I would like to mount a winck on my jeep and like the benifits of synthetic rope vs wire, lke less weight, safer ect. What I dont is warn says it should be replaced every year. Is that because of use or weather related? For those using synthetic rope, do you/have you changed it? I dont see my winch being used a lot, more for peace of mind on hunting trips, but my jeep is parked outside year round.

 

A good quality rope made from Dyneema fibres should last a lot longer than one year . Some good info here:
http://www.dynamica-ropes.dk/html/features.htm

 

If u buy a warn winch (which u should cuz they are awesome) just get the warn cover for it and u will be set. I bought the VR8000 with synthetic rope and couldn't be happier. Go to 4wd.com to get it, free shipping if u spend over $138 and that particular winch is around $650 ,quadratec sells it for 729 plus it's like $50shipping and since it's a winch there is also a $20 surcharge. The vr8000 is really easy to put together and install.

 

Thanks for the replies. This is a resonse that Viking off road sent me


"ThankOn Wed, Sep 5, 2012 at 12:24 PM, Customer Service - Viking Offroad <cs@vikingoffroad.com> wrote:
Once a year? That would be nice for us if people were coming back to us that often for a replacement, but that's not how it works in reality.

Last week, we had an inquiry from a guy that had owned his Viking winchline for 7 years already, and it was still in fantastic shape. Based on the looks of his winchline and the description he gave us, we could tell he was the kind of guy that took good care of his equipment. Our experience is that's all you need to do to enjoy a long service life. Our observation is that the majority of replacements that we do see happen within 5 years, but they can last much longer if you take very good care of your gear. First and foremost, this means properly following the installation instructions that come with our winchlines. Secondly, making sure to minimize the times where your winchline runs over sharp/rough surfaces like rocks or trees. When they must touch such surfaces, be sure to use your rock guard and replace the rock guard if it wears."
Best,

--
Alvin Villanueva
Customer Service
V I K I N G
OFFROAD, LLC
.

 

Most guys around here run Viking and I can't say they've been taken care of. We use and abuse our winches out here and I know several guys that have used Viking line for 7+ years personally, so what Alvin wrote is absolutely positively true. IMHO, Viking line is absolutely the best of the best and is reasonably priced.

Regardling Spydura line from Warn, it just hasn't been out long enough for their to be long term reviews on it. My guess is the service interval is Warn covering themselves. I've not done any super fancy molecular super science nuclear pyro-physical tests on the rope, but it's pretty much the same rope as most other winches out there use as far as I can tell. However, if all you folks out there feel the overwhelming need to replace your Spydura line yearly, your old rope should be disposed of properly by sending them to me.

 

I got the Warn M8000s and was also concerned when I saw that warning. My guess was that the time factor is probably related to UV damage. I didn't care for Warn covers which look loose fitting and hide such a beautiful piece of equipment, so I made my own. It simply consists of of a trimmed cloth table place-mat secured with a strap. Cloth not vinyl and covering only about the top 2/3 of the spool so that moisture evaporates quickly. I expect to keep it much longer then a year.

 

I run Amsteel synthetic rope. I spend 45 every three years for a cover and the line looks like new. On my TJ! My line lasted 8 years.

 

I love the Factor 55 Pro-link you have there! Makes the look a lot cleaner and since you end up using a shackle most of the time anyway it works out well....Great piece of equipment!