Synthetic winch rope

In all my years of winching, I have always used the cable and have kinked a few in that time. I no longer off road to the extent that I used to but a winch is still a valuable tool to me. I do spend a lot of time outdoors (hunt,fish,camp) but no longer seek out the mud pits. My boys will be seeking their own adventures (in their own rigs) in the next couple years so I fully expect to get the midnight "Dad, can you come pull me out" phone calls. So, is it worth it for me to upgrade to a synthetic rope? And if so, is Warn worth the extra $130 over Smittybilt? Or others? School this old timer on synthetic.

 

I got the Smittybilt x20 10k synthetic and the rope ripped off the mount that spools onto the drum. Smittybilt sent me the parts and I clamped the synthetic line on the new tab and mounted it back up. I've only used it twice since then and no problems.

 

I wouldn't call switching to rope an upgrade. It's lighter, which would be the only reason to switch. I'd stick to steel cable (old reliable) unless you have some other reason to switch, or extra cash laying around, or want to help out a sagging front end..

My 2 cents..

 

I have no problems with my synthetic.

 

This is the info I'm looking for. If less weight is the major benefit then I can and will put that money towards better use. Thanks

 

Lighter means:

Less weight hanging on the front end.

Easier to pull.

Less mass flying through the air if something fails.

 

I switched for one reason, I got a bur between my finger and nail ..

 

I understand less weight. 15 lbs? Agree less mass is better if a break occurs. What do you mean easier to pull?

 

Any inputs on different manufactures?

 

Easier when you're pulling it off the drum. More flexible. Impossible to impale your hand with a broken wire strand.

 

Back in my Jeep days, when I needed to winch it needed to work without fail, every time. No exceptions.

Having a rope rip off the mount could have meant the total loss of a vehicle.

I bought Warn. Winching can be dangerous and this was not an area to cut corners.

 

I agree and I have only, and currently own a warn. If I do change over, the rope quality and durability is what I am new to.

 

Read up on the synthetic ropes! Ive had both and wouldn't go back to cable. Most of the rope has a stronger pulling rating than cable. Im using 18,000 rated rope. Most of the guys that run with me are making the switch.

Cons: (aside not properly wound on the drum) dragging across sharp objects will damage rope in a hurry!

Pros: Lighter, and easier to work with, and most times stronger size for size.

 

Steel cable breaks, synthetic line breaks. They both have pros and cons. If you're using it for farm type work then I'd definitely recommend going with steel. That type of work is just more likely to involve abuse.

Steel:
- more forgiving to abuse. Drag it over a rock, drop off, whatever, it will take a lot of abuse prior to failure
- cheaper
- not as susceptible to brake heat if you are using your winch to lower a load (ie, paying out under a load)
- if you do manage to break your cable you're done. It's possible to splice it, but it's not easy and, unless you've got lots of time and know what you're doing, it'll probably be faster to get a ride out and order a new one
- can be difficult to work with since it likes to hold its coiled shape
- Burrs. You really, really, really need to wear good gloves while working with it
- Heavier
- Improper spooling can lead to failure

Synthetic:
- Lighter, easy enough to work with that I'll usually send my wife out to set up the pull (yeah, she's awesome). In some situations I've been able to pull most of the cable off the drum, attach a shackle to the end and then toss it towards a buddy.
- It can be delicate. When setting up a pull you want to make sure to avoid pulling it across anything while under tension. If it is unavoidable you can put something smooth under it (like a recovery damper)
- Many winches have a brake that automatically activates when reversing (paying out) the line. This generates a lot of heat that can melt the synthetic line.
- Field fixable. Seriously, it is super easy to do a permanent field repair to synthetic line on the trail. There are some synthetics that may be more difficult to do a permanent fix to, but generally with the basic 12 strand synthetic line you can be back in business in less than five minutes
- More expensive, especially if you're buying an off the shelf winch line. You can save considerable money making your own and it will give you the skills you need to field fix.
- Stronger. For a given diameter, synthetic line is stronger than steel. This may make it possible to go with a smaller diameter synthetic line, meaning that you can fit more wraps of cable on the drum.

FWIW, I've run both synthetic and steel. I use synthetic.

 

Synthetic is also much safer..... When synthetic line breaks under load it goes dead instead of whipping back towards your truck.

 

That's not true. It will snap back like a steel cable. The difference is that instead of cutting you in half, it'll feel more along the lines of getting whipped with a wet towel.

 

I'm amazed that it took that many people commenting to bring up this point... I may not have the $$$ right now to get synthetic for mine but I definitely plan to go to it just for the safety factor. In my eyes, I'd rather run a line that's a little more delicate but know that IF it ever breaks it's not going to whip back and kill anyone

 

Well there's something to look forward to!!

I stand corrected, I haven't personally snapped a synthetic line yet, my Smittybilt is holding strong so far.

 

I have read,a lot. And I believe everything I read on the Internet to be true! Which is the reason I'm asking here, in hopes of real world experience from someone that will use/ has used it in the same way. And I'm more likely to believe the Cheetos eaters from here than from a review of a product, or from a magazine that gets something for pushing a product.

 

I debated on listing this in my previous post but decided not to. IMO, any winchline under tension is dangerous and needs to be treated with the utmost respect. I've seen far too many people using the excuse that it's synthetic to justify being in the wrong place while winching (not saying that this is what you're doing, it's an easy trap to fall into though). Sure, the winchline may carry relatively less energy towards you when it breaks, but there's always the what-if that will get you in the end. If you're using a steel shackle to connect to your anchor or to an extension and your extension or anchor fails, now you've got a hunk of steel coming at you lickity-split. Safety thimbles can do a bit of damage as well (they prevent your hand from getting sucked into the fairlead if you're not paying attention while respooling but don't do much to prevent snap-back).