Winch cable for fullsize trucks.... synthetic vs steel...does it matter?

[hidesertwheelin]

I remember when synthetic winch cables first came out, people were saying not to use them on big heavy full size trucks. Does that still matter now? Have they been proven to work on well on full size trucks? Was it ever really a problem?

 

[Thirty-Nine]

Just make sure to find the winch line with the proper weight rating and you should be good to go. A number of companies have quite high ratings now.

 

[100acrehuphalump]

I picked up mine from Southeast Overland. It certainly reduced the weight on my truck. And I'd rather be hit by a synthetic line snapping than a steel one.

 

[anickode]

I don't know why you couldn't use synthetic... Purple Plasma (and many others) has a higher tensile strength than steel line, and at a fraction of the weight, if it does snap, it's carrying significantly less inertia and doesnt have a thousand razor blades sticking out of the end.

 

[xbox73]

For the Warn M15000 (15k lbs), last time I checked Warn didn't have a properly rated line direct from them. However, I spoke to a Warn rep at Overland Expo last year, and he said they are working on it. He said I should check out Masterpull if I didn't want to wait for Warn. For the 15k lbs winch, 7/16 steel cable is required, and Masterpull makes 1/2" synthetic line that would be suitable. Might only get 60-80' of 1/2" synthetic on vs. 90' of 7/16" steel cable on the drum, but that's normally enough & one could always use an extension, if necessary. I already have 7/16" steel cable, so I haven't made the swap, as 60+' of 1/2" synthetic + 30+' of 1/2" extension isn't cheap, and I hardly ever need to use my winch as it is.

 

[highdesertranger]

it depends. first the line must be rated for the pulling power of your winch. so if you a using the winch to recover your vehicle synthetic is great. in this mode once your line is secured basically it doesn't move, except for spooling onto the drum. however if you use the winch to do work like moving objects(trees, rocks, other vehicles) synthetic is no good. in this situation your vehicle is stationary and your cable is moving over objects. granite bedrock is the worse, you will shred a synthetic line quick. so it depends on how you want to use it. synthetic saves weight, but you will ruin it quick trying to pull something else out where the line is riding over abrasive material. highdesertranger

 

[LocoCoyote]

I don't know why you couldn't use synthetic... Purple Plasma (and many others) has a higher tensile strength than steel line, and at a fraction of the weight, if it does snap, it's carrying significantly less inertia and doesnt have a thousand razor blades sticking out of the end.

Kinetic energy, not inertia.

 

[Buliwyf]

Synthetic cable is safer and better for real wheeling, by someone with experience, in conditions that are well known.

That's why steel is recommended for fulllsize trucks. 99% of the time a winch is used for a fullsize truck, it ain't playtime in the woods where you get to pick your pulls and have others to tug from. Too often we're stuck some place weird. Or pulling out a car or little SUV that has no recovery points and has a sub frame made out of razor blades.

You can't drag and abuse rope as much. So if you don't know if rope is right for you, start off with cable and a tire/blanket/chain.

 

[Pilat]

Go with synthetic. It is good enough for ocean tugs, and they see a lot more constant snapping force than a winch line on a truck ever will.

It is not exactly new tech, although quite a few people will claim that synthetic line is somehow untested and not to be trusted. If you like wire bites, rust, and much more stored energy before snapping to be unleashed near you, sure, you should go with steel wire.

 

[I Leak Oil]

Does the winch line know if it's attached to a full size truck or not? That's a weird concept to say not to use it just because it's a full size. Use the same method to choose one or the other as you would with any other vehicle.

 

[yarden]

The real questions are... what are you going to be winching... how often... what conditions? Then you need to make a choice. Both steel and synthetic have their place and synthetic will never replace steel as the exclusive winch line. None of this is cut and dry.

 

[Mountainhound]

x2

The real questions are... what are you going to be winching... how often... what conditions? Then you need to make a choice. Both steel and synthetic have their place and synthetic will never replace steel as the exclusive winch line. None of this is cut and dry.

 

[D45]

I have been running 7/16" synthetic rope from Custom Splice for over 3 years now, no issues with my HEAVY truck

http://www.customsplice.com/?target=category&category_id=43

 

[underdrive]

it depends. first the line must be rated for the pulling power of your winch. so if you a using the winch to recover your vehicle synthetic is great. in this mode once your line is secured basically it doesn't move, except for spooling onto the drum. however if you use the winch to do work like moving objects(trees, rocks, other vehicles) synthetic is no good. in this situation your vehicle is stationary and your cable is moving over objects. granite bedrock is the worse, you will shred a synthetic line quick. so it depends on how you want to use it. synthetic saves weight, but you will ruin it quick trying to pull something else out where the line is riding over abrasive material. highdesertranger

^^^ This! Also:

Synthetic cable is safer and better for real wheeling, by someone with experience, in conditions that are well known.

That's why steel is recommended for fulllsize trucks. 99% of the time a winch is used for a fullsize truck, it ain't playtime in the woods where you get to pick your pulls and have others to tug from. Too often we're stuck some place weird. Or pulling out a car or little SUV that has no recovery points and has a sub frame made out of razor blades.

You can't drag and abuse rope as much. So if you don't know if rope is right for you, start off with cable and a tire/blanket/chain.

We have synthetic on our Jeep (Arachni-rope or something, ridiculous strength) and steel on the bigger trucks. 7/16" or larger cable can be a royal annoyance to deal with, however it takes abuse from mother nature very well. Not that it's recommended that you drag it over rocks and stuff, but you can. We've seen a 1/2" cable split a flat rock once, cracked the thing right in half once it got a good load on it. Synthetic on the other hand, much more pleasant and easy to work with, but I wouldn't wanna be dragging it across nasty stuff.

If your winch already has a steel cable run that for now. See how you use it, and how you like it for your use. You can always switch to synthetic later if you feel it would work in your application.

 

[xbox73]

Synthetic cable is safer and better for real wheeling, by someone with experience, in conditions that are well known.

That's why steel is recommended for fulllsize trucks. 99% of the time a winch is used for a fullsize truck, it ain't playtime in the woods where you get to pick your pulls and have others to tug from. Too often we're stuck some place weird. Or pulling out a car or little SUV that has no recovery points and has a sub frame made out of razor blades.

You can't drag and abuse rope as much. So if you don't know if rope is right for you, start off with cable and a tire/blanket/chain.

The real questions are... what are you going to be winching... how often... what conditions? Then you need to make a choice. Both steel and synthetic have their place and synthetic will never replace steel as the exclusive winch line. None of this is cut and dry.

^^^ This! Also:

We have synthetic on our Jeep (Arachni-rope or something, ridiculous strength) and steel on the bigger trucks. 7/16" or larger cable can be a royal annoyance to deal with, however it takes abuse from mother nature very well. Not that it's recommended that you drag it over rocks and stuff, but you can. We've seen a 1/2" cable split a flat rock once, cracked the thing right in half once it got a good load on it. Synthetic on the other hand, much more pleasant and easy to work with, but I wouldn't wanna be dragging it across nasty stuff.

If your winch already has a steel cable run that for now. See how you use it, and how you like it for your use. You can always switch to synthetic later if you feel it would work in your application.

The above is the approach I took ... we have synthetic on Warn M8000 on old Jeep Wrangler that gets used almost exclusively for wheeling where quick & easy handling & use, combined with higher safety & lower abrasion resistance, are the important factors; and steel cable on Warn M15000 on diesel Excursion, where if it needs to be used, it's usually "ain't playtime in the woods".