thinking about getting a rugged ridge 8,500 synthetic winch. Anyone using a synthetic winch, think its a good buy?

 

Wire cable can literally cut someone in half if it breaks. It stores tension (kinetic energy) and will snap backwards like a rubberband when it breaks, and because it is so heavy it can do alot of damage to whatever it strikes.

Synthetic line doesn't store energy like that, it just kind of goes limp and falls to the ground if it breaks...

 

You just have make sure that it is under load when you spool it up. It is a PITA, but IMO it doesn't outweigh how much safer it is then steel cable.

 

mythbusters disproved the broken steel cable cutting someone in half. It would just give you a real bad welt and barely break the skin.

 

If a shackle fixture or pin broke and the cable snapped back with half a shackle or hook attached it could go right through a windshield or body panel. I heave heard stories about this happenning and drivers being severly injured while being winched out of a hole.

Admittedly I have never witnessed this, but all the same I am going synthetic...

 

It all depends on your situation. Synthetic is not the best to use when rocks oppose an obstacle for whatever you're winching. If the rope rubs on the rock, it'll tear and break. And roller fairleads are not the best to Use for synthetic(don't remember where I hear this)

Synthetic floats, lightweight, less deadly, etc.

Cable is heavy, like a rubberband when it breaks, doesn't float, pain to roll up, can fray and cut you, etc......

 

I haven't had a winch line break but I was using a chain to to pull someone out and when I had them all the way out he was still coming so I popped forward more so he wouldn't hit me and the chain popped off and went straight through the sliding back windows and through the front windshield taking the mirror with it from my toyota

 

Everytime I pull someone out now with the winch or strap I duck down in the cab

 

The way I see it steel cable and a winch line dampener is still not AS safe but is much safer than a plain cable and is usually about $150 cheaper with the dampener than the synthetic line

 

Synthetic for sure