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Winch rope vs cable weight.
Synthetic winch rope vs.
Winches don t do much without a rope or cable.
Steel debate has heated up recently as synthetic rope becomes more mainstream.
Brian shares pros and cons to using wire vs synthetic rope for winching.
But switching to synthetic winch rope and using an aluminum fairlead brings the weight down to 100 lbs a 36 lb savings.
The synthetic rope also requires special maintenance than the steel cable.
Synthetic rope is a great product for many vehicle recovery situations.
Inherent safety is probably the major difference between synthetic rope and still cable.
Here s our take on it.
If you ve ever witnessed a winch cable or rope break under load you know it happens in the blink of an eye.
There is a big divide between offroad enthusiast when it comes to choosing between steel cable and synthetic rope.
Where 5 16 steel winch cable breaks at 9800 lbs masterpull s 5 16 standard winch rope breaks at 12 300 lbs which is an okay strength increase.
You should wash the rope after every use especially.
When steel cable breaks it creates a really dangerous situation.
Synthetic easily wins out here.
If you winch a lot and are concerned about weight synthetic can be a great option since it is lightweight and easy to handle.
Synthetic rope for winch.
Synthetic rope on the other hand can be mended much easier.
This rope can also hold water which could add extra weight and make the winch difficult to use.
The truth is that they both have a number of pros and cons.
The problem is that using a winch to move a vehicle with a steel cable loads a very small and flexible structure with a huge amount of weight.
While mending rope or cable on the trail should only be done as a temporary fix it s something to consider.
Steel cable for as long as winching has been around the industry standard has been aircraft grade steel cable which is more durable than synthetic rope but comes at the expense of weight and.
Both can kill you and it s not something to take lightly.
Metal winch rope.
Similarly an 8274 can also see huge weight savings with synthetic winch rope and an aluminum fairlead dropping from 110 lbs to 78 lbs.
This is more than 25 of the winch s original weight.