Overheard a yard manager say synthetic winch line is safer than steel, but I saw a synthetic line snap and whip back just as bad last month

The guy was bragging about switching his whole fleet to synthetic after one close call, but I had a 3/8 inch synthetic line from a brand I won't name fail on a mud pull in Alabama and it tore through a guy's jeans like butter, so is it really that much safer or just lighter on the wallet?

2 comments

2 Comments

piperr582d ago

That "just as bad" part is what gets me. I had a 3/8 synthetic snap on me in Tennessee and it wrapped around a guy's leg before he even knew it let go. So I'm curious - you were standing close enough to see it whip back, were you paying attention to how the line was spooled or what the load was when it let go? Because I've seen guys blame the rope when the real problem was they were shock loading it or had it frayed on a sharp edge for weeks.

leow902d ago

Wait, are you seriously saying the rope's quality doesn't matter if the guys using it are careless? I've seen cheap synthetics snap clean with zero warning on a steady pull, no shock load or fraying at all.