Winch

In recent years, steel cable winch lines are being replaced for synthetic options. Synthetic winch lines like Samson Rope's Amsteel Blue are stronger than steel and offer advantages such as their lightweight, ease of splicing, and they do not recoil like a steel cable. All of these attributes make replacing your steel cable with a synthetic winch line.

What is Synthetic Winch Rope?

Synthetic winch rope is a steel cable that operates as a synthetic line for a climb. It is a rope with high strength and a low stretch, making the breaking strength one of the best for a winch line. It can handle a lot of thanks to the breaking strengths of the winch ropes on the market.

This steel cable has a high working load. It has abrasion resistance that will serve any climber well and tensile strength. A quality synthetic winch line has plenty of advantages that help the material stand out against competitors in the winching world.

The Advantages of Synthetic Winch Ropes Over Steel Winch Cable

There are a number of reasons that many industries are switching to synthetic ropes over the traditional steel winch cable of the past. If you're looking to make the switch to synthetic rope, these are some of the reasons that you definitely should.

Synthetic Winch Rope is Easy to Handle

Some of the issues that surround steel cables have to do with the risks of it's handling. As the steel cables age, they begin to cover in burrs. These burrs can cause metal splintering or cuts when you come into contact with them. Synthetic winch rope doesn't have these problems.

The only real concern you have to have with synthetic winch ropes has to do with abrasion. When the rope is moving quickly, like in a slip, the material can cause abrasions on hands or exposed skin. It's easy to avoid this with worn protection, though, like gloves.

Synthetic Winch Ropes are Lighter than Steel

Hauling around any large amount of steel winch cable is going to be tiring. Thankfully, synthetic winch rope is much lighter, meaning that it won't wear on you if you have to handle it. Weight is an important subject when it comes to anything work-related. The heavier something is, the harder it'll be to use. The same can be said with winching and winches.

Synthetic Winch Rope has Superior Strength

When comparing synthetic winch lines to steel ones, you'll find that they are far stronger. The rope can have a breaking strength anywhere from 30% to 90% stronger than steel wire rope. This allows for thinner ropes to be used with the winch, meaning more line on the winch drum! Having extra rope when rigging is never a bad thing. This strength comes from the construction of the rope itself. It also means that synthetic rope offers high abrasion resistance.

Synthetic Winch Rope is Safer

This is the main reason to switch go synthetic lines in your winches. While the breaking strength is much higher than that of steel winch rope, that doesn't mean that it won't break. When it does, however, it is safer due to a lower kinetic energy release. It still stores a high amount of energy, but it is less likely to snap in a violent manner, unlike steel. This means that you can protect yourself a bit more easily in case of a failure.

A Few Tradeoffs

While synthetic rope is excellent an excellent material to switch to, there are some things that have to be taken into account. The durability is excellent, of course, but it requires higher maintenance. The fibers that synthetic ropes are prone to melting from excessive heat.

Additionally, they need to be kept clean, as well as free from debris. This means things like dirt, sand, and mud, as well as any other debris. Are you using it in wet situations? It needs to be dried out as well, otherwise it may freeze, rendering it unusable. Even with these tradeoffs, though, the synthetic rope offers far more advantages than it does downsides.

Sherrilltree Offers Products You Can Trust

When it comes to safety, we don't skimp. We offer our customers a durable product that we trust. Any of the products that you find in our store is going to stand up to load. We offer options from Samson Rope, Yale Cordage, and Notch Equipment. All of these are available in different lengths and diameters to make the changeover easy.