SMC 2" Swiftwater Pulley

Comments about SMC 2" Swiftwater Pulley:

Since the pulley was useless as it was seized and I could not get it turning again, I drilled out the screw that held it together to see what caused the problem. These screws are loctited in during assembly to prevent their disassembly. I found that SMC uses a standard 1623 RS bearing made in China. These bearings and races are chromium steel and the seals in this bearing are designed for dust exclusion. It is no wonder these fail in a marine environment. SMC could have used stainless steel bearings or perhaps incorporated a labyrinth seal system to help keep water away from the bearings. Instead, SMC uses standard bearings in a pulley it specifically hypes as ideal for a water environment.

SMC states that they intentionally make these bearings non-servcable to protect the consumer. This means that if you expose these units to repeated splashing (i.e. a swiftwater environment), their function will deteriorate until they are useless and then must be replaced.

It's great that they work for a while for some folks, but I suggest if you already have some of these, you carry them in a waterproof case until/unless you need them.

Comments about SMC 2" Swiftwater Pulley:

I bought 3 of these several years ago. I leave them rigged to the sides of my Cat on trips so they are ready if I need them. On 3 trips down the Grand and other smaller trips, the constant splashing eventually siezes them up. It gets harder and harder to turn the pulleys until I finally have to resort to a channelocks with cloth to get them turning again. SMC said they should be able to witshtand the conditions I describe but they have not helped me in terms of replacing them. Since this affected all 3 pulleys, I don't see it is an isolated incident but rather some design or material flaw (maybe a bad batch of seals?).

At any rate, I consider the product and customer support to be poor and will not buy from SMC in the future.

Comments about SMC 2" Swiftwater Pulley:

I use these pulleys in my wrap kit. I like the way these pulleys open to allow a quick bight of rope to be set then close to attach the carabiner. Three of these pulleys and three locking biners attached to Prussic knots will give you 6X pulling power to free a wrapped raft.

Comments about SMC 2" Swiftwater Pulley:

When creeking or trip leading, a solid pin kit is exceptionally valuable. This pulley is the perfect size for whitewater kayaking as it meets the 4:1 ratio for rope to bend that maintains rope strength. It really is 100% maintenance free. I keep two in my pin kit. It isn't the cheapest alternative but definitely is the best.

Comments about SMC 2" Swiftwater Pulley:

Yep, it works. The hinged design is convenient. It's really great to not have to thread the whole rope through.