Are all winch fairleads created equal?

[rmbertoldi]

In shopping for some new winch accessories, mainly a new "quad-roller" multi-directional fairlead I noticed that there is a VAST difference between something like the (namebrand) Warn Industrial Roller Fairlead -$295

and something like the Quadratec Q-series Roller Fairlead- $29.95

So that said, as I have ZERO experience winching with a vehicle, who's used what?? and what would you recommend, is the hardware/bearing quality really worth the price difference, keeping in mind that this part IS SOLELY going to take the full weight of the vehicle, with the shearing forces/angles of the line/cable..I can see how it may be one of those things that you never skimp on, while I can also see every "name brand" company claiming that this is the reason you need to spend $200+ more...when in reality it's just a re-badged knock-off of the same quality. :ybrick:

 

[Hyde802]

I abandoned my quad roller for a Warn steel hawse fairlead. Went with a steel vs aluminum because Im running a steel cable. It hangs out about 1.5" less than the rollers, so I dont end up hitting it on as much stuff (it was bent from hitting rocks and trees) . I think it was only about $40, been using it for about 3 years now, no regerts.

Have a friend who we just built a TG based bumper on his 1st gen, he got a roller fairlead from summit racig for $30 I think. Used it a few times now, works great!

 

[ElZilcho]

I recommend a Hawse style fairlead. No moving parts to fail, it doesn't stick out as far so it is less likely to interrupt your approach (or bump a car in a tight parking spot), and it's cheap. Good kits come with stainless hardware, cheap kits don't. If you're running steel cable I recommend a steel Hawse. The aluminum fairleads can be abraded away by the steel cable and embed your line with sharp little aluminum bits... which then embed themselves into your hand when you are re-spooling your cable:mmph:

If you decide to go with a roller type don't cheap out. To be clear, there is a difference between cheap, and inexpensive. A cheap roller fairlead can fail and fling a roller at you. They will also cut your cable when they fail or if your pull angle is just wrong enough to pull the cable down sharply and all the way to the side.

The $300 fairlead is the type of thing you would use on a flatbed tow truck. In that application it's worth the money. For the occasional *oops* winch I wouldn't pay more than $50 for a Hawse (though quality Hawse fairleads can be had for cheaper), or $100 for roller (I wouldn't trust the cheap ones).

Spend the extra money on quality shackles, a snatch block, and a tree saver.

 

[01100101]

Off topic, but somewhat related. Do you guys know the bolt size and if the bolts to the hawse fairleads are the same size for all or are they different sizes? I have a friend that lost the fairlead bolts to her warn winch and would like to gift her some new ones.

 

[rmbertoldi]

I abandoned my quad roller for a Warn steel hawse fairlead. Went with a steel vs aluminum because Im running a steel cable. It hangs out about 1.5" less than the rollers, so I dont end up hitting it on as much stuff (it was bent from hitting rocks and trees) . I think it was only about $40, been using it for about 3 years now, no regerts.

Have a friend who we just built a TG based bumper on his 1st gen, he got a roller fairlead from summit racig for $30 I think. Used it a few times now, works great!

Thanks great point, I was actually looking at the hawse-type fairlead over the roller-type. I like the fact that it sits flush and is what a lot of guys use for the hidden-mount too..and less moving parts of course so hopefully less to brake. I was actually wondering why someone would go with the roller over the hawse, would they WANT the extra clearance for hard angles to clear the bumper? It seems logical, but at that hard of an angle, I feel like it doesn't matter what type of fairlead you have, the cable, roller, or something else will give first I'd think?

 

[ElZilcho]

Thanks great point, I was actually looking at the hawse-type fairlead over the roller-type. I like the fact that it sits flush and is what a lot of guys use for the hidden-mount too..and less moving parts of course so hopefully less to brake. I was actually wondering why someone would go with the roller over the hawse, would they WANT the extra clearance for hard angles to clear the bumper? It seems logical, but at that hard of an angle, I feel like it doesn't matter what type of fairlead you have, the cable, roller, or something else will give first I'd think?

If you're winching regularly enough that cable wear is a concern (i.e. flatbed tow trucks) than the roller fairlead makes sense because you generally have more control over your pull angle, and a quality roller fairlead is cheaper than replacing your cables every couple of months. For sporadic winching the Hawse is a better value in my opinion.

Also, running a cable over a Hawse fairlead decreases the rated Working Load Limit for your cable by a larger percentage than a roller fairlead given the same pull angle. That's not an issue for most of us because 1) usually the minimum breaking load of a cable is greater than the maximum pull of a winch (in consumer applications) i.e a 12,000# cable on an 8,000# winch; and 2) if you're in a real pickle you can use a snatch block doubled back to the truck to double your effective ratings... so even if you are at an extreme angle, and the fairlead is reducing your cable strength by as much as half you have the option of doubling it (effectively). In a commercial application you have an 8 ton winch, 8 ton cable, and boom/axles rated for 8 tons. It's not economical to be pulling snatches unnecessarily (but we do it occasionally...)

That was probably more than you were looking for As to why home-gamers like us would use a roller over a Hawse... they frequently come with the winch.

 

[4Reak Show]

This is awesome. My winch just showed up yesterday for my bumper project on my 2nd gen. Came with steel cable and roller fairlead and seems beefy enough. (9500 lb winch for a 5000 lb truck) However I do NOT like how much it will stick out. Just my preference. Most don't look bad at all, but it just doesn't do it for me on mine.

Warn 73850 is what I'm going to go with. $50, looks better, less parts etc.
https://www.amazon.com/WARN-73850-S...e+fairlead&dpPl=1&dpID=31bzWHrR5QL&ref=plSrch

I don't plan to winch a lot. Probably never really but I want the option to winch and since it will be few and far between I'll take my chances with a steel hawse fairlead for daily appearances if nothing else.

That being said, if you're interested in a brand new Smittybilt roller fairlead I literally took out of the box yesterday, let me know. Seems good quality overall, just not going to work for my particular wants/needs. And takers?

 

[rmbertoldi]

If you're winching regularly enough that cable wear is a concern (i.e. flatbed tow trucks) than the roller fairlead makes sense because you generally have more control over your pull angle, and a quality roller fairlead is cheaper than replacing your cables every couple of months. For sporadic winching the Hawse is a better value in my opinion.

Also, running a cable over a Hawse fairlead decreases the rated Working Load Limit for your cable by a larger percentage than a roller fairlead given the same pull angle. That's not an issue for most of us because 1) usually the minimum breaking load of a cable is greater than the maximum pull of a winch (in consumer applications) i.e a 12,000# cable on an 8,000# winch; and 2) if you're in a real pickle you can use a snatch block doubled back to the truck to double your effective ratings... so even if you are at an extreme angle, and the fairlead is reducing your cable strength by as much as half you have the option of doubling it (effectively). In a commercial application you have an 8 ton winch, 8 ton cable, and boom/axles rated for 8 tons. It's not economical to be pulling snatches unnecessarily (but we do it occasionally...)

That was probably more than you were looking for As to why home-gamers like us would use a roller over a Hawse... they frequently come with the winch.

Ha actually that was exactly what I was looking for, I never thought to factor in the drag coefficient between the roller and non-roller version, makes complete sense now when it comes to the rate of steel cable damage. I'm planning on going synthetic line, and realistically winching very few times when i'm in a pickle or need to pull a large tree out of the woods a bit to cut up..I think the Hawse is definitely the way I'll go now, thanks a lot for all the insight!