What type of rope is weather resistant?

What type of rope is weather resistant?

I tied up some bundles of scrap lumber a couple of years ago, so I could move them around with my loader forks. I used cheap plastic rope from HF. When I went to move the bundles recently all the ropes had rotted out, apparently from sun exposure, since the blue color was bleached to white.

What should I buy for this application? I expect to cut the rope into lengths for one-time use, so I don't want anything expensive.

Comments?

Electric fence wire.

how many years do you want it to last?
the cheap polyester and polypro ropes are not UV stable.
Nylon has a better UV resistance than many, but still not great for more than 2-3 years in your altitude.
reddog is right about fence wire lasting longest, but you can also buy a cheap "flat bander" (thin metal strapping like they use at lumber yards for pallets of wood) and use that to cinch and clip your bundles.

REDDOGTWO said:

Electric fence wire.

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I wish I had some. I would hate to buy a spool. The only similar scrap I have here is a snarl of used 5?-strand TV antenna guywire. I should probably just use that.

Erik said:

how many years do you want it to last?
the cheap polyester and polypro ropes are not UV stable.
Nylon has a better UV resistance than many, but still not great for more than 2-3 years in your altitude.
reddog is right about fence wire lasting longest, but you can also buy a cheap "flat bander" (thin metal strapping like they use at lumber yards for pallets of wood) and use that to cinch and clip your bundles.

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I thought the 'ratchet' for the bander was a $50 tool. I considered that at one time, but then used this rope that I already had but didn't trust for load tiedown.

I need to slack off then re-tighten the wrapper to take out single pieces, and I don't think I could do that with banding.

This lumber may stay in bundles for several years, maybe a couple of decades before I use it all. It is used redwood 1x12 to 1x16 barn siding, and redwood framing lumber, saved for patching things and building storage racks, etc. This old-growth redwood is better than anything I could buy today. Most of it is from tearing down a shed built in the 60's, that was built out of used redwood that is likely a century old now and is still solid. I may take years to use the last of it.

I'm not at altitude (only 300 ft) so I don't think I have severe ultraviolet here.

Is 'trucker's rope' black w red diamonds, made of nylon? I think there's some buried somewhere in the barn. Maybe that should be plan 2.

if you've already got spare rope - replacing the bad stuff is a good plan.
otherwise, fence and/or baling wire can be bought in 1/4 mile spools for about $10, and you could use a clothesline turnbuckle as a low cost tensioner for when you need to pull boards out of the bundle.

Erik said:

if you've already got spare rope - replacing the bad stuff is a good plan.
otherwise, fence and/or baling wire can be bought in 1/4 mile spools for about $10, and you could use a clothesline turnbuckle as a low cost tensioner for when you need to pull boards out of the bundle.

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Hmmm... If I tied loops in the wire, or used a wire clamp, then I could tension it using a load binder.

Back to the drawing board!

I have done quick fixes to fences by putting a loop into it and then tightening the loop. Works quite well.

Yep, Reddog? Been there, done that.

Polypropylene rope may be the best for long durations. I'd look for some old rope used for water skiing.

I too will pile on and say my preference (and what I use) is the electric fence wire. I use it all over the place. A pair of Safety Wire pliers may also be a good investment if you find yourself doing more projects with it. They'll do all the twisting for you (and much nicer than you can do it by hand). I think Northern Tool has them.

Dacron line is the most UV resistant type I know of. It's also very low stretch compared to nylon or polypro, if that is a good characteristic in your case.

Poly line fails the quickest and will just lose all it's strength even if it looks OK. Nylon is good for a while but should not be trustsed after long exposure.

I used some dacron for the topping lift on my boat and it was still fine 15 or so years later. Always out in the weather and sun.

That's good to know.

I thought baling the lumber bundles with Harbor Freight's cheapest poly rope was sufficient for this non-critical task, but it all rotted away in the first year. Now I need to replace it all before I can move the lumber again. (2007 photo).

Hf sells crap imo. Go to any feed store, buy the stuff used to tie up hay bales. I had old bales in the far corner of my pasture for erosion control, finally went to move them when we built the pond, after 8 years.....stuff still held.

That sounds ideal. I'll go get a roll of the stuff. Thanks!