"Those that regularly head off the beaten track know how esential it is to be prepared for a recover situation. And one of the most important safety items for a crecover kit is a winch cable damper. Winching and snatching places a remendous amount of pressure on equipment, and over time, cables and straps can gradually weaken.
In the unlikely event of a wire rope or snatch strap failure, the amount of energy stored in the cable can make it very dangerous. A damper will significantly reduce the recoil., makeing it less likely to cause any serious damage.
ARB's new winch cable damper has been designed for maximum durability and practicality. Manufactured from heavy duty vinyl with silver reflective tape for night time visibility, it can be worn over the shoulders and features handy storage pockets, useful for carrying heavy items to and from the anchor point. The Damper is also perfect for competitions, and was extensively used at this year's running of Australia's prestigious ARB Warn Outback Challenge."
That is the press release from ARB back in July of 2005 when ARB releasesd the latest version of their Winch Cable Damper. Typically I had used a heavy wool blanket as the damper on my winch cable. It also doubled as a ground tarp when working under the vehicle, and a blanket to keep the kids warm , if not a little smelly afterwards. I had decided to pick up an actual winch damper to replace the worn out wool blanket. A had seen a few of the other brands being used on the trails, but had never seen the ARB one. I think this was probably due to the price tag versus the others. I have never gotten a bad product from ARB, so I decided to spend a little more money and pick up theirs. It is well worth the price in my opinion. This is heavier, thicker, better edging and stitching, and better velcro then the others that I have seen. I don't doubt that this will easily outlast any of the others I have seen. While it doesn't really fit well over the shoulders, you can throw shackles and snatch blocks in it and head towards the anchor point. Just be careful you now have a swinging weight in front of you and it will remind you on the back swing into your belly.
Additional
Parts:
Tools
Needed:
Reflective tape towards the top section to show you where the cable is, and to povide a little extra safety if your wearing it over your shoulders.
Heavy duty (almost the same color for a nice touch) velcro to hold it together and around the winch cable.
Heavy duty pocket with safety instructions on the inside. You can throw some extra weights inside when you winching, or use it to haul stuff to your anchor point.
It can be worn over the shoulders, though I recommend being a little big bigger than my son.
