Hawse fairlead

Also called fairlead, hawse, aluminium fairlead, synthetic line fairlead

A hawse fairlead is a smooth aluminium block that guides a synthetic winch line onto the drum without letting it saw against the bumper, and it exists because synthetic rope does not need the rollers steel cable needs, and is damaged by them.

What is a fairlead?

A fairlead is the opening the winch line passes through on its way out of the vehicle. Its job is to let you pull at an angle without the line dragging across the bumper, and to feed the line back onto the drum evenly rather than piling it up at one end.

There are two kinds. A roller fairlead has four steel rollers in a frame and is what steel cable wants, because steel is stiff and abrades anything it slides against. A hawse fairlead is a single block, usually aluminium, with a wide flared mouth and heavily radiused edges, and it is what synthetic rope wants.

Why synthetic gets the smooth one

Synthetic winch line is a woven UHMWPE rope, and it is flexible enough to conform to a smooth curve. Run it through a roller fairlead and it works its way into the gaps between the rollers, where it gets pinched and cut. Run it over a polished aluminium surface and it slides.

The consequence is that the fairlead surface is a wear item you should look at. Any burr, gouge or corrosion pit on the mouth of a hawse will cut synthetic line, slowly and then suddenly. Run a fingernail around the inside occasionally, and dress out anything that catches it.

Hawse fairleads come in different thicknesses, and the thick ones exist for a reason. Patrick's Tacoma runs a one and a half inch Warn Epic rather than the standard block, to clear the factory bumper plastics in front of a hidden winch. It is a small part that only exists because of a decision made somewhere else on the truck.