Great to see commitment to learning and best practices. No one need to get hurt doing what we do! And, its more interesting the more we know.
One question was: "
How do I know when to retire my winch rope/extension?" "How do I know it is worn out or damaged too much?" Another was: "do you ever de-rate your rope."
I would not de-rate rope any more than its weakest part. If damaged, repair or retire.
You rarely damage or wear out an entire synthetic rope. We were talking about why I have just soft loops with nylon chafe protection. No metal thimbles. No winch hook. I said that if I see too much abrasion in that eye I can unsplice the loop, cut off the worn bit and splice a new loop, losing only a few feet of rope.
You can cut a synthetic rope in half, splice it and continue to safely use it indefinitely.
Samson Rope, the manufacturer of Amsteel Blue, has great online and App resources. There are others out there as well. Not to use sailing resources with caution - the loads are generally far lower. Overhead lifting rigging resources are the current gold standard.
Whether you’re looking for a specific rope, a distributor, or additional hardware, we’re here to help you find what you need, 24/7.
samsonrope.com
How to properly care for your ropes? Samson are the experts in rope handling. Prior to use, application specifics should be reviewed to understand the method of installation needed to ensure proper rope performance.
samsonrope.com
ROPE INSPECTION & RETIREMENT
One frequently asked question is, “When should I retire my rope?” The most obvious answer is, “Before it breaks.” But without a thorough understanding of how to inspect it and knowing the load history, you are left making an educated guess. Factors such as load history, bending radius, abrasion, chemical exposure, or some combination of those factors, make retirement decisions challenging.
Inspecting your rope should be a continuous process of observation before, during, and after each use.
In synthetic fiber ropes, the amount of strength loss due to abrasion and/or flexing is directly related to the amount of broken fiber in the rope’s cross-section. After each use, look and feel along every inch of the rope length inspecting for cut strands, compression, pulled strands, melted or glazed fiber, discoloration, degradation, inconsistent diameter and abrasion. Glossy or glazed areas, inconsistencies in texture, and stiffness are indicators that the rope has been subjected to elevated temperatures, has embedded grit, or has been subjected to shock loading and possible loss of strength.
SPLICING
Samson recommends splicing as the preferred rope termination method. Knots can significantly decrease a rope’s strength while, in most cases, splicing maintains 100% of the specified rope strength. Splice terminations are used in all our ropes to determine new and unused tensile strengths.
CLEANING
Ropes often come into contact with particles affecting their fibers such as dirt, sap, salt, and chemicals. Following proper cleaning procedures should not impact your rope's elongation, strength, weight, or diameter. Review our recommendations for cleaning your Samson lines.
ROPE INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS
Prior to use, application specifics should be reviewed to understand the method of installation needed to ensure proper rope performance. Depending on the intended use, installation considerations may include but are not limited to:
- Establishing proper tension and length (i.e., static applications)
- Connection mechanism (i.e., winch drum, spliced thimble)
- Back tension is required to ensure effective spooling (when utilizing product on a winch)
Rope performance will be influenced by the level of attention given to these factors during the installation process. It is highly recommended that the rope manufacturer be consulted if the user lacks experience handling and installing high-performance synthetic ropes.
Congratulations you read this far, there is a
56 page Rope user Manual too.