Winch Way Is Up !!

Stephen is right - IF you get tangled in it while it is under tension,
Spectra cut right through you like any strong line. Since you need a strong
line, there's no getting away from that. The real danger from winch line is
ballistic impact and there steel is far more dangerous.

The commercial shipping and barge industries have almost completely switched
from wire rope to Spectra on the safety issue alone. Steel
stretches,storing energy like a spring - that energy is released in a
springback when it breaks. Steel cable used to result in a hundred or so
deck hand deaths a year. Spectra has eliminated those deaths. Spectra
creeps under load and creeps back a little when it breaks - no real danger
there.

Spectra does not eliminate the danger posed by line termination hardware
like carabiners and weak links. Those can hit the winch cab with the energy
of a pistol bullet. A good strong, armored cab is still a necessity. (A
heater and air conditioner would be nice too.)

Bob is right in that Spectra is sweet to work with. Bare hands are fine -
no gloves needed to protect your hands from "fish hooks" that are common
with stranded steel cable. It's not black and white, but steel is far more
dangerous than spectra and that alone makes it worth the switch.

Bill Daniels


"Stephen Haley" wrote in message
...
Ask arround the sailing community about how much one can be hurt by a
flailing synthetic rope - it might not be as bad as wire in some ways but
because it is infinately more flexible it can be just as bad.

"Bob Johnson" wrote in message
...
Hi Bill --

After my limited experience with it, I can't help but think that
synthetic is going to be a lot safer and less nasty to work with during
breaks or whenever else it has to be dodged or handled. It's light as a
feather, soft as a baby's butt and stores absolutely no energy.

BJ

On Wed, 5 Nov 2003 04:17:33 -0000, "W.J. \(Bill\) Dean \(U.K.\)."
wrote:

A winch should never have any doors or windows open while actually
launching.

......

"Martin Gregorie" wrote in message
...

snip

Climate control: there is a diesel burning heater for winter and the
sliding doors open in summer.


Couldn't agree more. I should have added "..doors open between
launches".

I always stay in the cable truck during launches as well, with it
parked 10 metres away and 45 degrees back and to the side. Bill, I
take your point about broken cable strikes on other vehicles. In your
experience is parking where I significantly better than behind the
winch? Is there an optimum place?

Language note: 'Shag vehicle' has an entirely different meaning in the
UK. Lets just say that towing things doesn't come into the frame and a
large back seat would be fitted.

--
martin@ : Martin Gregorie
gregorie : Harlow, UK
demon :
co : Zappa fan & glider pilot
uk :

I am not an experienced winch driver, in fact I have not done it for years.
I was relating the lessons learned from others.

As to how far away from the winch you should stand or park when not in the
cab, I suggest you ask Bicester or Dick Stratton, he knows more than most
and is the depository of all knowledge relating to winching.

W.J. (Bill) Dean (U.K.).
Remove "ic" to reply.


"Martin Gregorie" wrote in message
...


On Wed, 5 Nov 2003 04:17:33 -0000, "W.J. \(Bill\) Dean \(U.K.\)."
wrote:

A winch should never have any doors or windows open while actually
launching.

.....

"Martin Gregorie" wrote in message
...

snip

Climate control: there is a diesel burning heater for winter and the
sliding doors open in summer.


Couldn't agree more. I should have added "..doors open between
launches".

I always stay in the cable truck during launches as well, with it
parked 10 metres away and 45 degrees back and to the side. Bill, I
take your point about broken cable strikes on other vehicles. In your
experience is parking where I significantly better than behind the
winch? Is there an optimum place?

Language note: 'Shag vehicle' has an entirely different meaning in the
UK. Lets just say that towing things doesn't come into the frame and a
large back seat would be fitted.

Martin Gregorie

I've been once watching as the cable retrieve car driver (sitting in the car
a couple of meters from the winch) during a cable break. The cable broke
about 100m in front of the winch, slammed back completely to the back of the
winch (the actual front end of the truck), broke the windshield & mirror,
came back to the initial "break position". Didn't take a second for the
whole thing to happen, the winch driver didn't see anything of it at all.

If a cable breaks, there is no safe position wherever that cable may reach
you if you're not sitting in a car, truck or cage.

--
Bert Willing

ASW20 "TW"


"Martin Gregorie" a écrit dans le message de
...
On Wed, 5 Nov 2003 04:17:33 -0000, "W.J. \(Bill\) Dean \(U.K.\)."
wrote:

A winch should never have any doors or windows open while actually
launching.

.....

"Martin Gregorie" wrote in message
...

snip

Climate control: there is a diesel burning heater for winter and the
sliding doors open in summer.


Couldn't agree more. I should have added "..doors open between
launches".

I always stay in the cable truck during launches as well, with it
parked 10 metres away and 45 degrees back and to the side. Bill, I
take your point about broken cable strikes on other vehicles. In your
experience is parking where I significantly better than behind the
winch? Is there an optimum place?

Language note: 'Shag vehicle' has an entirely different meaning in the
UK. Lets just say that towing things doesn't come into the frame and a
large back seat would be fitted.

--
martin@ : Martin Gregorie
gregorie : Harlow, UK
demon :
co : Zappa fan & glider pilot
uk :

On Wed, 5 Nov 2003 12:33:58 +0100, "Bert Willing"
wrote:

I've been once watching as the cable retrieve car driver (sitting in the car
a couple of meters from the winch) during a cable break. The cable broke
about 100m in front of the winch, slammed back completely to the back of the
winch (the actual front end of the truck), broke the windshield & mirror,
came back to the initial "break position". Didn't take a second for the
whole thing to happen, the winch driver didn't see anything of it at all.

If a cable breaks, there is no safe position wherever that cable may reach
you if you're not sitting in a car, truck or cage.

I appreciate that, Bert. So far all the bad break descriptions have
described the cable lashing straight back over the winch. Has anybody
known it to go sideways and if so, how far to the side? I'm now
wondering if I should park the cable truck further away still or if my
usual position is reasonable.


--
martin@ : Martin Gregorie
gregorie : Harlow, UK
demon :
co : Zappa fan & glider pilot
uk :