I figured it'd be good to have a thread devoted solely to discussion on winch lines (Just to be fair, I took this information from the 'other forum' as it is all accurate):
STEEL
Pros:
Pros:
STEEL
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Durable (can drag on rocks a couple - COUPLE - of times without having to worry, whereas synthetic line is likely to tear)
- Completely UV light stable
- Heat stable
- Very heavy
- Barbs/breaks renders the line un-usable for safety reasons (Warn states that a couple of barbs is normal, its the 'barbs and breaks throughout the whole line that warrants replacement)
- Doesn't float in water
- Difficult to repair in the field
- Not flexible
- Stores energy; so if it breaks and you don't have a blanket or at least some form of damper on the line (which you should always do as a precaution), damage to your vehicle or injury/death is possible
Pros:
- Floats in water
- Much lighter than steel line
- Much safer; it will snap just like steel line, however, being lighter than steel it won't cause near as much damage
- Possible to splice a break in the field
- Flexible
- UV light stable; however, if you want to go the extra mile, some kind of winch cover or protection wouldn't hurt
- Very expensive ($300+ for a good quality 100' line)
- Much less heat resistant
- Not abrasion resistant
- Hard to detect any possible internal damage
Last edited: