Best Synthetic Winch Line

[Filmpros]

I am looking for advice regarding the best synthetic winch line...best in performance, durability, reliability, and resistance to abrasion.

I took a look at this product after searching the forum.

Master-Pull Superline XD Winch Rope

Does anyone have experience with this product? Surely it s appears to be strong enough (26,600lbs Pull) ... but Does it offer superior abrasion resistance as claimed?

Is Dyneema Winch Rope a better choice for some reason? I think the claim is that this has high strength and abrasion resistance as well ... albeit the Superline XD looks like it is stronger.

Master-Pull Basic Winch Rope

 

['69 Yota]

Wow, there sure is a difference in the price. I'm looking into what rope to use myself, so hopefully someone answers.

 

[spressomon]

I've had the regular Master Pull winch line (3/8" x 100') on my Warn 9.5XP (100-Series) for the past 2 1/2 years. I probably have about 10 pulls on it or so. A few months ago I had to winch my heavily laden 100 with my AT Horizon in tow up a steep shale covered off-camber slope (actually twice on similar slopes on that trip)...and the winch and line did it without complaint (that's about 9,000lbs of rig and trailer weight!).

I am careful when winching to velcro on the protective sleeve when the line is being pulled across rocks, etc. So far so good: I'm one happy customer.

Dan

 

[LandCruisers4Life]

I use winches all the time with WIRE ROPE, and am wondering if these synthetic lines fail, and your rig is totalled, do the companies selling this dental floss have insurance to cover your rig in the event of a line failure??? Wire Rope has a long history of durability, and strength.

 

[spressomon]

I use winches all the time with WIRE ROPE, and am wondering if these synthetic lines fail, and your rig is totalled, do the companies selling this dental floss have insurance to cover your rig in the event of a line failure??? Wire Rope has a long history of durability, and strength.

It would be interesting to see a formal study conducted and the results of same comparing the two mediums. Although I don't have vast experience with wire rope I have been pleased with the performance of my syn rope.

It is important, regardless if its wire or syn rope, to inspect the rope, in the case of syn to clean it after having it in mud/sand, and to protect it, again mostly for syn, against abrasion if it comes in contact with rocks/boulders/etc apart of a recovery event.

Wire rope certainly has the most history of performance. However my main motivation when I made the decision to go syn was: Ease of use, light weight, no wire "splinters" and less stored energy in the event of failure as it compares to steel rope.

 

[knoll0351]

I use synth line that I purchased from Winchline and could not be happier! I will not use wire cable again. With all of the research I have done synth is at least as strong, if not stronger in many cases, and so much easier to handle it's amazing.
My quick story:
We ran Rubithon in June and during the run I highcentered on the only rock in a deep water obstacle (exactly why you need to be able to see the rig behind you so they know the right line). While stuck I climed out the window and onto the hood, then ran out my line and tossed it to the shore where I was anchored and recovered. Without getting wet...well at least not totally wet. Thank goodnes that I am a Marine and waterproof everything, even the stuff inside, cuz we had water up to the seats inside. Withouth synth line I would have had to wade, and without my wireless winch controler I would have been much wetter (if that is a real word).

4X4 Winch Lines at Winchline.com: Winch Line,Winch Ropes, Recovery Gear, Tow Rope, Synthetic Winch Line

Don't leave home without it!!!! I do keep my original steel cable in my recovery bag, just in case. I have used my winch more than anyone else I know (for recovery's only, I am on the Search Rescue and Recovery for my club) and the line is not frayed in the slightest and still pulls strong. I did opt for the protective sleave, and "fire line" at the drum, as well as the permanent thimble.

 

[96r50]

If one of the main concerns with synthetic winch line is friction and heat, would it not make more sense to use a roller fairlead? Wouldn't a hawse fairlead create a lot more friction?

 

[knoll0351]

Not according to the powers that be, a roller is more likely to pinch the line and damage it. The thick, sturdy aluminum disipates heat well.

 

[Filmpros]

From what I have been told, you need to use an Aluninum fairlead that is designed for synthetic line. The roller fairleads are not recommended.

I went with the MasterPull Superline XD because I wanted the protective covering on the line and because it also had the best rated capacity.

If one of the main concerns with synthetic winch line is friction and heat, would it not make more sense to use a roller fairlead? Wouldn't a hawse fairlead create a lot more friction?

 

[LandCruisers4Life]

I am still not convinced. Especially using a Hawse......

I like the idea of saving weight, but roller fairleads not recommended because of possible pinching of the line.... and a hawse just screams friction to me.

It will be a while before I have a winch, so I have some time to see others in action first.

 

[woody]

I've run synthetic for 4-5 years....and have owned a winch since the early 90's....

wire sucks...period....heavy, hard on the hands, impossible to 'toss', crushes, burrs, 'requires' constant respooling to prevent damage, etc. All of my lines are from Winchline.com and I use their aluminum thimble on the end of the rope...

IMO, roller fairleads are not the issue....tho the likelihood of a pinch IS higher...the issue is the rollers are usually USED and grooved/scratched from years of wire use on the winch, and those burrs then destroy the new synthetic in short order....NEW rollers make that a non issue.

I run a UHMW hawse on my FJ40 and UHMW rollers on my FZJ80...

 

[gon2srf]

I am still not convinced. Especially using a Hawse......

I like the idea of saving weight, but roller fairleads not recommended because of possible pinching of the line.... and a hawse just screams friction to me.

It will be a while before I have a winch, so I have some time to see others in action first.

You only have to look to sailboat racing to substantiate synthetic lines incredible strength and durability. We have been using them successfully for decades now. Yeah I know, not too many rocks or sharp edges on board but believe me there are plenty of heavy loads and we are directly exposed to them. Nobody in modern racing uses steel, it's all synthetic and for good reason. Having said that read the following for some steel vs. synthetic info.

Safety: Both steel and synthetic winchlines (or winch rope) give a very small amount of stretch, the equivalent of less than 1% at breaking pressure. This tiny amount of stretch stores kinetic energy that is released when the line breaks. Since steel winch line is much heavier than synthetic winchline, the force of that stored energy is devastatingly powerful, particularly dangerous with people near. The synthetic line is so light and therefore stores less kinetic energy, which when released, the winch line virtually falls to the ground with a fraction of the force of steel. For this reason, 4×4 offroad racing sanctioning bodies do not allow steel cables because of their inherent danger. Synthetic winch lines are now mandatory.

​

Training: While synthetic winch lines are much safer, recovery operations are still dangerous and we encourage all winch owners with steel or synthetic winch lines to attend safety and training classes from certified trainers such as: Bill Burke, Tom Severin, Bruce Elfstrom, Garrett Porter and others. See I4WDTA for more information.
Ease of Handling: Steel winch cables have a tendency to kink, rust, and have very sharp strands once nicked. They also tend to straighten by the nature of the material making them harder to spool back on the winch properly. Our synthetic winchlines have none of these problems. However, synthetic lines are more susceptible to sharp edges (bumpers in particular) and heat, but they are much stronger, safer and easier to work with.

Strength: Dyneema® synthetic winchline fiber is up to 15 times stronger than quality steel and 40% stronger than Aramid fibers on weight for weight basis. This means the replacement synthetic winchline is typically 35-45% stronger than steel cable! Steel cables are typically sized to match the strength of a winch. For example a 9,500 lb capacity winch will have roughly a 9,500-10,000 lb capacity steel cable. The replacement synthetic line would be 5/16″ (7.9mm) or 3/8″ (9.5mm). Viking Trail Lines are rated at 13,000 lb (4,6 metric ton) for the 5/16″ and 19,600 lb (6,2 metric ton) for 3/8″, making them approximately 27% and 49% stronger on the conservative side.


Frequently Asked Questions

New England Ropes - Products

I've run synthetic for 4-5 years....and have owned a winch since the early 90's....

wire sucks...period....heavy, hard on the hands, impossible to 'toss', crushes, burrs, 'requires' constant respooling to prevent damage, etc. All of my lines are from Winchline.com and I use their aluminum thimble on the end of the rope...

IMO, roller fairleads are not the issue....tho the likelihood of a pinch IS higher...the issue is the rollers are usually USED and grooved/scratched from years of wire use on the winch, and those burrs then destroy the new synthetic in short order....NEW rollers make that a non issue.

I run a UHMW hawse on my FJ40 and UHMW rollers on my FZJ80...

Exactly.

 

[knoll0351]

Not to mention if you are running a winch that can pull a line thru the fairlead fast enough to creat enough friction to melt the line is there any way it is spooling correctly? Sounds as though someone is looking to be argumentative...

Synthetic is better .

unless you are skidding logs out of the forest, then maybe wire cable might be more durable...maybe.

 

[bigndn]

impossible to 'toss',

Sorry, Brian..........I gotta call BS on that, but I have seen your arms, so I understand . I work with cable and I can throw it quite a way. Now......synthetic is all the other things you said. However, I've had poor experiences with synthetic on my ATV winch for my plow. Seems like it breaks way more frequently than cable, even with a hawse.

I can't really argue the points, because my FJ60 had masterpull 3/8 on the M12K for an unknown amount of time and I broke it first use..........and second use.......and third too. OTOH, I've snapped plenty of cable as well. The price and availability of cable dictates that I use it right now. My .02.

 

[knoll0351]

If you throw 3/8 cable any distance you're a real man. And I don't think I'd like to meet you in a dark alley, unless I'm carying (which I always am...ooops off point again). I wouldn't want to have to huck a steel line any distance myself, but I do have twigs for arms.

 

[rover67]

i winched hard with my cable and synthetic in deep snow last season and noticed several improvements in the synthetic over the cable. for one, the synthetic does not seem to stretch as much believe it or not, and it is MUCH easier to handle. i have probably winched with that synthetic rope i got 30 times now and each time the winch was(warn 9000xd) close to stalling most of the time (too lazy to use a pulley). The wire rope i could hear breaking as the winch neared capacity. I kept counting more an dmore broken strands each time.. and each time i'd cringe as i expected it to pop.

I love the synthetic. safer, easier, stronger, don't have to respool constantly. and I am usiing 5/16th's rope too.

I ran a roller with mine all last season, just switched to an aluminum hawse. the roller was new... did fine.

 

[bigndn]

If you throw 3/8 cable any distance you're a real man. And I don't think I'd like to meet you in a dark alley, unless I'm carying (which I always am...ooops off point again). I wouldn't want to have to huck a steel line any distance myself, but I do have twigs for arms.

I'm a big teddy bear and it usually takes quite a bit to get me fired up, but once I'm there, it's really hard to come down. When I'm cutting firewood or logging, I throw 3/8" down the hill to my hooker (can't wait to hear the cracks about this one). Synthetic is undoubtedly easier to handle and wayyyyyyyyy lighter, but throwing is all in the technique.....just like rolling it back up. There's two ways to make it nice and tight and everything else doesn't work for crap.

 

[knoll0351]

I'll leave the hooker alone, it's too easy , but it does sound like the steel cable is much better for what you're doing with it. I don't think that synth would like the debris and dirt that comes with skidding logs much.

I'm a big teddy bear and it usually takes quite a bit to get me fired up, but once I'm there, it's really hard to come down. When I'm cutting firewood or logging, I throw 3/8" down the hill to my hooker (can't wait to hear the cracks about this one). Synthetic is undoubtedly easier to handle and wayyyyyyyyy lighter, but throwing is all in the technique.....just like rolling it back up. There's two ways to make it nice and tight and everything else doesn't work for crap.

 

[vfrhjr]

I use winches all the time with WIRE ROPE, and am wondering if these synthetic lines fail, and your rig is totalled, do the companies selling this dental floss have insurance to cover your rig in the event of a line failure??? Wire Rope has a long history of durability, and strength.

sorry , i can not understand you fully , and i think you can contact the company to have a detail information

 

[billmiranda]

I use winches all the time with WIRE ROPE, and am wondering if these synthetic lines fail, and your rig is totalled, do the companies selling this dental floss have insurance to cover your rig in the event of a line failure??? Wire Rope has a long history of durability, and strength.

Wow. Leg amputation without anesthesia has a long history also.. but when things get better... you move on... it's called evolution/advances in technology.

I've seen wire break with damage to vehicles... and I've seen synth (albeit older stuff) break and simply drop to the ground. I value my safety and that of the others around me and would use Synth over steel any day just for that.

v/r,

WM