i'm thinking about getting a synthetic winchline and was looking at either winchline.com's amsteel blue line or masterpull.  does anyone have any opinions? 

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Andy, I just bought an amsteel blue winchline and fairlead from Rockstomper.com. I think it was around $200. There are basically 2 types of winch lines: Amsteel blue or copies and the high-end nylon lines like kevlar, LCP, etc.

The Amsteel is ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. UHMWPE is extremely strong because of the fact that the polymer chains are stretched out. What this means in the real world is that to break the fiber you have to break the chemical bond of the polymer chain, therefore the tensile strength is extremely high. The downside of UHMWPE is that it has relatively low heat resistance. In most winching conditions, this doesn't apply. It can become a problem when powering out / lowering on a planetary winch with an internal brake. My brother was on a trip in Moab a while back where the section of the trail was so steep they lowered all of the vehicles with a hydraulic winch instead of using the planetary winches on the rest of the vehicles. Had they tried to lower them down with a planetary winch with the Amsteel Blue, I'm sure the line would have melted.

The fancy high end nylon lines have one distinct advantage vs the UHMWPE: heat resistance. Some of these lines have continuous temperature ratings around 450-500F. They have disadvantages, though: cost & abrasion resistance. The UHMWPE lines are cheaper and will wear better.

Some companies offer a 2 section rope which splices both materials together. I think Warn and EE make them, but I really don't know that much about them since I have a hydraulic winch and heat resistance isn't an issue for me.

mike-

hmmm, the winchline.com amsteel is around $160 for the length i was looking at. i think you've got me sold on the amsteel product. i have a superwinch and while still an electric planetary, the fact that the brake is mounted on the outside of the drum makes me feel slighty better about heat issues and the amsteel stuff.

thanks for the info. i appreciate it.

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Andy,

There is another thread on here somewhere about this too. Rick has the Masterpull line, and the abrasion guard is really nice. I have the "high end" kevlar stuff, and I wish I would have bought the Materpull.

You might want to wait until he has a chance to chime in here before pulling the trigger on the order.   :-)

--Craig

craig-

thanks for the input. i probably won't be placing the order super soon as i've found cuts on two of my sidewalls after evans creek. i think that this might be the first thread that referenced another (eg-"there's another thread about this..."). in all honesty, i thought that there was one, too. i searched this forum; i bet it was in the general section. anyhoo, just looking to get some feedback.

both winchline and masterpull are in the b-ham area. maybe i could meet up with some of you northenders and pick up the line myself.

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HA! i found the thread in the "general" section. apparently it was placed there by some j@ckas$ who couldn't read forum topics. and, it pretty much covered the discussion here. consider this thread, dead.

andy

LOL. I was going to point you to it, Andy. As well as point out the fact that YOU started the thread.

I'm sure you reread it but in summary: I like the MasterPull superline, the guy who runs the place is very nice so stop by and pick some up, he makes his lines and equipment locally rather than just being a local company that resells a nationwide product, it has good abrasion protection.

Rick

You bet. If you head up to Bellingham let me know and I'll join you. My house is on the way.

sorry for starting two threads on the same topic in two forums. argh. it isn't even like there are thousands of threads to cull through. oh well. someone has to be at the bottom of the bell curve (and i mean the left hand side ;) )

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Andy,

Don't worry about it. It's friendly here. My reference to the other thread was only to help you find the information.

Even if something has been discussed in the past a few reasons to start a new thread on the same subject are:

- Different/new people might have something to contribute that wasn't discussed in the original thread.
- There is new information coming out daily that may not have been discussed before.
- People can skip a topic if they are bored of a particular topic anyway.
- Searching is hard for some people, so give em a break.

So, post away. Start a new winchline thread every week if you want. :-)

-- Craig

weee!  i just ordered some 5/16th amsteel from winchline.com today.  they had some leftover orange rope so i was even able to get the color i wanted in the size i wanted.  just in time for whipsaw.  yes!

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