Anyone who has used a winch has seen, or will eventually see, a winch cable break or snap at some point. This dangerous condition has lead many Jeep and four-wheel drive owners to switch to synthetics for safety and weight savings. However, many people aren’t prepared to repair their winch line should it finally give-way.
[Not a valid template]Repairing synthetic winch line is pretty easy if equipped with the right gear. Viking Offroad’s Winch Line Splicing Tool Kit includes everything you’ll need to get you back in the game. The kit consists of a 5/16” fid, a 3/8” fid, scissors, electrical tape, stitching needle, stitching twine, splicing instructions, and a storage bag. There are two major splices that could be encountered while on the trails: an end-to-end splice and an eye splice, both of which are covered in the instructions in the kit.
End to End splices are commonly used to repair winch line that has been sheared in the middle. To begin this splice you must first measure and prepare to use 7 fid lengths of additional rope to complete the splice safely.
Step 1: Both ends of the winch line should be taped. This prevents it from fraying.
Step 2: Lay both ropes along each side of each other, and then measure one fid length from the taped end and mark on both lines. This will be POINT 1. If a marker is not available, the tape can be used to mark this position.
Step 3: From POINT 1, measure two fids from POINT 1 and mark on both lines. This will be POINT 2. (NOTE: A common mistake here is to mark one fid length from POINT 1; however, it should be two fid lengths.)
Step 4: From POINT 2, measure 3-1/2 fids from POINT 2 and mark on both lines. This will be POINT 3.
Step 5: To make the splice, the ends need to be tapered. Begin at POINT 1 and on the side towards the taped end, mark every other left and right strand for three strands.
Step 6: Cut each marked strand and remove from the line. This will cause the line to taper to a point typically leaving six strands remaining. During this, the taped end may cause resistance to removing the cut strands and may have to be removed to pull out the cut strands.
Step 7: Reposition the two portions of the winch line so that the cut ends are opposite of each other and both POINT 1 markings line up with each other.
Step 8: Attach the fid to the taped end of one of the ropes.