Winch Line

Cable or Synthetic which is better?

My winch is receiver hitch mounted, so synthetic all the way. The difference in weight is huge when carrying the damn thing around.

Better? Neither! They each have their pro's/con's! Terrain,climate,price,etc! One thought that doesn't get covered,is the difference between pulling your own rig out VS pulling someone else out!

I love my synthetic. I have used many a cable winch and they work equally well but after I had a metal splinter sent through my hand I avoid them.

Personally I'd stick with steel unless it was for a dedicated rock crawler.(which I don't own.)

Steel is simple, but it has it's downsides. One, when it fails, it is incredibly dangerous. Two, it's heavy. Three, as mentioned, frayed wires in the cable HURT. Heavy gloves solve that one though.

Synthetics have a lot of pros - safety in the event of a failure being at the top of the list. Where they fall down is in UV/weather resistance. While great strides have been made in durability, all synthetic materials, and most natural organics degrade over time due to sunlight and atmospheric exposure.

Install a synthetic line on a winch, roll it up, and leave it on the front of your daily driver for five years, using it 4 times. You'll notice color bleaching on the line and fraying. Time for a new line. A steel line would only need cleaned and lubricated in that time, unless damaged during actual use.

Both steel and synthetic have problems caused by improper winding on the drum. Synthetic is reportedly a lot pickier then steel in this regard, and I've read of people having to cut stuck synthetic off a winch. This is a misuse issue that proper winding solves.

Thanks for the feedback. I am getting ready to start shopping a for a receiver mounted winch. The extra weight of steel cable is not an issue for me. The issue of usability is. I've seen a steel winch line break first hand and yes they can tear the he!! out of anything in their path. I am nterested in Synthetic, but it just seems so light duty.

Synthetic is up to 45% stronger for a given size, doesn't seem light duty. Also, stuck in a watery mud hole and drop your steel cable, go fish. Synthetic floats. Also, not sure why added weight wouldn't be an issue? Decreased fuel economy, poorer acceleration, poorer handling, increased risk of breakage, more damage in event of a breakage just to add a few side effects of unnecessary weight.

zachandandy said:

Synthetic is up to 45% stronger for a given size, doesn't seem light duty. Also, stuck in a watery mud hole and drop your steel cable, go fish. Synthetic floats. Also, not sure why added weight wouldn't be an issue? Decreased fuel economy, poorer acceleration, poorer handling, increased risk of breakage, more damage in event of a breakage just to add a few side effects of unnecessary weight.

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Agreed, but to argue the other side: synthetic is less resistant to UV, less abrasion resistant, less heat resistant, etc. And it isn't like the 30lb difference is killing anyone's quarter mile times or decreasing gas mileage significantly - 30lbs is less than 1% of the total vehicle weight. There are pros and cons to both.

Actually, a receiver mount winch would be an application where I'd be willing to use synthetic. When it's not in use, it's protected,.. dumping 20-30lb from a man-portable item is never to be laughed at,..

Especially man portable in the worst conditions. When your lugging it around on uneven loose terrain, you'll wish it was 30-40 pounds lighter.

I've yet to see Steel cable fail.. i know it happens.. i fear it everytime i see winchline take on a load.. but have yet to actually see it..

on the other hand.. I do agree about the other "Pro's" of Synthetic, I actually have considered it for the weight savings, and to avoid being "poked" again.. but i just cant justify the upgrade for $300 +/-

When my steel cable breaks.. And i'm sure it will, because it gets used OFTEN, I will look into the upgrade more..

I guess it all depends on whats important to you.. priority's etc, Floating on water? psshh that's NOT a selling point for me.. but the weight savings isnt a selling point for "The_Weirdo"

so yes, i agree..depends on how you use your rig

I wish I had two winches sometimes, one with steel the other with synthetic. When winching dead vehicles out of the desert, especially up hill, I worry for the safety of my synthetic since it drags on the ground in those scenarios. The rope guard is crap, it got caught up on the fairlead once and got torn to shreds. In those scenarios, steel would be nicer. Dragging through rocks and such is a definite plus for steel.

My synthetic is nice and light, never stabs me, and comes in pretty colors.

Darky said:

My synthetic is nice and light, never stabs me, and comes in pretty colors.

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Oh yeah? like Red white and blue?

(..no..no. I'm not starting this again:laugh::moon

I have a rockstomper synthetic it's about two years old and is holding up nicely..

my only complaint is I used to go (within range and make a pile of firewood with a strap laying under it and drag it through the brush all at once with my winch (through brush and small limbs).

if I try that with my syn. It will get snagged to hell..
it is plenty strong but not so snag proof..

for me being constantly mounted weight was a factor.
also it's much safer. Althogh I haven't personally seen steel or syn break I feel much safer with the syn (i wheel with my kid alot).

the chafe guard is a must and yes they might get shredded but I put a new one on so it wouldn't be my line getting the shred next time..

I had steel for like 5 years and I rarely miss it and when I do it's for some purpous where I'm not really using it for what it's designed for and want the rope to be tougher.. I got sliced real bad one time (through gloves) with my steel

I thought of another plus for syn. You can braid them back after a break . I have a page printed out on this with pics and step by step (never had to use it yet)

anyway on the day it does break all I will be thinking about is how expensive that dang rope was..
after 2 years it's a little faded and mildly fuzzy in some spots I can not imagine it lasting as long as a steel line..

in the end though it will be replaced w a syn. For safety and managability.. They are just easier to deal with.. Wind it properly and unwind and wipe clean after runs and they should last (probably not as long as steel)

I run a synthetic line and view it as a consumable like changing your oil. If you use your winch a lot, you may need to replace it every two, three, four, years etc. depending on use and climate. I'm willing to invest a little more to have something lightweight, safe and easy to use.

Synthetic is fine as long as you run a winch cover and tape the part of the rope that is exposed. They both work, but I like the synthetic for ease of use and because I like to snow wheel and dragging 100' of steel cable in 2 - 4 foot of snow is a much harder than pulling synthetic rope.

There are maybe 1% of actual winch use situations that a steel cable would be my choice. Dragging logs over rocks is the only one I can think of. Is this even a discussion? I still have a couple steel cables around if anyone wants to trade.

Rock Toy said:

Synthetic is fine as long as you run a winch cover and tape the part of the rope that is exposed. They both work, but I like the synthetic for ease of use and because I like to snow wheel and dragging 100' of steel cable in 2 - 4 foot of snow is a much harder than pulling synthetic rope.

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That's what I was wondering about. Wouldn't either using a cover, or having an internally mounted winch solve 90% of the downsides of synthetic?

Milford Cubicle II said:

That's what I was wondering about. Wouldn't either using a cover, or having an internally mounted winch solve 90% of the downsides of synthetic?

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Mounting a winch internally on an XJ would be what I would refer to as mounting it behind the cross member. Would the engine heat affect the synthetic line?