Installing new synthetic winch line

OK, so I just finished installing my Superwinch Tigershark 11500 winch. To spool the line in for the first time, I planned to use the Jeep's rolling resistance from the bottom of my very slight incline driveway. So I placed my Jeep at the bottom of my driveway, ran the line towards a tree, had to use a snatch block because the distance was too short, and brought it back to the Jeep and hooked it. Everything was going fine, my neighbors were giving me funny looks, but I felt like a bad ass as I carefully level wound the rope into the drum. Once I got it all in, I went back to the cab to go put the Jeep in park and WHAT!!! it was in park the whole time :doh: I look behind the Jeep and I see a set of skid marks going towards the tree like someone slammed their brakes right before plowing into my yard and tree.

My question for you guys, it is recommended to apply about 500 lbs of tension, which I was hoping to simulate by pulling my Jeep up the driveway in neutral. Since I pulled it in park, I probably exceeded the 500 lbs by a lot. Is this a bad thing to leave it like that? Or will I need to unwind it and pull the Jeep up in neutral as intended. I'm thinking if I remember my physics correctly, that by using the snatch block I effectively reduced the tension at the drum by half, is this still too much? I have no idea what the rolling, or rather dragging resistance of the JKU is.

I'm sorry but that story along with your user name is funny as hell. I can't offer any advice as I do not have synthetic line. Good luck though.

I really hope you got as much of a laugh out of this as I just did!

I doubt you did any harm to anything. When I spooled my winch, I did what you intended to do using the weight of the vehicle and brakes to tension the line onto the drum.

If you want peace of mind, it wouldn't hurt to unspool it and spool it again sans park.

Good luck and thanks for the great story!

That is a funny story! lol

As long as the line is coiled nice and evenly, I wouldn't worry about it. You've definitely used more than the minimum suggested weight, and that's really to make sure the synthetic line gets a good stretch before the first time you need to use it. Keep in mind that it may even stretch a bit more the first few times you pull yourself out of anything too, and since that will almost certainly be more than 500 lbs of tension I doubt you have anything to worry about.

Wardell said:

That is a funny story! lol

As long as the line is coiled nice and evenly, I wouldn't worry about it. You've definitely used more than the minimum suggested weight, and that's really to make sure the synthetic line gets a good stretch before the first time you need to use it. Keep in mind that it may even stretch a bit more the first few times you pull yourself out of anything too, and since that will almost certainly be more than 500 lbs of tension I doubt you have anything to worry about.

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I didn't think nice and neat is what you wanted on a synthetic line

Rccrwlr said:

I didn't think nice and neat is what you wanted on a synthetic line

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My first two rows are nice and neat, then I spooled it messy. Works great like that, line doesn't dig in and make it a pain to unspool by hand

I am glad to see that you've gotten that winch installed and will be able to put it to good use.

As far as determining the force you induced on the winch line:

curb weight of the JKU say 4300 lbs
friction coefficient of the rubber tires on a dry concrete driveway (I am assuming that is what you have) is approximately 0.7

so the force on the winch line would be 4300 x 0.7 x 0.5 (2 lines in tension from the snatch block) = 1505 lbs

You may have exceeded the recommended initial line tension but you are a long way off from the winch's capacity. So as long as the line has been evenly wrapped around the drum I would think that you are fine.

sassmouth said:

I am glad to see that you've gotten that winch installed and will be able to put it to good use.

As far as determining the force you induced on the winch line:

curb weight of the JKU say 4300 lbs
friction coefficient of the rubber tires on a dry concrete driveway (I am assuming that is what you have) is approximately 0.7

so the force on the winch line would be 4300 x 0.7 x 0.5 (2 lines in tension from the snatch block) = 1505 lbs

You may have exceeded the recommended initial line tension but you are a long way off from the winch's capacity. So as long as the line has been evenly wrapped around the drum I would think that you are fine.

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Next time could you be more specific? Lol, just kidding.

Sounds about right, (I have no idea) would the degree of incline play a factor in this equation?

The incline from his driveway as he described it would have a negligible effect.

Haha thanks for the laugh! I spooled my line wrong the first time and 3 years later it still pulls me out fine. You will be good!

sassmouth said:

I am glad to see that you've gotten that winch installed and will be able to put it to good use.

As far as determining the force you induced on the winch line:

curb weight of the JKU say 4300 lbs
friction coefficient of the rubber tires on a dry concrete driveway (I am assuming that is what you have) is approximately 0.7

so the force on the winch line would be 4300 x 0.7 x 0.5 (2 lines in tension from the snatch block) = 1505 lbs

You may have exceeded the recommended initial line tension but you are a long way off from the winch's capacity. So as long as the line has been evenly wrapped around the drum I would think that you are fine.

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AWESOME!!! Thanks man. Yeah, it was killing me every time I walked by that winch box and new bumper in my garage but i had to finish my physical therapy sessions on my shoulder before I tackled that task by myself. I love that winch, can't wait to get stuck now...:rock:

Thanks for all the replies, I couldn't believe I forgot to put the Jeep in neutral, that explains why whenever I had to put the winch in reverse to adjust the line the Jeep wouldn't budge, I even tried pushing it, I remember thinking, "damn, this thing is heavy as s^&t or i need to hit the gym", LOL.