Pro-Link Factor 55

[opie]

The nice thing its a one time purchase that will last your lifetime and is easily transferred between winches/winchlines. Let's say you buy 3 winchlines over the course of your offroad lifetime. If you were to get the safety thimble on each lime the cost would exceed the cost of the ProLink. Safety Thimbles are also one trick ponies. Once its on its not coming off. The ProLink offers you more options in ny opinion.

How is a safety thimble, or any thimble, not free to be removed from a line?

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[Antichrist]

The ProLink offers you more options in ny opinion.

Please elaborate.
From a rigging perspective I can't see any advantage to a safety thimble of any type, pro link or otherwise, over a quality shackle which costs a heck of a lot less.

The only advantages I can see for them is if you don't pay attention to what you're doing and are prone to sucking your cable too far in when spooling in your rope. Or if you like to spool it in so there's tension on it and don't want it connected to your recovery point on your bumper.

Quite honestly, even if I was in the market, I wouldn't buy one of the Pro Link because of their attitude of, "You people are too stupid to properly rig a recovery." as evidenced by this photo.



Any vendor that so blatantly tells me I'm an idiot doesn't get any business from me.
Admittedly, I guess, it could be the people at Pro Link were too stupid and their only solution to the above was to make their product.

[fishEH]

I've never really looked closely at a "normal" safety thimble so I don't know why they are "one time use".

Maybe I'm wrong but for your average winch user I couldn't see any way to snake another line through the saftey thimble to reuse.

[Eventhough]

Maybe I'm wrong but for your average winch user I couldn't see any way to snake another line through the saftey thimble to reuse.

For the average winch user then no, a safety-style thimble is not reusable per se with their capabilities. You can remove a safety-style thimble, or even a tube thimble, by undoing the splice and then resplicing the thimble on another line. That is fine as long as the thimble is in good shape.

[opie]

For the average winch user then no, a safety-style thimble is not reusable per se with their capabilities. You can remove a safety-style thimble, or even a tube thimble, by undoing the splice and then resplicing the thimble on another line. That is fine as long as the thimble is in good shape.

The average winch user is one of the reasons synthetic is a viable alternative. With knowledge of the proper numbers, which are widely available, the average winch user is capable of splicing their own line. In the field.

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[Eventhough]

The average winch user is one of the reasons synthetic is a viable alternative. With knowledge of the proper numbers, which are widely available, the average winch user is capable of splicing their own line. In the field.

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While it is not overly difficult to learn how to field repair a synthetic winch line to get one back home, most people who run synthetic line do not know how to do this properly. A field splice repair is also different than a bench splice. The Pro-Link Factor55 thimble can be installed and removed with a pair of snap ring pliers. A safety-style or tube thimble have to be spliced onto a synthetic winch line.

[Antichrist]

Why would you be removing it in the field, other than because the line broke?

[Eventhough]

Why would you be removing it in the field, other than because the line broke?

I don't think many people would want to remove the ProLink in the field. I think the easy snap ring removal of the ProLink Factor55 thimble would benefit people who wanted to add a safety-style thimble to a synthetic winch line (or even a steel cable line) and they don't know how to splice line.

[Antichrist]

Ah, gotcha.

[opie]

While it is not overly difficult to learn how to field repair a synthetic winch line to get one back home, most people who run synthetic line do not know how to do this properly.

Which is one reason why I warranty my splices for 5 years, as well as freely put the information out there in easy to understand terms, using tools we all have laying under our seats, on how to perform the splices.

A field splice repair is also different than a bench splice.

In what way? One buries the standing end a set measurement into the working end. Bench or no bench, the splice procedures are identical. The only variance is one may not have the fancy tools out in the field, they would find on a bench. Which is why I demonstrate the procedure using a ball point pen and tape.

The Pro-Link Factor55 thimble can be installed and removed with a pair of snap ring pliers. A safety-style or tube thimble have to be spliced onto a synthetic winch line.

And back to my original comment... The splice does not permanently "lock" the thimble onto the line. In fact, Id wager more folks have the tools available to perform a splice, than remove a snap ring, in their rig.

Im not arguing the merits between the two, just that splicing synthetic line is not voodoo. Its not rocket science. If you can stick your fingers in a Chinese finger trap, you can splice synthetic line.