Your biggest problems with that setup is sunlight (UV) and abrasion from dirt. He probably meant you want to cover it to keep it clean and shaded.Ran to the liquor store the other day and a friendly tow truck driver stopped me to tell me that I needed to adjust my winch so it didn't wear/break. He dipped pretty quick so I didn't get a chance to ask what he meant. Currently we store it taut but not tight so it doesn't rattle around or rub. Should it be looser? Does it not matter that much in the long run?
Appreciate the feedback. I wasn't sure if synthetic snapback was a concern for recovery equipment....Synthetic is definitely more common than steel these days. It's stronger, lighter, and most would argue safer as a result. You also won't get holes stabbed in your hands by stray strands like a steel cable. It's drawbacks are abrasion resistance and UV light sensitivity (although I think that may be over played). We have a thimble on ours and a sleeve at the end, which does cover a good portion of the end. No other cover and it has been going strong for years.
It definitely still is a concern, but not nearly as much as steel cable. In a failure, the added mass of the steel creates much more inertia and therefore causes far more damage in the failures I've seen over the years.
In a past life I handled weapons (torpedoes, missiles, etc...) in the Navy, so I'm familiar with wire rope. I also handled mooring lines, and was aware of the dangers of synthetic snap back. I'm not doubting your experience, but I'd think that synthetic rope would be more of a danger. Again, I'm not familiar with failures of either type (wire rope or synthetic).
Ran to the liquor store the other day and a friendly tow truck driver stopped me to tell me that I needed to adjust my winch so it didn't wear/break. He dipped pretty quick so I didn't get a chance to ask what he meant. Currently we store it taut but not tight so it doesn't rattle around or rub. Should it be looser? Does it not matter that much in the long run?
I thing odds of a failure are higher with synthetic due to its ability to be cut rather easily. Assuming proper rigging, the failure won’t send any projectile aside from the rope itself. Still dangerous, but not enough mass or inertia to cause sever damage especially when you are talking 3/8” to 1/2” diameter under normal winch loads. I’ve broken 2 over the years, with no winch blanket, and neither so much as scratched the front bumper. I’ve seen a steel cable failure and the vehicle needed a new radiator. Even scarier is the non-linear whipping effect caused by the steel cables coiled “memory”. Synthetic breaks and flies in a straight path with the winch and the anchor point. I’m not standing in that path either way, but I’d definitely give steel a much wider berth under heavy load. As far as thimbles go, spend what you want but the $40 Amazon special has served me well under hard pulls with no deformation of any kind.
There are many different types of synthetics, with wildly different characteristics.
