Synthetic winch line vs. cable

[Dunnage Garage]

I have ran metal cable for years without issue. But we all no the danger of the cable snapping and violently flying in one direction or the other. While synthetic line just drops when it breaks.
I recently provided a susjestion to a company that makes synthetic line, add reflective material in it for night safety. They did, so now I have bought a new line.
Can I simply remove my cable, sand any burrs and thread the synthetic in its place, or do I need to buy a new winch?

 

[Chadlyb]

I have ran metal cable for years without issue. But we all no the danger of the cable snapping and violently flying in one direction or the other. While synthetic line just drops when it breaks.
I recently provided a susjestion to a company that makes synthetic line, add reflective material in it for night safety. They did, so now I have bought a new line.
Can I simply remove my cable, sand any burrs and thread the synthetic in its place, or do I need to buy a new winch?

Just replace with synthetic. Just make sure you put load on the line to prevent slippage when you need it later.

 

[Dunnage Garage]

I was going to ask about preload. I know I need to change my fair lead too.
Thanks

 

[madcratebuilder]

I was going to ask about preload. I know I need to change my fair lead too.
Thanks

Fairlead, use about 500lbs pull tension, good idea to use some heat shield on the first wrap or two on the drum. A 15 foot abrasion shield on the working end. Rope needs more care than wire, you should wash it after using in a dirty environment.

 

[v_man]

I might be mistaken but I thought some winches were not compatible with synthetic lines because the winch drum got too hot, which could damage a synthetic line.

 

[madcratebuilder]

I might be mistaken but I thought some winches were not compatible with synthetic lines because the winch drum got too hot, which could damage a synthetic line.

That's possible, you should check with the winch manufacturer. Check the duty cycle of the winch you want to buy. Lot of folks say a winch should be 1.5-2 times the weight of the vehicle. I prefer 3X, this puts less stress on all components.

 

[scoyoc]

I'd also put on a Hawse fairlead too. The rollers can damage the synthetic line.

 

[Horse Soldier]

I pull my synthetic line off once a quarter and dunk it in a 5 gallon bucket of water and shake it to remove dirt from inside it to keep the sand dirt particles for cutting the line from the inside.