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Question about winches

Fdisker

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What y'all prefer in a winch synthetic rope or wire and why ? looking at the Apex but no idea if I want wire or rope
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Renegade

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Synthetic, no question. It’s just easier, and just as strong. You don’t leave to worry about frayed cable slicing your fingers, etc.
 

Tiny

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Saves weight too
 

Whitarmy

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When the synthetic rope breaks it falls to the ground. The cable has enough energy to come back and kill somebody. I saw a cable snap and bust out a windshield injuring the driver. From then on I only run synthetic rope winches.
 

kevman65

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No question, synthetic. Safer, easier on human parts and mechanical parts, lighter in weight.
 

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Benbean66

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^ All of the above ^
 

21RG

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Synthetic has it's downfalls.
Higher cost and must replace every so often, depends on how you take care of it.
It can bite into self while under heavy loads, getting it unwound can be difficult.
Need a quality rope, otherwise you will replace it more often
If it gets wet, you should unwind it and let it dry out
More prone to abrasion
Sunlight can damage the rope, the cheaper the rope the worse
Mud, dirt, grit can eventually eat into the fibers. Just need to do a thorough cleaning after use.

I have three winches, two have synthetic and one is a wire rope. The winch with the wire rope I have had since 2005 and used it a lot, over rocks, mud and whatever else you can throw at it. There is no need for replacement as it is holding up.

I prefer synthetic. It is safer, lighter, and can be repaired in the field. Many other benefits.
 

JT Thomas

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When the synthetic rope breaks it falls to the ground. The cable has enough energy to come back and kill somebody. I saw a cable snap and bust out a windshield injuring the driver. From then on I only run synthetic rope winches.
This x100
 

j.o.y.ride

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Cleaning and inspecting your synthetic rope should be a scheduled event, and extra if you wheel a lot or drive in really dusty areas. Small bits of crap that works its way into the strands will act like a knife when the rope gets taught under load.
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