Synthetic Rope Winch Vs Cable

If you ve ever witnessed a winch cable or rope break under load you know it happens in the blink of an eye.

Synthetic rope winch vs cable.

Winches don t do much without a rope or cable. Though the synthetic winch rope has a higher breaking strength it is breakable. There is a big divide between offroad enthusiast when it comes to choosing between steel cable and synthetic rope. Synthetic rope is even mandatory in many big sanctioned off road events.

Synthetic rope came on the scene in the mid 90s when it was introduced as an alternative to steel cable. When steel cable breaks it creates a really dangerous situation. Inherent safety is probably the major difference between synthetic rope and still cable. If you winch a lot and are concerned about weight synthetic can be a great option since it is lightweight and easy to handle.

The problem is that using a winch to move a vehicle with a steel cable loads a very small and flexible structure with a huge amount of weight. They re 4 times lighter in weight than steel cable and don t store kinetic energy like the steel cable does. To write this post i took a closer look at a wide range of relevant parameters. While mending rope or cable on the trail should only be done as a temporary fix it s something to consider.

The original synthetic winch ropes were based on the durable synthetic lines used in. Both can kill you and it s not something to take lightly. Synthetic rope is a great product for many vehicle recovery situations. So if the cable breaks it will not snap as powerfully as a steel cable does.

Synthetic rope for winch. Synthetic rope vs steel cable comparison chart. Synthetic winch ropes are made out of polyethylene and dyneema is known as the premium brand. I wanted to find out how well the two types of cable hold up against each other within each criterion.