Fairleads

[spectac]

Why aren't roller fairleads used with synthetic winchlines? I would think one would want to reduce the friction on the line as much as possible.

[spc15t]

My guess would be the pinch point at corners of rollers damaging the synth. line, but not sure. Like i said just a guess.

[HillBillE]

Yep, I believe it's becuase it's to easy to get the synthetic rope pinched/caught in the rollers.

I have seen rubber roller inserts for synthetic though, so I don't know?

Used to be, even wire rope came with a Hawse type fairlead.

[913]

^ What he said... The rope might get pinched between the rollers. The other potential is the rollers are sometimes made from a rough cast material, which is no good for the synthetic line. That being said, you can use rollers, if they are nice and smooth (i.e. new and not rough). There are also some rollers being made and sold for synthetic line as well (rollers made from polyurethane), Daystar makes one type I recall off the top.

[HillBillE]

When I won the Master Pull recovery set, all I had was a roller fairlead. It was pretty beat up, having been used on wire rope (cable)

I bought a Hawse aluminum one from Master Pull, and it works great. I have never noticed and extra drag or friction from it, and I have done some good side pulls, and 'up' pulls, where the rig was down below me 15-20'.

I think that becuase of the slow speed when winching under load, heat build up is a non issue.

[Master-Pull]

Rollers are acceptable to use for synthetic if they meet a few simple requirements. 1- Make sure the rollers are smooth and can roll easily 2- Make sure the rollers overlap in the corners so you eliminate pinch points 3- Ensure the opening behind the rollers is at least 1/2 inch larger then the roller so the rope won't contact the metal opening.

I prefer aluminum hawse fairleads for a few reasons, they are lighter, offer better approach angles, and they look cleaner to me. For friction, I have never had a problem using a hawse with synthetic rope.

-Alex

[RescueJP]

But lisence plates looks so much cooler cliped in to the fairlead.