Winch cable or synthetic rope?

Claybirdd

Claybirdd

TJ Enthusiast
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542
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Alabama
I'm about to order some new lone for my winch as my current cable has a bad spot 40' in. Help convince me I should go with TRE synthetic rope over cable.

It's so expensive and cable seems much more durable. If I go with rope is it really worth it to get the safety thimble? And do I have to get rid of my rollers and buy an aluminum fairlead? Again just more expenses.

However if they are truly worth it then I'm OK with the purchase.
 
Consider how you use your winch, if you are in lots of dirt, or any abrasive materials steel cable is the only way to go, if none of that applies rope will work. Your fairlead rollers must be smooth and clean with rope, you can replace the rollers with delrin rollers. I use the TRE products and they are top notch. If the budget is tight the cable will work just fine, been around for decades. the safety thimble is way to go, TRE ropes can come with one attached.
 
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The decreased risk alone was enough to convince me to go synthetic. Whether or not it’s TRE wasn’t as important to me as just the safety increase.

I’d love to run TRE, but at the time it was too rich for my blood. However I’ve tested and trail used my non-tre about 8 times now and see no meaningful degradation. Again, I weighed the safety impact of synthetic vs cable where I’d be more afraid to run cheap cable than cheap synthetic. I’ll get TRE eventually and run them for everything else (soft shackles, kinetic and traditional straps, snatch block), but for now the trade off was worth it for my priorities.

But you do need to weigh your need and wheeling environment vs the options.
 
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Being in Alabama, I spend most of my time in the forest and around dirt. Not to many opportunities to play in the rocks. I may just stick with cable then.

Can anyone recommend a good quality cable?
 
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In my opinion synthetic 100%. Safety factor is obvious and justifies the cost. Cleaning is a non issue if you ask me, are you going to wind up your cable winch packed with mud and leave it? Ease of use, again synthetic. its light and easy to carry/handle.
 
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R
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All day long. It's worth the extra cost!!!

Add in all the recovery equipment available now to help the cause...

Cleaning? If it's all hogged up with mud so is your Jeep. Pull it out, hook to something, spray off with hand. Easy. You're cleaning your Jeep anyway.

Let sun hit it briefly...dry enough to spool!!!

Mud, rinse and repeat 😎
 
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Claybirdd said:
Being in Alabama, I spend most of my time in the forest and around dirt. Not to many opportunities to play in the rocks. I may just stick with cable then.

Can anyone recommend a good quality cable?
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Aside from being much more mountainous here we've similar wheeling terrain. Mud, woods, logs, washouts, hills, steep up and down sometimes with big loose smooth rocks with greasy mud. Now that's slick brotha...😯...

Synthetic rope all day long. Cable...I'd never ever go back to cable unless it was a dumb amazing deal on a ready to go used winch I couldn't pass up and then I'd still probably change it.
 
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He don’t care,,,, ask him who got out in the mud the other day and had to work the winch while he sat behind the wheel and listened to the radio😁😁😁
 
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You'll be hard pressed to find anyone these days who wants to run steel cable over synthetic rope unless they simply can't afford the synthetic rope or are waiting until their steel cable fails.

Once you do the research the general consensus is that there is no reason whatsoever to be using steel cable anymore as far as wheeling and off-roading goes.
 
I’ve got both ....steel is a royal pain really.

it’s heavy, awkward, can eat up a grill, has to be respooled just right , kinks.
 
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AndyG said:
I’ve got both ....steel is a royal pain really.

it’s heavy, awkward, can eat up a grill, has to be respooled just right , kinks.
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I full agree. I hate how cumbersome it is. But you can't deny it is durable though.

About to order 85' of some 3/8 synthetic.
 
Claybirdd said:
I full agree. I hate how cumbersome it is. But you can't deny it is durable though.

About to order 85' of some 3/8 synthetic.
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You will like it. If cable frays it’s dangerous...man it’s dangerous period.

I don’t even know why it’s still on my white one. Let me know the deal you find.
 
169.00 from TRE. Just trying to decide if I want to add the safety thimble (probably not) and a new fairlead (probably so) @AndyG
 
I just ordered 85' of red TRE rope with a red thimble yesterday. I'm a newbie, so I don't really know "what for", but these guys convinced me of the safety aspects, and rope is much easier/safer to handle than steel.
 
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Zorba said:
I just ordered 85' of red TRE rope with a red thimble yesterday. I'm a newbie, so I don't really know "what for", but these guys convinced me of the safety aspects, and rope is much easier/safer to handle than steel.
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We are good at spending people’s money for them.
 
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That’s a good question...what’s a thimble do?

Remember Thor?

“I’m Thorrrr!”

“Well, no wonder , you forgot your thaddle thupid”
 
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So I have a related question, I plan on buying a winch and going with synthetic line. However, for a lot of the winches I have looked at it is sometimes an extra $200 for the synthetic option. Would it be better to buy a winch with cable and then buy TRE rope to put onto it, or just buying the winch with synthetic? Still undecided on what winch to get, thinking smittybilt x20 or engo
 
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