Plasma Rope

I don't think Plasma rope is advisable for low mount winches as there is to much heat build up and it damages the rope :(

Cheers Kev

G'day David,
Synthetic rope is fine for low mounts, however it should have heat protection on first layer on the drum. Heat generally is only a problem if you spool out. Which you're not supposed to do anyway. It is so much easier and safer to use than steel. There are a few varieties around. They are NOT all the same. Certainly worth a look.

Cheers

Hi David,
If you are talking about dynamica rope it is very expensive
Ian

David, 99% of the competitors at the Outback Challenge use Plasma but I did see a fair few of them get broken. Most competitors carried a spare and respliced themselves. I didn't get the impression it was overly durable but those guys work under severe conditions.

David,
Your post has spurred me to finally get may @rse into gear and fit my winch to the "new" rig today. I have plasma rope that I bought from the states. It was about $300- and although I haven't actually used it under "real world" recovery conditions yet, the one thing I can say about it is that it is far easier to work with:

Lighter (much)
Less unweildy to handle when unspooled and laying on the ground
No nasty steel spurs to rip the chit out of your hands (but I still wear gloves).

In my opinion, for users like me (occasional use only), it's gotta be good stuff.

Cheers
Roachie

G'day David,

I'm in the same boat - been searching the web, magazines and anything else I can get my hands on.

I've narrowed it down to one brand and typ - it's the 'Master-pull' XD.

If you believe their info on their site it is better than most synthetics and the XD comes sleeved for added protection (sounds like another ad to me).

The idea of the sleeve is to minimise grit, crud and to a lesser extent water getting onto the actual rope. It also prevents UV light getting to the rope. Most ropes advertise that their ropes are UV treated. This is normally done with a PV type coating - but this is also water based and will wash off/dissolve. A sleeve seems better to me.

It also comes with a heat protector for the rope on the drum but as also mentioned the low mounts anly get hot on the drum when powering out as the drum is working against the in-built brake.

The site on the net is:

www.masterpull.com

No affiliation - just my research and observations - and soon to be purchase.

David,
I bought my rope from a club member of the Holden club (I suspect you may know him and I can MM his name to you) but you can buy it through Total Traction Tyres at Lonsdale. The guy who imported it has tested it spliced and cut to varying degrees and will probably be able to give you the info he had, it was very impressive.

Its good stuff, going to throw it on my 9000 when I have some spare cash (rego and insurance last week!)

Smithys Outback in Cranbourne does good prices on it...

I have been using plasma rope for two years on an Ox 10000lb electric winch. We use the winch for training purposes on a regular basis so it and the winch get more work, than the average winch ever will. We train from basic to advanced skills so the whole system can operate from light to very heavily loaded.

We use Dyneema as when purchased it had the best heat tolerance of any of the plastic ropes. This stuff gets used as tow ropes for haul paks in the coal industry along wth tieing up ships so it has a solid reputation.

So what have we found? Pretty much that we like it. Light and easy to use and as per other comments it does not slice your hand off with wires breaking off. As well it is very easy to spool on and off, as long as you have another person placing some decent load in it which is the same for wire rope. As the stuff gets dirty it is quite easty to pull it off give it a wash and let it dry and then put it back on the drum.

Given that I get to drag it out and work with it on a regular basis I can assure you I am much happier using something light but strong

Yep when heavily loaded the rope takes on a somewhat frayed and worn look but once the load is off it resumes its normal look and without any detriment to performance so far.

As we work in rocks as well as mud and sand trying to protect the rope from abrasion is always a challenge. We use a Micelles Sacks protector which is purpose designed for the job and it works pretty well.

You definately need to put a cover on the exposed stuff as it is all open to degradation by UV but that is an easy process.

Repairs. Have not had a breakage yet and have no plans to create one just for the practice. The comments on usage at the winch challenges need to be tempered by the fact that most of the breakages happen when the load on the rope is released and then shock loaded quickly. This will break almost anything and is something of an unrealistic comparison. But you should bear in mind that when those instances do happen the rope carries much less energy than wire rope and so is less dangerous to anyone and anything, But safety first at all times when doing any form or recovery.

When winching and to reduce heat build up you always run for 30 seconds and wait for the same period to allow both battery and drum to recover. This applies to both wire and plasma and has nothing to do with either more to take the pressure of the electronics.

We always have the option of putting the wire rope back on but given the flexibility we will stick with the Dyneema for a whil yet. When we come to replacing it we will look to whatever is new and meets our needs.

Apart from anything else using a winch of any sort requires solid training by a competent person. There are a range of issues and practices you need to understand and deal with to reduce the risk associated with this and any form of recovery.

The real question you have to ask is why you would really want to go to all the expense of a winch for the very few times, if ever, that an average 4WDriver would ever see the need

Regards

RobA