Saw this advertised is 4WD & SUV magazine.
http://www.winchsaver.com/

It goes between your fairlead and the hook.
You can sinch up the hook tight to it when storing it.

Also the gizmo can be locked on the winch line to hold it in place when spooling in your line.



Anyone try one of these or seen it before?

 

hmm, is this supposed to be any better than just hooking your hook to a recovery shackle and spooling it up?

 

I have mine hooked now to the stock recovery point with a few feet of line spooled out.

Before I had that big red hook of mine snapped around a big plastic zip tie around one of the rollers.
I may go back to that way.

Yeah, this is just so you can snug up your hook tight to the fairlead since it "squishes" in a bit.

I am not buying one, was just curious if others had seen one.

 

Looks to bulky for my 4Runner!

Aaron

 

I think a safety thimble would be better, but I do like the idea of a weight attached to the line instead of having to dig around for a blanket/coat to throw over the line.

http://www.winchline.com/winchlines.htm

 

True but have you had or seen a Synthetic line recoil back like that of a Steel Line? Im just asking, I have yet to break a syn line but for applications where steel is your only option anything to make it more safe I am certainly in favor of.

Aaron

 

I have seen them, I like either the saver or the thimble.

From my use experience with them, that saver would be great because it allows the least exposed cable without over tightening and loading the winch plate. As to weight saving on recoil, I would imagine because the weight is so centered, it would become a projectile.

The thimble can do nominally the same thing, though it is all steel and not meant to. I Like having it to clip in, but always wonder about adding hardware to a cable, the hook is sometimes simpler.

FWIW, half the steel cables I have seen break have recoiled while all the synthetic ones have. At least you can re-splice the synthetic easily in the field.

 

I've got one, works great, keeps the line tight. I didn't like having the line all down and around to the tow hooks.

 

Why is it so freakin' huge? I'm thinking if it were dropped down to about 2 3/4 - 3" diameter it wouldn't look so....supersized...

 

:confused: I thought the whole point of synthetic was they didn't recoil?!?!?

 

TC, I have been looking at this.
http://winchline.com/wl_wst.htm



I like how you can snug it up to the farilead and not have line hanging out like I do now that gets exposed.

But...Can you still use the yellow safety hook with this, or do you just use the shackle as seen in the picture?

I might be looking into new rope, as mine has been exposed to the elements since Feb. of '02.

I think I have 5/16" now, may not need to use the heavier duty 3/8".
http://winchline.com/mcart/index.cgi...D=IT77&code=13

 

Just telling you real, in person experience.

Interesting concept, eh?

 

Adrain, I think tc meant you left a word out of your sentance?
Maybe left out "not?"
Or do the synthetic ones recoil?
I thought they did not.

 

I HAVE seen synthetic recoil when broken.

I HAVE seen two steels NOT recoil when broken.

I HAVE seen one steel recoil when broken.

 

Is it because they needed to give it enough mass to work as a safety weight when pulling? That's what I assumed when I saw it

It is bulky looking when against the fairlead.

Erich

 

Ah ha, now I see.
One of the reasons I went with syn line back then was because everyone touted it as having zero recoil.

I guess the buzz around the 'Net back then was false.
So it is still a good idea then to use a blanket or the Winch Weight product that has been out for years on syn line?
http://www.winchweight.com/

 

But will a recoiling Syn line cut a man in half? Or bust a winshield? If it recoils when broken or does it no poses enough velocity"due to the light weight factor" to do so?

Aaron

 

We are VERY hard on winches probably because SAR pays for them. I've seen steel cables recoil almost always without some sort of dampener. The only one that didn't recoil was threaded through a pulley (snatch block) for an off angle lift and the too small shackle snapped off. I told them it wasn't strong enough

The ones that did recoil; all of them broke something; windshield, grill, lights, an arm. I've seen two synthetic lines recoil but with no where near the energy of steel. More like a puff then a snap. One rope came back and you heard a thud when it thumped the hood but no dent and the other just kind of coiled up like a wave and dropped to the ground.

So in my experience I would say you are going to get hurt a lot from the steel cable and it easily has the potential to kill you where the reaction from the synthetic is a lot less. Could it still kill you - sure.

I put something over any line - period. And that is our official policy at any rate.

I'm more interested in synthetic because it's lighter, not as much load on the winch, it floats, a very nice advantage when trying to secure a vehicle in the water, and it isn't as susceptible to being ruined by bird's nest kinking and it doesn't rust. Most of the people no matter how many times I've showed them can't seem to re-spool the cable properly :pat:

 

I have one. I bought it for a slightly different reason. I have a paint matched ARB bumper and I don't want to scratch it to hell by connecting it to the hooks below. For $24 its not a bad tool and I like being able to just roll the hook right up to the fairlead keeping the line tight. Its also cheap insurance to prevent someone from rolling their fingers up in the fairlead.

I agree with Corey though. It could be just a little bit smaller.

 

I am getting that thimble I posted that is on the blue line above, and do away with my red (use to be yellow) snap hook.

I am not sure how to splice line, and I read the info on how to do it, but I have never ever worked with rope before trying to splice.

If I can not figure it out, I will just order a new 5/16th line with the thimble on it.