Replacement Wire winch cable or synthetic rope?

[cw]

Need to replace my wire winch cable due to some miss management. Looking for opinions on wire or synthetic rope. Advantages/disadvantages. Just looking for opinions to make a good decision.
thanks!

 

[NC-Fordguy]

Wire- Heavier , tree strap needed when attatching to tree, always use gloves when handling, dangerous if it snaps.

Rope- susceptible to damage from UV rays and damage being drug across rocks.

If your winch is set up for wire you'll likely need to change the fairlead for rope.

 

[sykanr0ng]

Also check the winch drum for burrs, sometimes the wire will leave roughness which could damage rope.

 

[Scott C.]

My experience with wire rope is no problems as long as you take care to prevent kinks and keep it wound properly. A friend tried synthetic rope and had nothing but problems. It was light and easy to drag around and wind up, but was always breaking and leaving you stuck!! He tossed it and went back to wire.

 

[Scott C.]

Oh, and have you ever seen a wrecker, or crane with synthetic rope????

 

[cw]

Thanks. Guys, my thoughts on rope as well. I'll stick with the wire.

 

[ntsqd]

Need a tree strap regardless of which line type you have. Wrapping the line back on itself is hard on the tree and hard on the line.

 

[Steve83]

Another consideration with synthetic is cleanliness. If you winch in mud, the sand will work into the fibers and cut them much more-rapidly than wire (which is still damaged by mud).

When properly installed & used, synthetic is superior to wire. But it's also more expensive.

 

[Germd]

I went with synthetic when I put a winch on my TJ - mostly for a little weight saving on the front end and also because the fair lead for synthetic has a cleaner look than the roller lead. I used it a couple times myself with no issues. Very easy to handle & spools easily and smoothly if you guide it. However, my son used it once to get a friend unstuck - needless to say, he wasn't as careful as me & the rope got chafed & pinched in a couple spots. Now I'm not sure I'd trust it anywhere near the rated strength but haven't had a chance to replace it. If I had it to do over I'd do steel wire rope for peace of mind.
Another poster said it best "how many wreckers & commercial rigs do you see running synthetics?"
If you do go synthetic, make sure to keep a cover on the winch to protect from sun & road debris.

 

[cw]

Need a tree strap regardless of which line type you have. Wrapping the line back on itself is hard on the tree and hard on the line.

I always use tree straps to protect the trees and winch line. My mismanagement is it wasn't spooled correctly and I had another pull on the cable. Kinked and flattened a section in the middle of the cable. Want to replace for safety reasons. Thanks for all the comments.