Pros and con between wire rope and synthetic rope

[RudeJeepin]

That's a really good price! If I didn't have a winch, it would be tempting.



Roller fairleads are HEAVY. and I don't care for how far they stick out. I'd probably go your route if I needed to start over and chose steel rope.

I have no plans for a lift at all - don't know what the plans of the OP are, but he needs to consider all of that as far as springs and such. some, like Synergy, are based on steel bumper and winch, and are dual rate. I had them on my 2022 with the snow plow, they dropped less, and handled the extra weight way out there like a dream.
I started out with plastic bumper, added steel bumper, winch, winch plate, snow plow and all of the electric and relays and wiring harnesses that go with it, power steps, so I really added on the weight to that poor thing.

Don't have to convince me - I pretty much agree, just chose different directions for myself, my uses and needs.

I'll probably always have steel on my Jeep, it has alot with the way I use it.
But that being said, if I ever put a winch on my SxS, it will probably be synthetic rope. Partly because the weight, and partly because they hold up better to running a plow. Most ATV/UTV plows are run up and down with a winch.

Sponsored

 

[smlobx]

I’m surprised that no one has mentioned the most important reason: SAFETY!

When a steel cable snaps it can whip around and potentially hurt/kill someone. When a synthetic line breaks it just drops to the ground.

Having owned a construction company for 37 years we frequently used 1 inch wire cable to pull stuck equipment out of the mud etc. Then synthetic line and straps came out and we never looked back.

Do yourself (and everyone else around you) a favor and get a synthetic line.

 

[Janster]

Synthetic rope ALL THE WAY!!! Especially for recreational usage….and offroading.

I used to inspect & replace wire rope on small hoists/cranes via OSHA requirements. Every little broken strand had to be counted. And even so…. Damage could be within the windings that you can’t see. Cable can break /snap instantly and without notice. When it breaks…(under load), it’ll whip around and literally could take your head off. Wire rope requires the user have more responsibility to keep it SAFE for everyone, keep it checked for damage, and keep it maintained (spooled properly, etc).

Keep it simple and keep it SAFER….. Synthetic rope all the way!!!

 

[whiteglad]

Ronny Dahl tested wire and synthetic rope breakage and indeed the wire recoils with a lot of energy, but the synthetic did not just drop to the ground either.
Regarding weights, the Warn iron hawse weighs 6.8 lb which is several pounds lighter than the roller fairleads, but still 4-5 lb. heavier than an aluminum fairlead. Harbor Freight 65 ft long 3/8" wire rope weighs 18 lb vs. 3.4 lb for 90 ft of synthetic. You can also save several pounds by trading some of the steel hooks for an aluminum terminus to the winch line.

 

[Stan H]

If you goto Warn's website the right hawse fairlead is pretty easy to find.
https://www.warn.com/winch-hawse-fairlead-black-4000-73850

My Warn iron hawse actually weighs less than the Warn roller fairlead. Not to mention it doesn't stick out near as far.

But yes, synthetic rope is lighter. Not sure how much.


Just an FYI, Amazon currently has the Warn VR EVO 10 on sale for $549 with free shipping. This is what I have on my JTRD and have used it several times.
The VR EVO 10s is $869. That's a pretty big difference.

I'm not so sure the weight difference is a big deal if you gonna lift it. Most lift springs are supposedly designed around a steel front bumper and a winch. Now if you want to stay stock that might be a consideration. I added a 1/2 inch spacer to the front to compensate for the aftermarket bumper and winch. My Gladiator came with the plastic front bumper originally.

On the Badlands 12000 APEX winch the synthetic rope weighs 5 pounds the wire rope weighs 21 pounds.

 

[DylanM]

I wholeheartedly agree than in the event of breakage the synthetic line is the much safer choice, but feel that it's more accurate to say IF a steel line breaks versus WHEN a synthetic does. Steel line is more durable, tolerant of exposure to the elements and lack of maintenance, and more affordable. Synthetic is lighter, doesn't recoil dangerously in the case of failure, and can be relatively easily spliced back together when it is damaged or breaks.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

We don't deal at all with the sort of loading, tension and so on that can "take your head off". Hurt or kill, yes, but not the sort of thing that severs heads or limbs. That's for aircraft carriers, ship mooring lines and so on. (the stuff of hollyweed movies where they take things to extremes)
So you can easily be safe with our winch lines - rope blankets and other safety measures.

After watching a TV show where they literally tried to get a busted cable to cut into a pig, I did a whole lot of reading up on winch line safety - and there are examples of extreme things, but only with the ships/boats and more extreme energy and rope/cable size, forces way beyond what we generate, and with the aircraft carriers, there's also tension on the line from the motor that holds the cable - not just the tension of the cable itself. There's more to it than cable recoil.

Our winch lines can kill (examples in this forum of a person using a ball mount to try to recover another truck, line let loose, killed the driver if I recall correctly) but that's not a decapitation or severing of limb - it's blunt force trauma. And it's usually when a person is in line with the rope/cable breaking, often with something heavy at the end - a hook, shackle, whatever.

Use some sort of weighted blanket on the line, don't stand in line with it, if you need to be in the driver's seat, maybe open the hood to act as a shield, you'll be ok.
I love a remote winch control because I can be way out of any danger zone.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

I will never, ever, ever, ever ever ever use steel line again.

I'll never deal with all the pokes, will never have to drag it out of a swamp, deal with the rust, snags, eew...

Never again.

 

[RudeJeepin]

Synthetic line will absolutely recoil when it snaps under winching pressure, or pulling pressure. Sure it's not as violent as wire rope, but it's plenty scarey enough.
I'VE SEEN IT PERSONALLY, 5/8inch amsteel blue that was nearly new. The anchor point on the vehicle was fairly square and after a couple hard pulls, the last one with a slight tug, snap and recoiled smacking a wooden fence. Enough force to rock the planks and scare those of us standing near by.

 

[RudeJeepin]

We don't deal at all with the sort of loading, tension and so on that can "take your head off". Hurt or kill, yes, but not the sort of thing that severs heads or limbs. That's for aircraft carriers, ship mooring lines and so on. (the stuff of hollyweed movies where they take things to extremes)
So you can easily be safe with our winch lines - rope blankets and other safety measures.

After watching a TV show where they literally tried to get a busted cable to cut into a pig, I did a whole lot of reading up on winch line safety - and there are examples of extreme things, but only with the ships/boats and more extreme energy and rope/cable size, forces way beyond what we generate, and with the aircraft carriers, there's also tension on the line from the motor that holds the cable - not just the tension of the cable itself. There's more to it than cable recoil.

Our winch lines can kill (examples in this forum of a person using a ball mount to try to recover another truck, line let loose, killed the driver if I recall correctly) but that's not a decapitation or severing of limb - it's blunt force trauma. And it's usually when a person is in line with the rope/cable breaking, often with something heavy at the end - a hook, shackle, whatever.

Use some sort of weighted blanket on the line, don't stand in line with it, if you need to be in the driver's seat, maybe open the hood to act as a shield, you'll be ok.
I love a remote winch control because I can be way out of any danger zone.

If that's the same one I'm thinking of...there was an excess drop hitch involved, and a fairly decent yank. The hitch/stinger broke at the elbow and slingshotted back at the stuck driver.
Very sad all around, especially with his family there watching.

 

[Janster]

We don't deal at all with the sort of loading, tension and so on that can "take your head off". Hurt or kill, yes, but not the sort of thing that severs heads or limbs.

If you’re in an extreme enough situation where you’re pulling the entire weight of the vehicle up from within steep ravine…… Yea….I would NOT want to find out what that cable will do. You’re OK if it only takes off your arm? Or your hands….or your leg? I would not want to find out either way.

Wire rope requires extreme amount of USER RESPONSIBILTY to keep EVERYONE safe…. As we all know,…..people are people and aren’t as responsible as they should be in certain situations. I’ve seen folks only use a light jacket to throw on the cable, and only because someone in the group told them to put something on it

I remember years and years ago in Tellico…back before synthetic rope was a thing. We had a rig down a rockface that needed pulled up to the top. We had 2 snatch blocks in place, and two rigs hooked up behind us. Yes…we had specialized weighted blankets. It was a scary situation to begin with…..let alone, all that rope out and under that much tension. You could ‘hear’ the cable making noises….. . Everyone was sitting in their rigs while the pull occurred. Luckily…it went pretty smoothly. I would’ve much rather had synthetic rope in that situation…....

 

[ShadowsPapa]

If that's the same one I'm thinking of...there was an excess drop hitch involved, and a fairly decent yank. The hitch/stinger broke at the elbow and slingshotted back at the stuck driver.
Very sad all around, especially with his family there watching.

Yeah, a lot of stuff done wrong on that one. Really a weird, 1 in a thousand thing, preventable - making it even worse. Some things you just can't account for, but that was a horrible combination made even more-so by the fact - it was witnessed by family.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

If you’re in an extreme enough situation where you’re pulling the entire weight of the vehicle up from within steep ravine…… Yea….I would NOT want to find out what that cable will do. You’re OK if it only takes off your arm? Or your hands….or your leg? I would not want to find out either way.

These aren't going to generate that sort of force. We're talking ship, aircraft carriers, mooring line types of tension.
You are not talking about real world things here. These just won't have that force to rip off a limb. It's been demonstrated on TV - using cable under a whole lot more tension than our rigs can muster.
30,000 pounds still didn't do it.
The stories you hear about loss of limb is nothing related to 4x4 recovery.
Break a bone, yeah, concussion, even killer force with the right solid object on the end, but a snapping cable as used here will not take off a leg or arm. Get real.

Show one single instance of a recovery line snap doing that.

You aren't talking to someone who hasn't done the research and studies - trying to prove or disprove such things. I'm not a newbie to such things either. Try getting a 4 wheel drive full sized tractor off a muddy side-hill. (and listen to tales of your F-I-L telling of people injured by cables, ropes, chains and so on snapping).
You act like I've no experience or education in such things.

Wire rope requires extreme amount of USER RESPONSIBILTY to keep EVERYONE safe…. As we all know,…..people are people and aren’t as responsible as they should be in certain situations. I’ve seen folks only use a light jacket to throw on the cable, and only because someone in the group told them to put something on it

Sometimes it really doesn't take much. Anything that will help guide a rope or cable downward even a little bit. It you have a coat or jacket, it's better than nothing at all. There's a lot of videos out there showing the effect of various things tossed over cables which were then let loose to see the effects. Something better than nothing. It takes some energy to make an item move from a dead stop. But I carry something in the truck just for that anyway, and always have blankets just in case I run across someone who has been in an accident, shocky, needs cover, whatever. I have blankets with me at all times for any occasion. You never know, but I have one that's made for winch lines, too, denser material, small, but heavy.

 

[JMojaveX]

I kind of take it all with a grain of salt. I like lightweight for sure, anything that reduces weight on the front it's a good thing. I have 3/8" wire on my truck and spydura came wound on the Warn Zeon I just bought. I'm fine with both. I expect the wire on the truck will last as long as I own it. I occasionally slather some "chain and cable fluid on it. I like both for various reasons with a caveat on winches in general: Enter the PTO. If you're around someone who's using one and it looks like their fumbling around... Stay clear. All things equal, PTOs know no boundaries, something is going to move or get torn apart. Other than that I've never worried too much about winch windings. Except the weight is an issue for me.

My two cents.

J

 

[Janster]

These aren't going to generate that sort of force. We're talking ship, aircraft carriers, mooring line types of tension.
You are not talking about real world things here. These just won't have that force to rip off a limb. It's been demonstrated on TV - using cable under a whole lot more tension than our rigs can muster.
30,000 pounds still didn't do it.
The stories you hear about loss of limb is nothing related to 4x4 recovery.
Break a bone, yeah, concussion, even killer force with the right solid object on the end, but a snapping cable as used here will not take off a leg or arm. Get real.

Show one single instance of a recovery line snap doing that.

You aren't talking to someone who hasn't done the research and studies - trying to prove or disprove such things. I'm not a newbie to such things either. Try getting a 4 wheel drive full sized tractor off a muddy side-hill. (and listen to tales of your F-I-L telling of people injured by cables, ropes, chains and so on snapping).
You act like I've no experience or education in such things.

Sometimes it really doesn't take much. Anything that will help guide a rope or cable downward even a little bit. It you have a coat or jacket, it's better than nothing at all. There's a lot of videos out there showing the effect of various things tossed over cables which were then let loose to see the effects. Something better than nothing. It takes some energy to make an item move from a dead stop. But I carry something in the truck just for that anyway, and always have blankets just in case I run across someone who has been in an accident, shocky, needs cover, whatever. I have blankets with me at all times for any occasion. You never know, but I have one that's made for winch lines, too, denser material, small, but heavy.

You (& everyone else) can believe whatever you want to believe based on whatever research you’re reading or seeing….. that’s up to you. Have at it.

When you experience it yourself in a real life situation….. And you hear that cable creaking and stretching sounds…. I guarentee you… You won’t feel ‘warm & fuzzy’ about how safe it can be.

I’ve never felt fearful for being harmed by it….because we‘ve always taken safey in mind by standing back or sitting inside the vehicle. But…. I personally would never want to see that cable break and whip around and cause damage to my vheicle or damage to anyone else’s vehicle. Or…damage to nature or trees.
It WILL cause damage……PERIOD.

Sponsored