I fella in my club i trust alot said to stay away from synth cause you cant let it stay in the sun and if it rubs against rock it will fray and fail. But if you run synth you don't have to carry as much gear and its less weight right? I don't have much experience with winchs. Most my friends have steel ones but as always im trying to keep the weight down and wanted your feedback.

Thanks!

 

It's like with anything - there is no perfect answer that fits all people... you have to decide what's most important for you. I went with synthetic, because -
- it has lower weight
- safety (have seen cable snap back under tension and cause serious damage)

You do have to be careful about severe sun fade (not a problem in our area), making sure it dry's well before spooling it back up when wet (or un-spool and dry it out when you get home), and you have to be careful of sharp rocks.

For me the safety and weight savings (eliminating cable and heavy roller fairlead) more than make up for the few precautions you need to take.

 

for me it's synth. rope

Nothing else

 

as far as damage to the cable from rocks goes, both synthetic and steel cables can be damaged by rocks or any other jagged and rough terrain. that shouldn't really be a deciding factor even though steel is probably more resistance to wear from rubbing than synthetic.

its REALLY up to you and what suits your needs best. i bought the warn m8000 and am pretty happy with it. the cable is steel but is a pita to make it wrap correctly like it came when i bought it. Once I used it to pull a pick up out of a swam and it got really wet and muddy. when i got home i winched in the line while holding it with a damp cloth to clean the mud off and to carefully and painfully guide the line back in so it wrapped neatly left to right and over itself.

synthetic is cool cuz i read on another thread that its actually better to make it wrap criss cross so it doesn't tangle and knot. please someone correct me if i'm wrong, but i'm almost certain that that's what i read.

 

I like steel cable less maintenance. That rope stuff is fubar. IMO.

 

I've seen what kind of damage a cable can do when it breaks!!!! damaged a grill, hood, & windshield !!! no one was hurt thankfully, but could have been bad!!!!
With proper care (both need care), a syn. line will last a long time, and is a little safer in most situations.
There are probably times where a cable is better, but for me, and how and when I use my winch, I will stick with the synthetic line.....

 

If you have the money go synth. It's on my list but there are so much other stuff I want/need first.

 

Steel is not dummy proof and it can fray as well just like synth. in my opinion synth is safer to use and easier to work with. things to do to extend the life of synth is using sleeves to prevent chafing and also keep a cover on the winch when not in use. repeated rain, freezing then sunlight and mud can eventually do a number on it. alway rinse it with fresh water after salt water or mud contact.

 

Well you guys have talked me into it. Ill go synth. I just wanted to hear others opinions. Coveringi t is really no big deal i cover my jeep after im done wheeling it anyway so covering the winch will be no big deal. Thanks for the tips!