Factor 55's Aluminum Hawse Offset Fairlead. These 1.5 fairleads are CNC machined from 1.5 inch thick USA 6000 series aluminum bar. The industry standard fairlead thickness is .75 inches thick. The thicker aluminum bar results in a larger outer fillet radius for the synthetic rope to slide against. This results in less stress on the rope fibers during high angular pulls, increasing the life of your synthetic rope. The Offset fairleads are the industrys first Hawse Offset fairlead compatible with larger ½ inch diameter rope tube thimbles. The rope slot height opening is taller to allow the larger ½ tube thimbles to pass through. There is also a machined outer corner chamfer to reduce rope stress for those than plan on using the winch as a front suspension suck down device. These fairleads come in a durable MIL-A-8625F TYPE III gun metal gray hard anodized finish with a laser engraved logo. What is the best surface finish for Hawse aluminum fairleads? Without a doubt it is a Type III hard anodized coating. Not cosmetic Type II anodized finishes, not powder coated, and not raw or polished aluminum. Why? Because a hard coating can resist the abrasion damage from a dirty/gritty synthetic winch rope rubbing across it. Especially during extreme side pulls where rope fiber stresses are extremely high. A Mil-A-8625 Type III hard anodized finish leaves a .002 thick Al2O3 ceramic coating that is in the top 5 hardest materials known to mankind (See chart under Corundum/Sapphire). Not too far away from diamond hardness actually. Another valuable material property from hard anodized coatings are the low coefficients of friction. Low friction = lower rope heat. Only drawback? Hard anodizing is not offered in typical bright and fancy anodized colors. All Factor 55 fairleads only come in Mil-A-8625 hard gray finishes. Not fancy, but it is the proper finish to extend the life of your synthetic rope. TECH INFO: Always confirm that the synthetic rope cannot make contact to any sharp edges like the opening in the steel fairlead mounting plate or bumper opening. In some cases it may be required to grind this slot larger. Always sand and deburr this opening after any grinding operation.
