PTO Capstan Winch (from scratch)

[John_Mc]

Hi, As a lifelong wharf rat I know that nylon is preferred as an anchor line because the stretch helps prevent jerking you around ( and pulling out the anchor) PolyDacron is probably a much better choice. They have some on Amazon

When winching, you do not want stretch. Most capstan winches use double braided polyester rope: minimal stretch, decent abrasion resistance (at least as ropes go). Nylon generally has too much stretch for this application.

For rope, I first tried 3/8" synthetic winch rope. One trip through the winch, and that rope is now pancake flat. Next I tried 5/8" double braided nylon rope. That worked well until outer cover got a small tear on it, and then it quickly unraveled. Finally I settled on 5/8" three-strand-twisted rope. It is holding up the best, but nevertheless the winch is very hard on any rope you run through it. I expect to replace the rope fairly frequently.

If your winch is really eating up ropes quickly, you may have a problem with the surface of your capstan. It could also be a matter of just using the wrong type of rope, but the condition of the capstan surface and anything else that comes in contact with the rope is the first place I would look.

 

[SpringHollow]

My capstan has an aluminum drum and I have not had any issues. But my ropes are not extremely dirty.