Why is synthetic so popular these days? It doesn’t seem as durable as cable, is it purely safety if it breaks?
D
DDDonkey
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From my understanding the synthetic winch line doesn’t have the recoil if it breaks like the standard steel cable. I run the standard steel cable just because I am cheap and that’s what my winch came with. Eventually I will upgrade to a synthetic wine with a haws fairlead, right now I very rarely gets stuck and need to use my winch so the steel cable works just fine for me. I also live in a very dry climate so I don’t have to worry about rust.
I’ve read where mud, dirt, ice etc are all hard on synthetic rope, seems you almost have to be in perfect conditions to not slowly damage it. I had thought about switching to a syn rope but think I’ll stay with cable for now.
Mudwing
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That may be so but the cost to replace is worth it. The synthetic is very nice. The biggest thing is safety. Not only when it breaks but the steel cable will have burrs or broken wires poking out after a while. You need to be extra careful not to slice your hand open on it. Another advantage to rope is if it does break you can tie it together with a simple knot. Steel had durability and longevity but unless you’re skidding logs, synthetic wins out. 😎
Dirtstiffs-1000
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The advantage of Amsteel rope is that it doesn't kill you when or if it breaks and comes whiplashing back at you.
No rust
No spooling issues
No frayed cables to cut you
#/# better choice.
IMO
No rust
No spooling issues
No frayed cables to cut you
#/# better choice.
IMO
TxDoc
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Synthetic Cable
Synthetic is up to twice as strong as wire cable. It's much lighter in weight.
Advantages of synthetic
Safety. One of the most important features of synthetic winch lines is the safety benefits they provide.
Strength. Synthetic winch lines have breaking strengths 30-90% higher than steel wire rope.
Weight.
No Kinks
Ease of use
Doesn't trust.
Easy to repair
Disadvantages of synthetic
Subject to abrasion
Need regular maintenance cleaning of mud, sand and debris (my Amsteel Blue was still good after 17 years)
Can freeze with retained water
Degrades with ultra violet light and over heating
Needs protection from sharp abrasive objects, debris and sunlight
Many similar type low grade products are in the market
More expensive than steel
Steel Cable
Steel cable advantages
Greater durability
Lasts longer
Less expensive
Requires less maintenance than synthetic
Negatives of steel cable
Greater kinetic energy creating severe whiplash
Difficult to handle
Develops barbs and can kink
If not under load on winch will unspool into a birds nest
Is heavier
Almost impossible to field fix
Can become rusted and lose strength
Needs regular lubrication, cleaning and maintenance
Pick what suits YOUR NEEDS the best.
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Synthetic is up to twice as strong as wire cable. It's much lighter in weight.
Advantages of synthetic
Safety. One of the most important features of synthetic winch lines is the safety benefits they provide.
Strength. Synthetic winch lines have breaking strengths 30-90% higher than steel wire rope.
Weight.
No Kinks
Ease of use
Doesn't trust.
Easy to repair
Disadvantages of synthetic
Subject to abrasion
Need regular maintenance cleaning of mud, sand and debris (my Amsteel Blue was still good after 17 years)
Can freeze with retained water
Degrades with ultra violet light and over heating
Needs protection from sharp abrasive objects, debris and sunlight
Many similar type low grade products are in the market
More expensive than steel
Steel Cable
Steel cable advantages
Greater durability
Lasts longer
Less expensive
Requires less maintenance than synthetic
Negatives of steel cable
Greater kinetic energy creating severe whiplash
Difficult to handle
Develops barbs and can kink
If not under load on winch will unspool into a birds nest
Is heavier
Almost impossible to field fix
Can become rusted and lose strength
Needs regular lubrication, cleaning and maintenance
Pick what suits YOUR NEEDS the best.
Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk
Last edited:
TripleB
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TxDoc
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Don't tie a knot in broken synthetic rope.
Anytime you tie a knot in a rope, you weaken it; in drop tests and pull tests, a rope typically breaks at the knot. ... The bowline is a slightly weaker knot, at 70 to 75 percent, followed by the double fisherman's at 65 to 70 percent. The clove hitch is the weakest of the common climbing knots, at 60 to 65 percent.
Splicing will restore the rope to original strength, albeit a little shorter.
factor55.com
Splicing
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Anytime you tie a knot in a rope, you weaken it; in drop tests and pull tests, a rope typically breaks at the knot. ... The bowline is a slightly weaker knot, at 70 to 75 percent, followed by the double fisherman's at 65 to 70 percent. The clove hitch is the weakest of the common climbing knots, at 60 to 65 percent.
Splicing will restore the rope to original strength, albeit a little shorter.
Broken Winch Line? Splice or Knot tie? | Factor 55
Think tying a knot to repair your broken synthetic winch rope is a good idea? Think again. Different types of knots subject the rope fibers to different levels of bending stresses, with some knots subjecting the rope fibers to severe bending (Bowline knot). HMPE is a slippery fiber and does not...
factor55.com
Splicing
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Last edited:
Cuoutdoors
Executive Member
Lifetime Member
If anyone thinks steel is better i'm guessing they have never used a synthetic rope much. They don't kink or fray or get bound up on the spool. You don't have to worry about wearing gloves to use them. To those worried about the rope wearing out due snow, ice, sand, mud etc wearing on the rope. I've used one for 5 years without cleaning it and never had an issue. I did clean mine once last year. Just put in a bucket of water to soak a bit then rinsed it out.
The pros of synthetic far out weigh the cons.
The pros of synthetic far out weigh the cons.
That’s just it, I’ve only ever had steel. Thanks for all the responses still haven’t decided if I’ll replace or replace down the road.
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Cuoutdoors
Executive Member
Lifetime Member
I think there's 2 very different scenarios here.
1. "Normal winching" hooking your winch to a tree, rock, another rig, etc to get your machine out of a bad position.
2.Dragging with a cable/rope..
Dragging stuff out of the bush is a totally different story. Much harder on a rope or cable than normal winching. In which case a strong case could be made for steel cable over synthetic.
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