the 'antichafe' sleeve looks like on the drum end of the line. I've heard anecdotal evidence of synthetic line melting on M8000s in extreme cases of winching out for extended periods of time due to the internal brake. I'd believe the sleeve on the drum end of the line is for thermal protection, but I'm not sure. Has anyone had experience one way or the other regarding m8000+synthetic with respect to heat?

I know masterpull has a thermal sleeve on their ropes. I bought some fiberglass sleeving from McMaster I was going to use on the first wrap.

 

I could have been clearer, "Cheaper" refers to 75' vs 100'.

Most of my pulls are from anchor points under 75' away and less if there is a tree saver or other web strap/extension involved. The shorter line keeps me working on lower layers of the drum more of the time. This equals significantly more power/less amps. There is less line to keep properly spooled and it's quicker to do it. By default there will be more space available for off angle pulls where the line is piling up at one end of the drum so less stopping/respooling in the middle of such situations. 3/8" will resist "sinking" into lower wraps more than smaller diameter line.

All this is my 2 cents, you are going to love life which ever way you go. Just avoid anything that looks "too good to be true", there is some low quality, misrepresented stuff out there.

The stuff is after all rope, and is subject to abrasion, snagging and dirt. This is not huge deal, just being aware of it and handling it accordingly can negate the issue for the most part.

This fellow had a sale/discount going on for Pirate/TTORA members when I got mine (6 years ago) http://www.jeepswag.com/ also a good read about "Technora".
75' x 3/8" with tube thimble was well under $200 shipped. I don't know if he has anything going on now, you will have to contact him. I think I remember him selling odd length "remnants" for good prices also. He was a stand up fellow and fired off orders with no delay.

Chafe guards are well worth having and using. "Technora" does not require any thermal insulation from the drum heat generated when using "power out", other types do/should.
2 smaller guards are more versatile than 1 longer guard.
You can make up your own guards for pennies/foot using 1" nylon flat tubular web strap. It can be found in bulk by the foot at any good outdoor gear store in your choice of colors, I think rock climbers use it. The 1" stuff slides easily over 3/8" line. You can melt the ends or get fancy with Plasti Dip or both.

 

You make very good points there DP!

 

The wrap on the line is the same stuff dirty pool posted above, just a nylon sleeve.

 

If it's not wrapped just right, some sections can get pulled down into the inner wraps. After a while, it can look distorted/twisted/not round when removed. At a glance, can almost look melted, but it's not.

Under moderate "Powering-Out", the heat does affect the strength of the rope, but once it cools off, the strength returns.

The first several individual wraps (I can't remember the exact number recommended, but somewhere between 5-10) have to stay on the drum. The friction of those wraps is what keeps the rope on the drum. The eyelet on the end is only to make installation easier, not actual tension/strength. If you are actually lowering a rig down against the brake, my guesstimate is that there isn't enough heat developed after ~50' to actually permanently damage the rope. Resetting/rerigging would likely allow enough time to cool and start over. But for normal unspooling to setup, release the clutch and pull. Rope is so light, it's much easier to handle versus the steel cable.

 

Alright, Thanks! I don't think it will be an issue for me and my forseeable uses and won't bother trying to install the fiberglass sleeve yet.