Weighted Winch 'Blankets'

[Cips]

Hello all,

I have been watching a few informational videos on the use of weighted winch blankets. While these videos are educational, I don't see them put to much use in 'real world' videos. The few videos I have watched and tests I have seen show negligible affects on the winch line snapping back.

I'm curious as to how widespread their use is and if you use one?

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[BAKNBLK]

Nope...I use Syn winch cable I'd advise you swap to one.

 

[Apples491]

They're supposed to function to dampen any whiplash in the event of a cable snap. However, there are some considerations that makes them less than effective.

1. You never know where the cable will snap. The further from the point of failure, the less effective a blanket will be.
2. Synthetic lines don't really whiplash and there's no real advantage to steel cable.
3. In every case, it's better to practice proper winching safety, including not putting yourself near the line when pulling.

 

[Medsker]

I like this video that talks about it. It shows that even with rope it makes a difference. Ronny Dahl from YouTube has a few great winching videos that are worth a watch too.

Link

 

[wibornz]

I would say the best thing you can do is get rid of any metal out of your recovery gear. Sure the Factor 55 stuff looks cool, but its not cool flying back to your Jeep if your recovery point fails.

This is what I run. Mind you the soft shackle in the pic is only used to secure the winch line and it is not used in recovery. I have rated soft shackles for that.

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[jadmt]

on super hard pulls I will throw a carhart jacket over the line...wether it is synthetic or steel..never had a cable break but I swear there are times when it looks like it should...

 

[Terrymo]

I’ve tried to eliminate any metal other than aluminum pulleys. The MasterPull ABS winch puck is just to keep the synthetic line tensioned and is removed with a pin when the line is in use. I modified the end of the Warn winch line to be a 6” soft eye for attaching soft shackles.

 

[sherpaJL]

https://bleepinjeep.com/product/bleepinwinchline/

 

[58Willys]

Back in the day, it was standard procedure to drape several loops of chain over the winch line, to dampen a flying broken cable. I don't see many folks doing that these days. Not that a synthetic line can't snap and fly, but they're a lot less likely to obliterate things like a snapped steel cable can.

 

[Cips]

I would say the best thing you can do is get rid of any metal out of your recovery gear. Sure the Factor 55 stuff looks cool, but its not cool flying back to your Jeep if your recovery point fails.

This is what I run. Mind you the soft shackle in the pic is only used to secure the winch line and it is not used in recovery. I have rated soft shackles for that.

.

https://bleepinjeep.com/product/bleepinwinchline/

It seems like the idea of removing as much metal as you can is the best bet. I always saw winch's with some form of metal clasp/hook/attachment on the front I never considered the options to go without.

The videos I have watched, a synthetic line still snaps back, not necessarily 'falls to the ground'. That's where the wheels started moving to have this conversation.

 

[azjl#3]

I would use a moving pd, I carry those.

I went to all soft rope shackles and the like. But had to, I mean had to go back to the well worn factor 55 diamond ring block of metal at front of rope. Yep, it may hurt someday.

 

[Apples491]

It seems like the idea of removing as much metal as you can is the best bet. I always saw winch's with some form of metal clasp/hook/attachment on the front I never considered the options to go without.

The videos I have watched, a synthetic line still snaps back, not necessarily 'falls to the ground'. That's where the wheels started moving to have this conversation.

You can remove any metal at the end of the line by splicing in your own loop. It looks complicated at first but is really easy to do with a little practice. Then, you just need a way to keep tension on it when it's spooled up. There are a lot of different ways to do so, from just using a dowl of some sort all the way to buying the Yankum Groove fairlead.

There are videos of synthetic rope just dropping to the ground, but the more important aspect here is that they break predictably. Synthetic rope is more pliable so its natural tendency is to fly straight back and coil itself up when it snaps. There's kinetic energy there and it would hurt to be in the way but you know basically where it'll end up. Wire cable doesn't have that same property so when it snaps, it tends whip around, greatly widening the area of potential injury. That's why it's very important to weight a wire cable down so it reduces the potential radius and it hits the ground as quickly as possible.

If you watch the Ronny Dahl video linked above, I actually come to a different conclusion than he does. His placement of the line weight causes the line to become unpredictable in its trajectory. That's exactly what I want to avoid.

 

[Zandcwhite]

I usually just throw a hoodie or jacket over the line about 10' from the end. The failures I've witnessed are usually the anchor point or the 1st few feet of line that take the most wear and tear. The few lines I've broken fall straight to the ground. Pulling a stuck wire pull that already burnt up the 6k pound tugger I used the same method. Glad I did a the 10k pound pull rope broke a couple times and even the winch hook just hit the ground and slid under the truck. Pulls were hard enough that the truck was sliding forward on asphalt with the brakes on.

 

[Atomic-Mouse]

I have a Morbark 2400XL wood chipper that can chip whole trees with an 18 inch stump end. It has a 15k lb hydraulic winch above the infeed. It uses the same size line that comes on most electric winches, 3/8. The line takes more abuse in one day than most average Jeep winch lines will see in their lifetime. The line is used as a choker to pull trees to the chipper so it is constantly be pulled through rocks, dirt, stumps and brush. In order to do its job the chipper needs to be hooked to a piece heavy equipment otherwise the winch will pull the chipper not the trees.
I have broke the line a few dozen times. Usually the line doesn’t just completely snap, it will snap a few strands and it is very noticeable. There is a brief release in tension and usually a shudder in the line, giving a warning to stop pulling. The few times it did completely snap the line sprung back a foot or two before falling to the ground like a wet noodle. The hydraulic controls are maybe 2 feet from the winch fairlead so the operator is in the danger zone for whiplash if it did happen.
I can say I’m completely confident standing near the chipper when a line breaks. Would I stand next to a Jeep during a winching operation? No, because it’s not necessary. I don’t have any steel on my winch lines except for an aluminum snatch ring as a last resort. I wouldn’t fault someone for using a weight blanket on a synthetic winch line, to each their own. I just don’t see it necessary from my personal experience.

 

[RicRecon]

I would say the best thing you can do is get rid of any metal out of your recovery gear. Sure the Factor 55 stuff looks cool, but its not cool flying back to your Jeep if your recovery point fails.

This is what I run. Mind you the soft shackle in the pic is only used to secure the winch line and it is not used in recovery. I have rated soft shackles for that.

.

Awesome photo!

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