Factor 55 Blog
Broken Winch Line? Splice or Knot tie?
Think tying a knot to repair your broken synthetic winch rope is a good idea? Think again. Different types of knots subject the rope fibers to different levels of bending stresses, with some knots subjecting the rope fibers to severe bending (Bowline knot). HMPE is a slippery fiber and does not lend itself well to knot tying. Look at the chart from Marlow Ropes that displays the percentage of strength reduction resulting from different knot types. The left column represents the common SK75 unsheathed winch rope that most of us off-roaders use, the right is a sheathed rope from Marlow. “BEND” represents...