Excellent video of the potential dangers of winching

[Vinman]

This is a real eye opener about the potential dangers when winching. I was really surprised with the results when synthetic rope breaks.


https://youtu.be/97XqNX3yFTk

[MattMan]

Impressively graphic... yikes!!

[raf2379]

too bad they did only one test with synthetic rope, i would have liked to see comparison in damage and energy

[w squared]

Yes - more vids of synthetic would have been good.

It does highlight one specific truth of synthetic line. It's going to stretch (ALL rope stretches)...and stretching stores energy, and that stored energy is dangerous. The big difference is that when synthetic cable snaps and recoils, it's a couple pounds of soft rope moving at high speed. When steel cable snaps, its ten or twenty times as much weight, and it's steel. That can do a LOT more damage. Synthetic line is likely to bruise.....steel cable can remove body parts.

That's also why I've started trying to get as many heavy metal pieces out of recovery systems as possible, and use things like soft shackles. One less hunk of metal to go flying. I can still remember the sound that the hook off the front of a TJ made as it flew through the air, punched through a hard top, and buried itself into the seat of another jeep. Not a sound that I ever want to hear again.

[JohnB]

The stretch of synthetic is almost identical to steel. As above the difference is mass. What you really do not want to happen is the attachment point to fail causing the hook to fly. Make sure the rope is the weakest item.

[Sixty4X4]

I agree. Some of the early tests were not accurate as the weak points were the nylon straps which would have built up a lot of stored energy. Wire rope on its own, still lethal, would not be as dangerous. We have used wire ropes since the 70's with no breaks. Just keep them oiled and be careful where they are placed during winching. Also the synthetics don't like being exposed to the sunshine either. I will stay with my wire rope.