Earth Anchors, Ground Anchors, Deadman Anchors, have you used one? Which do you prefer?
Tuesday, 31 December 2019
Earth Anchors, Ground Anchors, Deadman Anchors, whatever you choose to call them, sometimes there simply is no available winch attach point so you must use one. Check out the various types of anchors we have seen used offroad. Note how all of these users are practicing the more secure CLOSED SYSTEM WINCHING™ attach point to their anchors. Have you used one? Which do you prefer?
Photos courtesy of Deadman Off-road, Off Road Consulting and Driving Instruction, Pull-Pal, Three Amigos Offroad, Martha Tansy Offroad, Racing and Hunting, 4X4 Australia
From everyone here at Factor 55, have a safe and Happy New Year!
#factor55 #closedsystemwinching #equippedtoexplore #shadebrigade #precisionengineering #professionalrecovery #itsyourwinchonlysafer #madeinusa #madeintheusa #buyamerican #winch #winchsafer #winchsafety #vehiclerecovery #trailridesmatter #racerecovery #innovationnotimitation #hookreplacement
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Holiday Closure Info
Monday, 23 December 2019
We will be closed on Tuesday, December 24th-December 26th and then closed again on January 1st.
We wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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Are all Fairleads created equal?
Monday, 23 December 2019
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Barlow Adventures
“Why we keep hands away from fairleads during winching. Even a fairlead and FlatLink as sweet as @factor55llc can grab a finger in an instant. We recommend staying more than an arm’s length away to avoid a momentary slip-up. By the way, this is the first hawse fairlead EVER that I find acceptable. And not just acceptable-outstanding. It has NOT chewed up my winch rope on less-than-straight pulls due to a large radius and the quality and industry-leading Type III anodized surface on 6000 series aluminum. And it looks great after over a year and 17,000 Nena miles.”
#safewinching
#safewinching
Well said Nena Barlow. Nena is an I4WDTA – The International 4-Wheel Drive Trainers Association LLC – certified offroad trainer and understands well the potential hazards of winching. Many people forget the winch “run on” that occurs. Winches do not stop immediately after releasing the “in” button, especially when running the winch at full speed when reeling in your slack winchline. In fact, your winch can continue to reel in up to 12-18 inches of line even after being shut off. So, when getting close to the winch, stop early and then slowly bump the line in being careful not to get your fingers too close or they will end up like the glove.
We still believe the very best finish for Hawse fairleads is a Type III hardcoat anodizing process. It is far superior to any other finish for aluminum. Hardcoat produces an extremely hard, dense, thicker and more abrasion resistant finish than other aluminum surface treatments. Take a look at the image showing the thickness measurement we take when receiving parts. For longevity, we prefer at least a 2 mils thick coating. One of the unique properties of hardcoat is the build of the finish into the aluminum as well as on top of the aluminum. 1 mil in and 1 mil on top is the superior finish. 17,000 Nena miles, now that’s an accomplishment!
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Factor 55 | Engineered, Tested, and Made In The USA
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TBT | Tie a knot or Splice the line?
Thursday, 12 December 2019
Throw Back Thursday
Since a lucky few of you during the holidays may be receiving a new winch equipped with synthetic winch rope, or maybe you are just switching over to synthetic winch rope for safety, it seems like a good time to remind you of the proper way to trail repair a broken winch line. Remember, it’s not “if” a winch line will break, but “when”. Like any polymer fiber, a synthetic winch line is vulnerable to failure from abrasion, sharp edge contact, and shock loading. When it breaks on the trail and you still need a functional loop on the end, it’s natural to want to tie a loop into the end of the line – don’t. Any type of knot tied into HMPE fibered lines will reduce the rope strength by 50% or greater.
Take a look at the attached images and note the different knot configurations in the chart and the relative strength retained (Marlow Ropes). Even in our own knot (Common Overhand Loop Knot) testing, we could never achieve even 50% of the rope strength. A properly spliced 3/8 rope broke at 20,120 pounds, the knotted version – a mere 6,410 pounds! Do yourself a favor and learn how to properly splice your winch line. It’s easy to learn with all of the youtube tutorials available out there. Our favorite quick repair is the simple deep bury splice. If you are pressed for time, don’t worry about properly tapering the end of the line. We tested a blunt bury against a properly tapered bury and observed only a 10% decrease in splice strength (See chart). Although we prefer using our Fast Fid tool, you can also easily resplice your winch line with a ballpoint pen and some tape. Also, if you are ever at a show we are attending, stop by our booth and we can demonstrate how to perform a deep bury splice in under 60 seconds.
Factor 55 – Engineered, Tested, and Made In The USA
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