If I buy a Rugged Ridge or Smittybuilt winch, I can get a 10,500 lb winch with cable for less than a 8500 lb winch with synthetic. Which would y'all recommend?

 

Having dealt with both, I currently run synthetic line. Yes, it's a bit pricey, but well worth every penny. Much easier to work with and safer. I had to get it because the cable that came with this winch got all kinked and tangled up and I had to cut it off.

Sometimes you can buy a winch with cable and get the line separately for less than the winch with line.

 

Wire rope for me, thanks.

No heat aging, less susceptible to abrasion, no concern over UV damage, battle tested tough.

 

I would go steel cable for the kind of wheeling I do. Synth is safer from what I hear, and definitely light weight, but synth doesnt take abrasion well. I was pulling a tree off the trail on one of our group rides and it shifted and dragged the cable across a rock. Had it been synth line, i would have been looking for a new cable, but since it was steel, it just took the short drag across the rough rock and kept on going, no real damage done.

Whether you get synth or steel, BE CAREFUL. winching is dangerous no matter what kind of line you have, so don't get in the way of the line or the load.

 

Well for me, my hands and my eyes like synthetic better!
Holding synthetic is gentle to my hands where wire could be deadly!
Then having color options is also nice to my eyes
Also there is weight, synthetic is much lighter and less weight on the front of my Jeep