[kickstart]

I've been doing lots of winching the last couple rides, and got a chance to clean out my winch rope today after it was in a sandstorm last fall. Got me thinking about this subject again. I have been a rope fan the last few years, but I am now leaning more to cable these days. Or at least, enjoying the positives of cable more than I have been. After having two winch ropes break on me despite my taking excellent care of the rope, I must admit that when I was doing my "winch fest" through the "valley of death" last week, I just had more confidence in the cable that my Brute has than the rope that my Prairie has. We all know the pros and cons of both types of recovery line, but the ability of cable to resist abrasion and being cut is a huge, huge advantage around here. And the ability to just reel it in and forget about it is SO nice. As I was cleaning out my rope today, I wondered if it would've broke up in the valley of death with all the sand that was in it. And I didn't use it last fall...it was just left outside during a sandstorm and sand got everywhere. It's been so cold and snowy here, I just haven't been able to do the maintenance on it I should have. But that's a downside of rope that cable doesn't have. So, I am really wondering if I should convert the Prairie back to cable. The older I get, the less fuss I am willing to put up with! Rope is nice to handle, nice to work with, light, and easy to repair, but it's always a worry that it will snap out of nowhere and drop my ATV down a ledge backwards. And I really loathe having to wash the rope after I just spent an hour washing the ATV.
I don't know....
What say you?

 

[NMKAWIERIDER]

I have debated that in my mind for years. Throughout my work history I trusted steel cable for many things and as long as it was the right one for the application, I never gave it a second thought. On my ATV/UTVs I don't use the winch very often but when I do the cable has never been a concern, even when dead-pull winching straight up a cliff. I often thought about synthetic rope, and I know people swear by it.. but it does wear and break..and break-down over time. So for me as long as my steel cable treats me right, it stays. Now with that said I have this small crane with a hand winch that I use to load my truck spare and my generator that has cheap Chinese steel cable that has already started to fray so I did order some 3/16" synthetic rope for it to try. Will have to ensure there are no edges it can ride on and that the rollers are smooth for the rope but..we'll give it a try. If I have any issues though...it will be some 3/16" non-spin aircraft cable.

 

[Tiha]

My understanding is the only advantage to rope is that it won't kill someone when it breaks and it is usually cheaper.

I have always had cable. Was going to swap till I started reading about all the people that didn't like it.

One I have running a snow plow. The first couple of feet look horrible but it keeps hanging in there.

 

[mastrblastr]

Cable…..period. First pull I ever did with a rope was a nasty side load job. Rope got tight and then “snap”. That was on my rear winch. Pulled out the rope on the front winch and carefully winched myself out. That being said, who wants to winch themselves out “carefully”?!?. All you want to do in a stuck situation is get yourself unstuck, not worry if your equipment is going to let you down. I now have cable on my rear winch and plan to replace my rope on the front winch with cable too. Just make sure to use some good leather gloves when you are handling that cable. A broken strand or two stuck in your hand can make for a bad day.

 

[1kawasaki4me]

Another thing to do if you use cable is to respoll the winch so the cable is not all bunched up/wedged.
Not doing this could lead to premature wear.

 

[Swanny52]

Another thing to do if you use cable is to respoll the winch so the cable is not all bunched up/wedged.
Not doing this could lead to premature wear.

How often ?

 

[NMKAWIERIDER]

How often ?

I run mine out every spring before riding season and as I reel it back in, I wipe it down..just a rag in my gloved hand. Then if I ever use on the trail I do it again when I get home...if it needs it.

 

[Swanny52]

I run mine out every spring before riding season and as I reel it back in, I wipe it down..just a rag in my gloved hand. Then if I ever use on the trail I do it again when I get home...if it needs it.

Yeah, Ill have to take my rope out to see if it needs to be replaced or cleaned. Im looking at maybee getting another winch. The Warn Axon looks good. I never had an issue with rope I just dont want to cable to rust

 

[kickstart]

My understanding is the only advantage to rope is that it won't kill someone when it breaks and it is usually cheaper.

I have always had cable. Was going to swap till I started reading about all the people that didn't like it.

One I have running a snow plow. The first couple of feet look horrible but it keeps hanging in there.

Rope has a ton of advantages besides not killing you if it breaks. It's lighter, easier to handle, floats, is trail repairable, and you can make soft shackles out of it when it gets too worn in spots to trust. It's also technically stronger than steel of equal size, but I've found that to be true only when it's not frayed or UV damaged.

 

[kickstart]

Cable…..period. First pull I ever did with a rope was a nasty side load job. Rope got tight and then “snap”. That was on my rear winch. Pulled out the rope on the front winch and carefully winched myself out. That being said, who wants to winch themselves out “carefully”?!?. All you want to do in a stuck situation is get yourself unstuck, not worry if your equipment is going to let you down. I now have cable on my rear winch and plan to replace my rope on the front winch with cable too. Just make sure to use some good leather gloves when you are handling that cable. A broken strand or two stuck in your hand can make for a bad day.

I hear ya. The first time I had my rope line break, I was winching out of a deep snow rut, trying to get back up on top of the packed snow. I was way back in the woods, and it was evening time. I wanted to get back to the truck before dark, and I would've made it easily had the rope not broke. But instead, I got to spend the next three hours shoveling, spinning, pushing, and lifting. Finally got out of there and back to the truck after midnight.

Second time my rope broke was winching up the Lockhart rough mile on the last obstacle. I was fully loaded down with fuel and camping gear, and it had just started to lift me up when it snapped. Luckily, I hadn't quite got to the ledge I was trying to winch up when it broke. If I would've had even just my front wheels up on the ledge, it would've been a rollover backwards kind of deal.

 

[kickstart]

Yeah, Ill have to take my rope out to see if it needs to be replaced or cleaned. Im looking at maybee getting another winch. The Warn Axon looks good. I never had an issue with rope I just dont want to cable to rust

That Warn Axon is a sweet winch. I got to play around with one at the Moab Easter Jeep Safari a couple years ago. I ended up getting the VRX-25 instead, but I really like it too.

 

[kickstart]

How often ?

I respool both cable and rope after each use. I find that cable takes a "memory" fairly soon, so I want it wrapped correctly before I put any tension back on it.

 

[kickstart]

If you guys are in to winching videos, you should check out "Trailmater" on YouTube. He's an off-road recovery tow truck operator out of Moab. He's got a custom built boom truck with winches built in all over the truck in every direction, and he recovers all kinds of vehicles from all the famous trails in Moab. Some of the things he does boggle the mind. He tows full sized trucks and Jeeps up these gnarly obstacles that most folks can barely do by themselves. And it's fun to check in and see what broke where each week.

 

[Swanny52]

I respool both cable and rope after each use. I find that cable takes a "memory" fairly soon, so I want it wrapped correctly before I put any tension back on it.

That Warn Axon is a sweet winch. I got to play around with one at the Moab Easter Jeep Safari a couple years ago. I ended up getting the VRX-25 instead, but I really like it too.

Yea I have a kfi 3500s now and ive only use it a few times and never had issues but it seems a little slow to me. For the price you cant beat kfi but id be willing to try somthing else.

 

[mastrblastr]

I hear ya. The first time I had my rope line break, I was winching out of a deep snow rut, trying to get back up on top of the packed snow. I was way back in the woods, and it was evening time. I wanted to get back to the truck before dark, and I would've made it easily had the rope not broke. But instead, I got to spend the next three hours shoveling, spinning, pushing, and lifting. Finally got out of there and back to the truck after midnight.

Sounds pretty much identical to how I broke mine on the rear winch. Deep packed snow from sleds, high centered, and nothing to winch to for a straight pull. I wound up pulling myself into the ditch with the front winch where the snow was unpacked, and then driving like a man possessed to try and chew my way down to where I could crawl back up onto the road again. Took me a long time to get out of there. The diff lock and all the Dynatek add on power mods got put to the test that day!! Got home, cleaned the bike and immediately put my cable back on. I have NEVER had a cable break. I learned my lesson and will always use cable now. You just have to know how to use cable properly. I understand the perks of rope, but once bitten, twice shy. I won't get caught out again.

 

[72afr]

It's interesting to see the takes here versus the jeep forums I'm on. They can't get rid of the cable fast enough and see the winch line as a safety first wear item.

 

[kickstart]

It's interesting to see the takes here versus the jeep forums I'm on. They can't get rid of the cable fast enough and see the winch line as a safety first wear item.

I notice that too about the Jeep guys. Most of them in Moab have synthetic.
I think the 1/2" and 5/8" line is probably less likely to snap from abrasion than our little 3/16". I was just noticing the other night watching Trail Mater on YT that he has lots of 1" line and 1" soft shackles that are frayed beyond belief, yet he still uses them to lift Jeep and buggies up off the ground. I wouldn't dare use frayed 3/16".

 

[72afr]

I notice that too about the Jeep guys. Most of them in Moab have synthetic.
I think the 1/2" and 5/8" line is probably less likely to snap from abrasion than our little 3/16". I was just noticing the other night watching Trail Mater on YT that he has lots of 1" line and 1" soft shackles that are frayed beyond belief, yet he still uses them to lift Jeep and buggies up off the ground. I wouldn't dare use frayed 3/16".

Full disclosure, I guess I'm a jeep guy first. Own two (TJ and JLU) and grew up in the back of my parents' CJ7. I have a 3/8" rope on my TJ and a 1/4" rope on my Fxt. Picked up both from a respectable (at the time) online supplier and have had no issues with them.

 

[mastrblastr]

Knock on wood, I haven't been stuck in my '22 Brute (yet!!) Was stuck quite a few times with the old '06 Brute, but that was when I was younger, dumber, and had bigger ball$!! I'm older, dumber, and have smaller ball$ now so the chances of getting really stuck are diminished!!! Probably still gonna get stuck, but I won't bury it too bad before I realize I better pull out the winch and get myself unstuck!!! Like one of my T-shirts say "when's this "old enough to know better" thing supposed to kick in?" 😁😂