Upgrading winch cable Fulton T3205

[SharkyRhodes]

Hi all,

I've had some recent wear & tear to the steel cable on my dive club's trailer winch. When I reeled in the boat last weekend there were a lot of nasty spiky bits and a rather split section which had me worried about snappage and loss of an eyeball.

The winch itself is in good nick, but given the current condition of the cable I am not keen on putting another steel cable. After a bit of research, I have seen that people are quite complimentary towards dyneema and I wondered if anyone had any experiences on using this for a Fulton T3205 or similar winch.

Anyone got any advice or better ideas?

Thanks in advance!

A

[Xk59D]

i would save the money and just get a strap to suit the winch.

[SharkyRhodes]

Originally Posted by Xk59D

i would save the money and just get a strap to suit the winch.

I did ask the manufacturer and they said that it was not compatible with a strap. To be honest, that was my first thought...

[willk]

The off road guys are moving to Dyneema from steel rope. I moved to dyneema from a strap. It's FAR easier to guide under load. Pricey but worth it in my case.

[Pikey Dave]

Dyneema👍 not expensive if you go to the right place. I paid around £50 for a 7m 12mm

[Xk59D]

Originally Posted by SharkyRhodes

I did ask the manufacturer and they said that it was not compatible with a strap. To be honest, that was my first thought...

oh well, looks like you are stuck with dyneema then.

if you search the forum you will find some links for good places in UK to buy it.

i can't comment on how easy one is to load versus the other. i just wind the handle until the boat is at the front, never need to touch the strap in my case.

[Fender]

Synthetic rope dos'nt last as long as wire, more susceptible to abrasion wear, UV damage and also if the winch has a internal brake in its drum any heat build-up can potentially melt the rope ( extreme cases). However it's much safer than wire , lighter, stronger and user friendly. Used it for many years and wouldn't go back to wire

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Fender

Synthetic rope dos'nt last as long as wire, more susceptible to abrasion wear, UV damage

I'd question that, especially in the marine environment

[BogMonster]

Talk to Goodwinch in Devon, David Bowyer will supply it by the metre with a hook spliced on, so you can buy whatever you need to suit the trailer length.

I have been using it for ten years now and have had zero issues and I cannot imagine a single reason why anybody would use anything else, either wire or those silly straps (and I have previously used both). I also use it on the hydraulic winch on my Defender and likewise wouldn't use anything else.

Mine is this stuff, though I didn't buy 15m, I only use about 7m on my drum, if you email them they will supply whatever length you want:

Dyneema® Bowrope 6mm x 15m - Goodwinch

I live under what's left of the hole in the ozone layer, and can confirm you don't particularly need to worry about UV light! In any case the 6mm is rated at 4,000kg whereas most straps are only about half that:

http://www.goodwinch.com/wp-content/...08/dyneema.pdf

I simply fitted mine on both the winches I have used (both of which were very similar to your Fulton) by feeding it through the hole in the side of the winch drum where the strap retaining bolt went through, putting an M6 washer over the end of the rope, and tying a knot in it. If you do manage to cut or break it you can splice it fairly easily, which you can't do with a strap. But it really is fit and forget! If the drum doesn't already have a suitable hole, you can drill one (would need to be about 7mm).

[paintman]

Next time mine (strap) needs changing I'm going to dyneema.

[Chris Caton]

strap or synthetic is the way to go, whatever you do ditch the wire rope, horrible stuff

[BogMonster]

A couple of photos of mine. You can see the drum retention (washer and a knot in the rope). There is plenty of room on the drum even with approx 7m of 6mm rope on it.

The winch holds it tight against the post, I also have a slack 12mm nylon rope with a carabiner on it that acts as the 'check chain' to guard against failure of the winch ratchet, it is nylon so has a bit of give in it rather than stopping the boat with a bang as a chain would. Always have this connected when the trailer is out of the water.

There is also a ratchet strap pulling down and back to tension it all and stop it from bouncing, and also keep the boat from moving up the bow snubber if I have to stop in a hurry. Two more ratchet straps on the transom eyes to keep the stern from bouncing. I find the mid sized straps that are rated at about 2.5 tons are the best option, the big lorry straps are too bulky and the toy ones that you use on a car roofrack are not man enough for the job.