Rope Thimble cover?

[Yellow Cake Kid]

Hi,
I am wondering if someone makes a small plastic or rubber widget meant to serve as a rope thimble cover for winch lines.

Something like the orange thing sketched in the pictures shown here:

Ideally it would be simple injection molded thing-a-ma-jig. It would not be too expensive. It would be easy to snap on or off (or maybe attached with some small zip ties).

It would not be a big metal thimble, nor would it be an old bicycle inner tube.

Is something like this readily available for purchase? I would like to buy a couple if they are.

Thank You!

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[Yellow Cake Kid]

I guess the industry enjoys the ability to sell $80 to $250 multi colored metal stubs and does not see any benefit to developing and selling a cheap little piece of rubberized plastic which could be useful to protect the exposed end of a $400 synthetic winch line.

I had hoped I had simply overlooked an obvious source for such a part.

Thank you.

 

[Yellow Cake Kid]

I found these for the inside of the loop of the rope. What I am imagining is very similar but different. The shape would be folded inside out so it could pop over the metal thimble and exposed portion of winch line.

 

[Centurion07]

No luck finding one, but there are thimbles that protect a bit more of the rope.

https://www.treestuff.com/dmm-stainless-steel-thimble/

 

[oceanblue2019]

I found these for the inside of the loop of the rope. What I am imagining is very similar but different. The shape would be folded inside out so it could pop over the metal thimble and exposed portion of winch line.

I use liquid electrical tape and just paint the rope with a couple layers. Can get it in a red or black. You can peel it off if needed but it's tough and rubbery to hold up well.

I've used both of these brands and both good. The GB would probably work better as a bit thinner to apply.

https://www.amazon.com/Dip-LT140Z1-Intl-Let14Z01-Electrical/dp/B00176FG0A

https://www.amazon.com/Gardner-Bender-07315001126-LTB-400-Electrical/dp/B000FPAN2K

 

[Yellow Cake Kid]

Thanks for the suggestion. There sure are a lot of top quality thimbles out there once you start looking.

The reason I would like some sort of cover is to protect the factory spliced synthetic rope I have so I don't have to re-splice it prematurely.

If/when I do re-splice I will enjoy using a thimble such as you linked too.

Thank you.

 

[Yellow Cake Kid]

Thank you for the suggestion about the liquid rubber.

This may be the option I go with, but I think I should test it for temperature stability this summer when the heat maxes out before I commit to using it on the Jeep.

The plasticized seam filler caulking on my Ford Van has been melting down the sides each season. I would not want to introduce that circumstance to the Jeep.

 

[jhackathorne]

I would use this before the liquid rubber. This is removable at least and does pretty much the same thing. Arguably easier to do as well.

https://www.amazon.com/UT-Wire-Spiral-Slinky-Flexible-UTW-SW10-BK/dp/B00183FY7C?th=1

 

[GATORB8]

Seems a little more than you're looking for, but Mile Marker has one. It's similar to the F55 Prolink, but the thimble inserts all the way into it, and the shackle hole is actually inside the thimble. Completely covers the rope outside of the fairlead if that's what you're looking for.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N835J5P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[oceanblue2019]

Thank you for the suggestion about the liquid rubber.

This may be the option I go with, but I think I should test it for temperature stability this summer when the heat maxes out before I commit to using it on the Jeep.

The plasticized seam filler caulking on my Ford Van has been melting down the sides each season. I would not want to introduce that circumstance to the Jeep.

I use it on solar panel connections, which are black, on my house roof, and it handles full sun and high temps without issue.

When it hardens it is not rubber but more a plastic coating like the handle coating on a set of pliers or wire cutters.

 

[Yellow Cake Kid]

Thanks for the suggestion about the Mile Marker cover. I had looked at it and was hoping for something that tucked in with a lower profile.

Here is my current set up. The winch pulls the shackle against the fairlead. The protrusion of the shackle and rope thimble is minimized, which I like, and the shackle pin is tensioned so it is very unlikely that it will vibrate loose.

I may buy one of the Mile Marker covers and see if I can cut the pedestal off it so that the portion I am interested in slips into the fairlead with the winch line.

 

[GATORB8]

Thanks for the suggestion about the Mile Marker cover. I had looked at it and was hoping for something that tucked in with a lower profile.

Here is my current set up. The winch pulls the shackle against the fairlead. The protrusion of the shackle and rope thimble is minimized, which I like, and the shackle pin is tensioned so it is very unlikely that it will vibrate loose.

I may buy one of the Mile Marker covers and see if I can cut the pedestal off it so that the portion I am interested in slips into the fairlead with the winch line.

May work. The pedestal base does cover the bottom of the thimble, but I’d think it would still cover the loop cut since the shackle would be pinning it.

 

[Yellow Cake Kid]

I have a good selection of cutting tools, but the idea of trying to cleanly cut a chunk of black rubber safely seems daunting. I am picturing a blade grabbing and turning the chunk of rubber into a projectile.

 

[GATORB8]

I have a good selection of cutting tools, but the idea of trying to cleanly cut a chunk of black rubber safely seems daunting. I am picturing a blade grabbing and turning the chunk of rubber into a projectile.

Lol, I’d think you could hack or sawzall it off with a fine blade with it in a vise. Or a really sharp machete.

See what you think of it before you cut. It holds the shackle pretty tight with just thewinch force.

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