ive been reading up about the pros and cons steel vs synthetic winch line. obviously the synthetic is preferred by most. i did run across one issue id like to check on first. for guys running synthetic, who live up north or anywhere else cold, how does it hold up in the winter i.e getting wet and freezing? i know you have to cover synthetic. uv damage etc. most winch covers ive seen dont look waterproof. i just want to be prepared i dont want to buy synthetic rope and go to use in feb. and its a frozen block of ice on my bumper. thanks

 

It is a pain if it freezes. I don't usually do much wheeling in winter. I hate snow runs. For the other three seaobs though it cannot be beat. I don't bother covering mine.

 

thanks for replying. im no engineer, but i would think if synthetic gets wet and freezes wouldnt it damage or at least weaken synthetic? ice crystals are sharp, wouldnt they create a gazillion lil cuts in your rope? i trailer a scissorlift for work everyday. i see what winter does to ratchet straps. they get wet and freeze, they seem fine until the spring hits. once they thaw you see the damage. we replace ours every spring for that reason. maybe im over thinking

 

Just gonna throw this out there, don't want to start a debate. And I have written in detail about this if you want to search for it...

When I wrote a review of the Warn 9.5ti install on a Mopar bumper, I spent time talking with a warn exec about synthetic v. steel. I also spoke with a retired Air Force officer.

The short version: I changed my purchase order from synthetic to steel.

 

i hear ya. i dont want a debate either, just want to know whether synthetic holds up to freezing. i'll search for your install thread. thanks

 

But did you speak to anyone who actually did the back-breaking work of winching out vehicles? Somehow, a corporate executive and a military officer don't strike me as the folks I would seek out.

mark d., CMSgt, USAF (Retired)

 

I know we use steel on all the military winches and I have yanked a 45,000 lbs vehicle buried up to its axles usin a snatch block with steel cable....don't have any experience with synthetic line though.

 

If the winch is kept covered how would it get that wet? Even if you used it in snow and it got a little wet I doubt all but the outer wraps on the hub would freeze. Maybe if you were using it all day in wet conditions and had the line pulled all the way out but doesn't seem likely to me. I do agree if it was able to completely freeze it could pose an issue with line durability though

 

the Warn exec is a Jeeper in a dream job. He said he's been jeeping and winching for well over 25 years. he gave many examples of times when he was haning by his steel line, and the jeep slid off course some, dragging the line over the rocks on the trail. He said in that instance, a synthetic line would have likely snapped and sent him free falling down the hill he was winching up. He said the risk of a synthetic line breaking like this, when the Jeep is hanging by the line, is far greater than any risk of the steel line snapping and cutting people in half.

Then he talked about how Warn tests pulling ability of their winches v. other brands. They chain down the winch vehicle and pull until the winch gives up (which is no easy task). Two things:
1). he said Warns really pull up to and beyond their rating numbers, whereas some cheaper brands aren't even close ,to their claims
and
2). he's NEVER had a steel cable fail under those conditions, or any conditions, for that matter (his experience).

I was going to buy synthetic line for the presumed safety factor, since I'm always wheeling with my kids around. But after talking with him, I realized that it's better to take precautions, like keeping everyone far away, using a line blanket, etc, but use the steel cable that is less likely to rub on the rough rocky terrain I wheel on here in the Northeast.


Next, I shared this conversation with my lifelong friend, who spent 23+ years in the air force. he's not an officer (my bad). I think he was a staff seargent or higher. I'm not sure. He ran an air frame mechanic shop, a paint shop, and several other shops while serving in 2 wars and several "conflicts" overseas. He said that the cables he's used are MUCH thinner than the lines winches use. He also said that he's never had one fail on him. HOWEVER, they replace them much more frequently as part of maintenance than us winching folk. But bottom line was that in his professional opinion, a properly maintained steel cable was not going to be snapping so easily.

Still not a debate over which is better. Clearly conditions of use, priorities, etc will influence each person's decision. And those synth lines sure are purdy too.

 

I cover mine with a neoprene cover. It would work well for your conditions.