Thoughts on this “brand new type of synthetic winch rope”?

I don’t own winch, have never used a winch and have exactly zero first hand experience in anything winch related. I should also mention that I have zero affiliation with this company and simply stumbled across his YouTube video today.

Now that I got that disclaimer out of the way, I’m curious what input TW members have who actually have winching experience.



https://freedomwinchline.com/

It seems like a pretty decent improvement to the traditional line

 

Looks pretty cool but the price is off-putting.

 

Bleepin' Jeep?

 

It's 3/8", made in USA and the price is on par with other US made lines. They spliced a soft shackle on the end so you can use it for a number of configurations.

However, I'm not into preordering and funding startups, especially an unknown company with a product that's already available elsewhere.

 

No winch pro here but my only worry would be the soft shackle/tree saver part getting frayed or damaged because of regular use being wrapped around many different things, then you have to replace the whole winch line instead of just a cheap tree saver or a single soft shackle?

 

That’s a good point, I’d be curious how durable the start of the line is and how long it lasts with heavy use

 

I've used both cable and synthetic winch lines. Both were fine. The 20lb saving by switching to synthetic was a bonus, but safer if it breaks. I think I paid 300 for my synthetic winch line. Never had issues with fraying in multiple winch/recovery configurations. I do like not having the steel loop or hook on the end of the line. I'd consider this stuff.

 

The whole point of a tree saver is to be wide, which is why they're usually 3" wide so they don't cut into the tree. So with that part of it, I think it's dumb. As far as the shackle built into it, yeah that's cool, or you could just take a normal winch line that has a thimble on the end and use a soft shackle in it. There's really no need for winch hooks or factor55's on normal lines.

For example this is a traditional line. That loop is meant for a winch hook but you could just as easily skip that and put a soft shackle right in it.

 

Oh and that price, yeeeeesh. I bought 90' of amsteel blue (I think that's what it was) for $275 from southeast expeditions. High quality line and the winchline was handmade in the US. Or at least they tied the knots and whatever, I dunno where that actual rope was made. $500 for this product is insanity.

 

I agree that it’s not really a tree saver being so skinny, probably marginally better for the tree than steel but still a far way worse than a 3” wide strap.

 

Agreed. Plus as someone else mentioned, once it gets abrasions on it, then you're SOL. A tree saver is like $15 so once it gets cut up, toss it in the trash and get a new one.

 

There is nothing new about the winch line itself, he claims "The Freedom Winch Line is a patent-pending brand new type of synthetic winch rope [...] 3/8″ HMPE High Molecular Weight Polyethylene". His new means of connecting it is interesting though

Dyneema / Amsteel MSDS listing claim:
Product name : UHMWPE fibers from DSM Dyneema: 3G10 / 3G12 series Chemical product name : Polyethylene (ultra-high molecular weight) Fibres.

 

I don’t see the point. A solution in search of a problem.

 

It's like one of those as seen on TV commercials where the Tupperware lids go flying.

 

Well, it's got Freedom in the name, so it must be good, because 'Merica.

A few issues with this:

The first issue that came to mind is abrasion. Synth line is TERRIBLE at abrasion. I'd never want to loop a non protected synth line thru a bumper shackle mount, around a tree, or rock, etc... The reason you have soft shackles is because you want that to take the brunt of any abrasion or sharp corners (but even it should have a sleeve), and when that wears out, you don't need to replace the *entire* winch line.

Another thing is that the no tree saver thing is kinda bs... The point of a tree saver is not to prevent damage to the cable, it's to prevent the cable from damaging the tree, hence the name "tree saver".

Third, I'm honestly hesitant that the Bleepin' Jeep guy, who's known for a youtube channel, has a real good line on production and manufacturing, supply and demand, market research, or running a business from the ground up. Maybe he can, but this rope invention of his kinda shows me he hasn't really thought a lot of this through...

And lastly, just about any synth line you buy, you can simply remove the metal hook and use a soft shackle in its place. Achievement unlocked.

That said, I can see this type of thing having applications in rock crawling competitions, where setup time matters more than product longevity. But if you're just an every day offroader rushing around trying to save 12 seconds by not having to get out a tree saver or a soft shackle, you're kinda doing it wrong.

 

And holy shit, I didn't even look at the price until just now.

$500

What planet is he on?

 

Lol I like how we’re mirroring each other exactly.

 

lol

 

your post about the price is what made me go back and look. I missed where you said the actual price, but went and had a look for myself.