Winch Cable replace with Strap

[rpgs60]

I need to replace the cable on my manual boat trailer winch, I would like to replace it with the strap type however the sides of the cable drum don't have a hole to accommodate the bolt that secures the end of the strap. Also, the main drive gear forms one side of the drum. Can this be done? You advice would be greatly appreciated.

Ross

[therapy]

Some one on here might be able to tell you an easy way to do it but it looked like a pain in the ass to me so I went for the dynema rope. A bit more expensive but easy to fit(did have to drill out the hole on side frame a bit) and supposed to be allot stronger.
Cheers.........Terry...........

[dnej]

Ross, forget the strap, go dynema rope. You can buy a made up winch rope, with hook, from Whitworths.ten time better than strap. They make bullet proof vests from the stuff. Jump onto their web site
David

[tunaticer]

Go the spectra winch ropes, Straps are buggers of things.

[dnej]

Steadfast Super Winch Rope 5mm x 6m
SKU: 90326 http://www.whitworths.com.au/products/90326_lg.jpg
QTYRRPUnit PriceTotal Price 1 $39.95 $39.95 Quantity to Order: [/URL] [URL="http://www.whitworths.com.au/email_friend.asp?strCat=138&strItem=90326&strDescr=Steadfast Super Winch Rope 5mm x 6m"] (http://www.whitworths.com.au/print_friendly.asp?strItem=90326)

Key Benefits & Features:
Made from super strong, low stretch, UV resistant Spectra, features heat shrink covered spliced ends. Breaking Strain: 1500kg. Hook type: S/S 'S' Hook. Colour: Blue
Related product information:
Please see below a list of related products for the Steadfast Super Winch Rope 5mm x 6m;

[dnej]

[/URL] (http://www.biasboating.com.au/p-2056-spare-winch-handle.aspx)









Cat No: 3824Dyneema (Spectra) Winch Rope 1500kgDyneema (Spectra) High Modulus Polyethylene Winch Rope. Incredibly strong, won’t strand or curl like wire. No build up like webbing with consequent power loss. Low stretch. 1500kg, 5mm diameter, 6 metres long, stainless S hook.$36.90



Dyneema (Spectra) Winch Rope from Bias Boating (http://www.biasboating.com.au/p-2154-trailer-winch-cables-with-s-hook.aspx) [URL="http://www.biasboating.com.au/p-2154-trailer-winch-cables-with-s-hook.aspx"] (http://www.biasboating.com.au/c-448-trailer-winch-accessories.aspx)

[rpgs60]

Thankyou very much! I will replace it with the winch rope.;)

[maztez]

Gidday Ross , I put the strap type on my tinny winch . Big mistake it gets caught up in the gears and damages easily.
I'm looking at changing it for the rope also .

[garman1]

I thought the strap idea would be good..............wrong............... when I get some spare cash the strap is goooonneeeeeeee.................

[Roughasguts]

I have had me strap 7 years it's great no complaints.
I had cable before, thing I didn't like about that was it was to thin and to spikey, to pull the boat up a little by hand when the cable was loose.

Now the strap you can grab a good hand full of that and pull the boat up tight against the rollers if you have to.

I think the spectra might be to thin for my liking as well. Even though it may not get nasty spikes like cable, it would still be rough on the hands for pulling the boat up tight against the rollers until the slack was taken up by the winch.

[ronnien]

spectra for me as well, at first i didn't think a thin piece of rope would pull the boat up but it's very strong + i dont have to worry about the recoil if it snaps. have seen some nasty cuts from steel cable snapping.

ron.

[juju]

I have a bit of sharp wire strand on my cable gave me a cut on thursday.....think i will give one of them a go......

[Brumby]

Have had all three types in the last few years, the spectra (blue) rope wins hands down, found I was forever reversing the strap to get the odd fold or twist out if the boat pulled out of line on the first roller.

[kingtin]

Yep! Everything I read about spectra (dyneema) led me to think it would be the bees knees. Cut off a brand new strap before the boat had even been in the water, got a dyneema rope from Bias, put it on the winch, and first trip out, I got to the ramp and the S shackle was missing...............the splice had failed with just the rocking of the boat on the trailer. Probably happened going up my steep drive. Luckily the chain held the rig on the trailer. Bias refunded and I got another...............and next time out the splice failed again (different brand) when winching the rig onto the trailer.

Asked a highly respected staff member at a major boat yard for a different brand, and was informed that they did not stock it due to the high failure risk. If dyneema is supposedly the bees knees, why do boat package manufacturers not use it on new rigs?

I may have gotten a couple that shouldn't have got through quality control but it isn't worth the risk, in my eyes, to get another. Luckily, I left some strap as backing on the winch and have stitched the length I cut off, back on.

The product that failed twice by the way looked identical to the product in the image above................it snapped under the black tape (both times) where the S hook is. If you hold a piece of dyneema in your hands a couple of inches apart and push your hands towards each other, you will see the weave of the rope open...............obviously, any splice in a product such as this can fail if the rope is allowed to go slack............the splice is only secure as long as the rope is kept absolutely tight at all times.............any slack and the weave can open.

kev


kev

[juju]

Yep! Everything I read about spectra (dyneema) led me to think it would be the bees knees. Cut off a brand new strap before the boat had even been in the water, got a dyneema rope from Bias, put it on the winch, and first trip out, I got to the ramp and the S shackle was missing...............the splice had failed with just the rocking of the boat on the trailer. Probably happened going up my steep drive. Luckily the chain held the rig on the trailer. Bias refunded and I got another...............and next time out the splice failed again (different brand) when winching the rig onto the trailer.

Asked a highly respected staff member at a major boat yard for a different brand, and was informed that they did not stock it due to the high failure risk. If dyneema is supposedly the bees knees, why do boat package manufacturers not use it on new rigs?

I may have gotten a couple that shouldn't have got through quality control but it isn't worth the risk, in my eyes, to get another. Luckily, I left some strap as backing on the winch and have stitched the length I cut off, back on.

The product that failed twice by the way looked identical to the product in the image above................it snapped under the black tape (both times) where the S hook is. If you hold a piece of dyneema in your hands a couple of inches apart and push your hands towards each other, you will see the weave of the rope open...............obviously, any splice in a product such as this can fail if the rope is allowed to go slack............the splice is only secure as long as the rope is kept absolutely tight at all times.............any slack and the weave can open.

kev


kev

Interesting.....i may just put another steel cable on....

[northernblue]

I have not had a problem with mine.
By the sounds of it you are one of the guys who totally slackens off the winch rope/cable when towing?
Personally I always keep it tightish, [I understand what you mean about pushing the rope together and opening up the weave]
If the splice fails you should get it refunded, have you tried calling the distributor/manufacturer to see what they think?
My previous boat had a similar rope [I don't think it was dyneema, it was more like quality sailing rope tied to the s hook with one of those "bunny rabbit knots" [you know, rabbit comes out the hole, round the tree and back into the hole].
It seemed to work fine [5m plate barra boat]

[kingtin]

I have not had a problem with mine.
By the sounds of it you are one of the guys who totally slackens off the winch rope/cable when towing?
Personally I always keep it tightish, [I understand what you mean about pushing the rope together and opening up the weave]
If the splice fails you should get it refunded, have you tried calling the distributor/manufacturer to see what they think?
My previous boat had a similar rope [I don't think it was dyneema, it was more like quality sailing rope tied to the s hook with one of those "bunny rabbit knots" [you know, rabbit comes out the hole, round the tree and back into the hole].
It seemed to work fine [5m plate barra boat]

Nope, my rig is always winched up hard against the front roller as I have a very steep drive and the rig does tend to roll back as I drive off, which is why I can't understand why the splice would fail. A new rope has a "waxy greasy" feel to it, just like braid, and I'm prepared to bet that the splicing isn't suitable to the ropes use, just as some mono knots don't work in braid.

The packaging on both clearly state(d)s words to the effect, "Load the rope onto the winch under pressure from the weight of your boat" This indicates to me that the rope should be put on the winch at the waterside when retrieving the rig ie the manufacturer is "hinting" that the weave of a new rope needs to be "closed down" under extreme pressure for the splice to be effective/safe. I wonder just how many boaties follow this instruction and just how many simply load it up at home? Come on...........own up! ;D I'm guilty of the latter as I thought a wife and two kids hanging on the end of the rope would be more convenient than pissing about loading it onto the winch down at a busy ramp............not to mention the fact that the boat may escape via wind or current, whilst doing so.

Lesson learned, and I got what I asked for in not following those instructions, but any product that needs that kind of initial loading, and has the potential for disaster where those inconvenient loading obstructions aren't observed, simply ain't worth worrying about in my book. My misfortune was due to my incompetence and failure to follow instructions primarily, but any product that relies on the competence of, and adherence to instructions by, the public as a whole, is asking a lot in my opinion ::) ;D

Both ropes I purchased from Bias were identical to the one in the illustration but the 2nd one was in different packaging. My guess is that they're made in "you know where" and simply supplied by Australian companies, although I could be wrong. A check on the product at Bias would probably answer the question. There was definitely no knot involved with both of my purchases and an examination under the black tape will likely reveal just a splice on the products still being sold. Anyone who had already bought this product will also find that the gap in the s bend is too open.............the rope is attached to the S hook by a simple spliced loop that again, when not under pressure, can be slid through the gap in the S hook.............see the illustration in a previous post, and compare thickness of rope with the chance of "escape" from the gap.

I remember when I launched using the 2nd rope thinking, "bloody hell, It only takes one feral to slide the S hook off the rope in the car park, and I'm buggered when I get back!" as it turned out it didn't need someone to knick the hook 'cause the bloody rope failed anyway! Luckily, I always carry spare D shackles, and on this occasion the knot I tied to the d shackle slipped 3 times on retrieval before I finally found a knot strong enough to retrieve the rig. So if you were down at cabbage tree ramp one day, and were held up for half an hour by some prick with a Stacer Nomad 519..................it was me ::) ;D

Edit: I've just read the specs with that illustration above and it clearly states that it's spliced and not knotted, and as I said previously, it was the splice that gave on both ropes............no break.

kev

[therapy]

Kingtin,
the one that I bought I paid $79 for it at n/side and there is no S hook on but a proper shackle. As far as fitting it under tension goes, I did that down at cabbage tree creek late one night and I would have thought that anything that you fitted would have to go on under some resistance. If you were to fit a new cable without resistance, when you do the final tighten, the cable pulls back under itself and seems very messy.
When I bought my boat the previous owner had fitted a combination of chains, d shackles and a turnbuckle so you pull the nose of the boat down hard onto the trailer, reducing the reliance on the winch to hold tension on the boat. Maybe you should look at something like this to help the problem you have with the driveway.
Cheers......Terry..........

[kingtin]

Kingtin,
the one that I bought I paid $79 for it at n/side and there is no S hook on but a proper shackle. As far as fitting it under tension goes, I did that down at cabbage tree creek late one night and I would have thought that anything that you fitted would have to go on under some resistance. If you were to fit a new cable without resistance, when you do the final tighten, the cable pulls back under itself and seems very messy.
When I bought my boat the previous owner had fitted a combination of chains, d shackles and a turnbuckle so you pull the nose of the boat down hard onto the trailer, reducing the reliance on the winch to hold tension on the boat. Maybe you should look at something like this to help the problem you have with the driveway.
Cheers......Terry..........

Yeah Terry..................just one of those, "I'll get round to it soon moments". My previous rigs relied on turnbuckles for holding the nose down and I think that they're invaluable on larger rigs...........I will get round to it on this rig..........soon ::) ;D

kev

[northernblue]

Sorry to hear Kev.
Pretty sure the company I purchased from was steadfast as mentioned earlier, they are in north NSW and I contacted them and got a custom length 10m I think.
They are friendly and helpfull.
I got the impression that they spliced themselves, rather than being a potentially dodgy import, I would call them before I ditched the stuff myself.
If you do a search, I think I provided their contact details in a thread last year sometime?
Good luck

[Jeremy]

I had a strap fail after 2 years while towing. Just tore through and looked like it must have been weakened due to UV and moisture.

Jeremy