Terminating synthetic winch line

[Johnnyb]

I have a synthetic winch line that I was going to replace the steel cable on my old winch, but instead I ended up replacing my old winch. Since the new winch included synthetic line I'd like to use my spool of synthetic winch line as an extension. On one end it has a nice hook but on the other end it's designed to be bolted to the hub of the winch.
I was wondering what the accepted method of doubling over and terminating synthetic winch line so I have a nice loop at the other end?

THX,
JB

 

[.94 OR]

I 3D printed a fid for feeding the end back into itself for a splice or a loop like you are inquiring about.
A logger that works for me is an Amsteel dealer and showed me his tricks. Pretty simple, but just get enough buried to hold itself, then wrap it to keep the other layer tight.

 

[Yeller]

A fid helps make it a lot easier, I used a pair of forceps for years, but now use a fid. Start with purchasing a 5/8” fid. The fid is 5/8” for the OD, it is for use with 3/8”/10mm rope. The easiest way to describe it to unbraid the end with the hook, you want to remove the metal for the extension. If you feel the rope near the current loop you can feel the end of the rope is pushed inside the hollow part of the rope. Go 12-18” beyond that and start pushing the rope together working your way to the hook, it will accordion together freeing the end inside, watch how it comes apart and you can see how it is weaves through itself and then fed inside the hollow part of the main rope. Attach the end of the rope to the fid and work it back through in reverse of how it came apart and form a loop. This was how I taught myself to do it long before there was YouTube.

At that point cut the lug off the other end and the red cover will slide off. Mimic the work done on the other end and make a loop. I would make the loop a little larger than the first end. There’s also a bunch YouTube university out there, just search splicing winch rope. Once you learn this skill there is a bunch of things you can do with it, I make all kinds of short ropes, even custom ski ropes and moring lines for boats.

Side note, I use the red cover as a chafe guard for the loops.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Somewhere I have a book on how to braid eyelets into rope. That's the only way the will work with the synthetic. That metal anchor for attaching to the winch isn't as strong as the rope itself. That where you have to have several wraps of rope on the drum to use it. The rope friction to the drum has the holding power, not that crimped metal eyelet.

 

[Blitzen72]

You'll want to do more than just feed the line back into itself with a fid. That makes a pretty eye splice, but comes at the expense of a huge reduction in capacity of the line - IIRC, that simple tension eye reduces line strength to 70% of what its rated for.

Look up a 'Locked Brummel' eye splice - retains 90% of the lines capacity. Put one of those on each end of your extension, and put one on the end of your main winch line and get rid of the steel missile (the hook) on the end, and use quality soft shackles wherever possible.

Not knocking the simple tension eye splice, I use that for rigging crab pots and dog leashes and other various uses that aren't needing full line capacity - it does look cleaner than a Bowline knot.

 

[Yeller]

The tension is the same strength but falls out when not in tension. Locked bremal or even simpler passing the rope through itself 2x then doing the tension will not fall apart. The locked bremal still needs the tension piece to be strong. Tapering the end is important too according to the engineering experts but in real world testing turns out to not be the killer that everyone says it is. Not saying tapering isn’t important but not the end of the word not doing it. I’ve seen certified tested ropes done both ways.

 

[ntsqd]

Back when Amsteel first came out I bought ~20' of 1/4" (roughly 8k breaking strength) to play with. We set up an immovable object ('78 BBC CC Chevy w/ a LOADED utility bed) and an irresistible force (8274 on an FJ40 w/ 400ci SBC sitting on CUCV Tons) both sitting on the street and put that puny 1/4" between them. We were looking for fast ways to field splice or a knot that would work.

We found NO KNOT that will work. We tried every knot that a rock climber and a part-time rigger and anyone else there knew of or could think of to try. They all fail the line where they wrap around it. The tight wrap of a knot around the line under load puts a huge amount of heat into the line when it cinches down on it and it basically melts. Even the Figure-8 and the Grapevine (AKA Double Fisherman's), famous for being the two best /strongest options to use with a kern-mantle rope, failed the line in the same way.
BTW, even with only a couple feet of steel cable exposed the hook always landed back under the truck every time the line failed.

What did work is what Yeller mentions, pass the line thru itself sideways several times. That is quick and it works. Ideally you want the same number of strands above and below the hole you worm thru it with a pencil or a Phillips screwdriver (I don't carry a fid into the field). Based on our tests I use three thru-passes as the minimum desired.

FWIW: Sampson publishes a pamphlet on how to splice their 12 strand lines. Can find it on their web page.

 

[gnpenning]

Tapering the end gives a much cleaner look and the rare occasion you might get that close to a ring it will make it through with less hassle depending on the diameter of the ring. Fids are cheap and small enough to fit easily into a recovery bag.

 

[ntsqd]

Found this on the Locked Brummel eyelet:
https://www.cortlandcompany.com/wp-...223_US_Brummel_splicing_instructions_lres.pdf

 

[Yeller]

I’ve used the locked brummel and felt it wasn’t worth the added effort over just passing it through itself, it also makes it more difficult to unweave a splice or loop. Ntsqd brought up a good point of same number of strands on top and bottom, I know I’ve done them off balance and worked but it is a good practice.

 

[ntsqd]

I'd guess that a strand or two either way of centered isn't going to matter much, but if you're badly off-center that it will fail very fast.

I want to say that at one time the recommended eye splice was a pass-thru once with the live end, and then pass the dead end halfway thru a couple pitches below that and bury the end inside the line. Which means that unless you can spread the strand apart one heck of a lot further than I've managed to do that you can only put an eyelet in one end. The other end would need the whole eyelet passed thru the first pass-thru.

 

[Johnnyb]

Thanks for all the great replies information and links! It's going to be very helpful although it looks like a process.

-JB