Winch Line

[Mikexii]

Hey guys, been reading up on this for a while now but...

What winch line would be best for a winch that's not being used much.. maybe 5-10 times a year.  Won't be doing much rock crawling.  Mostly Mud , and intermediate trails.  What ages better? Steel cable or Synthetic line.

[w squared]

Not being used much isn't really a huge factor to my way of thinking. A steel winch line that's not abused is not going to have a whole pile of corrosion issues unless you get it exposed to the crap off the roads in the winter (that's what winch covers are for). Synthetic will also not have a big problem with breaking down, as long as it's not exposed to the aforementioned crapola 

I prefer synthetic because it is a safer and much easier to work with, and you can splice it on the trail if you do manage to break it. It's also much lighter, and it's going to be stronger for a given size (diameter)

On the down side, synthetic is much easier to damage through careless or unskilled use. Steel cable will shrug off abrasion that will shred a synthetic cable. Synthetic is also more expensive, especially since most winches already come with a steel cable conveniently part of the package.

[Immortal]

I have never had to take my steel line off, throw it in a pillow case and wash it.... nor worry about dragging it over rocks or through trees/bushes... it looks more manly too. Better than Periwinkle blue syn-line....

[Mikexii]

Periwinkle !! haha.

Yeah I do like the steel better as far as looks.  However the periwinkle blue seems to have more benefits =/ to bad it doesn't come in hot pink, could make a barbie jeep while i'am at it...

[Immortal]

too bad it doesn't come in hot pink, could make a barbie jeep while i'am at it...

Some things can never be unread..... Oh Lord......

[Bone206]

yes, just like the word Periwinkle

[Immortal]

meh... it is in Fight Club....

[Bone206]

nice reference!

[FiEND]

i have never witnessed steel line breaking.  hope i never do. 

i have witnessed synthetic line breaking (joel) and now i run synthetic.

[cLAY]

I put synthetic line on a couple of trialer deck winches here at work ans was disappointed at how fast the color faded out of them from sun/UV exposure. Not sure if that affects the stregth of the line or not.

I've never seen a proper steel winch line rust.

For occasional use I would sae your money and get a steel line.

[Joel]

I agree with clay, for occasional use, a steel line will work just fine.  Spend the cash on mod's so you won't have to use your winch. 

But if your getting into the tuff stuff, ie winter wheeling winch fests, you'll wish you have a synthetic line when your dragging a cable up that steep hill.

[w squared]

I wouldn't worry too much about UV exposure causing much damage to a good synthetic winch line. Most of them are made out of Amsteel Blue...which was developed as a line for marine use. Since the equates to continuously being exposed to salt water and sunlight, what we do with our Jeeps is probably not going to be all that hard on it.

I know that people talk a lot about abarasion on winch lines, but all those synthetic lines come with line protectors as well. If you turn your brain on before you turn your winch on, you should be okay with synthetic. 

If you're really worried about abrasion with a synthetic line, you can go for one of the really spendy masterpull lines....they come with a built-in abrasion shield over the full line...and I think that you can even get fire retardent ones

[DirkB]

let me disagree here :-)

The problem with Winch ropes are not ONLY cuts/wear and tear from having the rope rubbing against rocks/trees etc (which is the biggest problem of having a synthetic line) ... also the fact that mud water gets inside the rope will wear down a rope --> if mud and sand get in between the individual lines, they act like mini razors, cutting their way through your precious synthetic lines ... I have seen MANY Dyneema lines brake while they didn't have any surface/visible defects ...
The ONLY winch rope I would recommend (because of the above) would be a winch rope that has a full protective sleeve over the Dyneema ropes itself ... I have posted this earlier: the only ones I know with these protective sleeves are from MasterPull http://www.masterpull.com/cpage.cfm?cpid=478
Looking at the price, add a few hundred dollars compared to a normal Dyneema rope :-)

From my point of view: if you are not doing any competition, there is no real reason to go to a synthetic line ... if you however want to go for synthetic line, go for a line with a protective sleeve over the full line ...

The steel cables, with correct maintenance (take of the line + grease) have a very high liftime ... I have heard (not seen) of them braking as well, but mainly because of bad maintenance ...

My 2 cents ...

[FiEND]

metal lines bend and kink and get jammed and the people nice enough to pull/spool for you have to use gloves or cut themselves and hide behind vehicle and trees and put jackets etc.

if you do any maintenance on either the winch cable or synthetic it amounts to the same time.  synthetic is 100 times easier to unspool and clean vs unspool and grease.

i have had my synthetic for over 2 years and it is covered and clean.  it has paid for itself already in ease of use and durability.  i dont winch often but when i do, it is usually quite intense.

also in my experience, the jeep moves, not the line.  so if there is a spot where the line can rub, a jacket or something underneath will fix that.

[DirkB]

true ... but when you have cleaned your synthetic rope: how sure are you there is no more sand in between the differnet lines?
You will always have remains in there ... and when you put weight on it (aka everytime you winch) your synthetic lines squeeze and rub together, and this when the sands starts cutting ... an you will not see it from the exterior

Between steel and synthetic: the way you use it, is how quickly it will wear and tear on the outside ... with synthetic lines ALWAYS wearing quicker ...

Let me put it to you like this: I am absolutely NOT (and never will be) comfortable with putting my life in the hands of a Dyneema rope without a protective sleeve around it !!! I have seen so many snap like stupid ...
If you are: you are way more brave than I am :-)

But then again: it depends on what and how you winch: if you just use it to pull you out of a Mudhole vs going up or coming down a steep and dangerous descent ...