Since another tread got a little sidetracked i figured it may be good to create a post for winching. Lets share your horror stories, maintenance tips, cable vs rope, and anything else you may like to share..

As a personal preference i prefer rope over cable just for the safety factor. I have used both and had both brake and several times with the cable iv still had it whip even through i had something on the line. Also with the rope a permanent trail repair takes all of 5 min ( i carry a chunk of coat hanger in my took kit for rope repairs) its super easy after watching you tube vids. Depending on what im riding in at least 1 time a month i will pull the rope out soak it in a mixture of fabric softener and water and wash it of and let dry. You can also pick up the exact same rope and your industrial supply store for 1/2 the same price or cheaper than a cable all you have to do is thread in your end and off you go.

 

To repeat what was in the hijacked thread: I've used both wire and rope and like the rope better personally. I had more breakage with the cable than with the rope when plowing. I like that it's a little lighter weight-wise. Big plus is I can handle it without gloves. Handy when you've got your hand underwater trying to find a good spot to put the hook on to drag out your buddy, without getting your riding gloves soaked. A good synthetic rope has almost no stretch so the flying hook isn't as much of an issue. As others have said, put a blanket or coat over the cable/rope if you can. Just random thoughts. Oh yeah, for those that are into color coordination, you can get the winch rope in a bunch of different colors.

 

Another thing to think about is a decent ****** block pulley. It's a pulley made like this: ****** block pulley | eBay When you run the line through a pulley and bring it back to hitch on your quad it doubles the effective pull strength of the winch. I don't know how many times we've used one after sliding off groomed trails into waist deep snow. You put a tree strap around a tree, slide the pulley halves apart so you can put your winch line on the pulley, slide it back, use a bow shackle to attach the pulley to the tree strap and you're ready to go. Using a pulley can also help you drag the quad in the direction you want it to go. Bow shackle is next to the gloves in this picture: Smittybilt 2726 Vehicle Recovery and Winch Accessory Kit with Storage Bag | eBay

 

I used to carry a ****** block and shackle along with a tow rope with hooks on both ends. It was quick and easy to put the rope around a tree and slip both hooks into the shackle and hook up the cable or ****** block to the shackle too.

One time a friend got stuck in a big bowl next to the trail. We had to use every rope and strap we had including tie down straps to make an angle pull up the side of the hill. IIRC there were two guys pushing, one on the throttle, and me winching it in.

Another time I winched myself out of a mud hole. There weren't any trees close to me but there were bushes within reach. I wrapped my rope around the bushes at ground level and pulled right out of the hole. That would have been a good place to have a ground anchor but I never had one of those.

 

I personally prefer cable.
Mostly from a Jeep/truck background but if proper care is given to a cable it will last a long time & perform good. A install and forget attitude it until needed can cause problems if used in environment which can cause the cable to rust.
UV light can destroy a rope just as quickly.
One nick in a steel cable will not destroy it under heavy pulling but synthetic rope will let got quickly under heavy pulling.
As for ****** blocks, straps and tree straps it's a yes.
The idea of replacing the steel cable on a winch which has already been used with synthetic rope also causes problems. Roller flair heads may be scored with will destroy the rope. Need a new fair lead.
Also some winches with inside the drum brakes may not be compatible for heavy use with synthetic rope. The heat generated by the brake can degenerate the synthetic rope close to the drum.
Converting from steel cable to synthetic rope requires more than simply changing the cable.
Cost is also another factor.

 

Canwoodsman brings up a good point about the fair lead. Mine is scratched and I know it would tear up a rope. My cable may have a little discoloration or surface rust but it hasn't caused any problems. I did have one break a long time ago on a different quad. It was probably because of the wear from using it plowing. The last two feet or so gets a lot of abuse.

ETA: if you break a cable and need to cut the end off wrap it up with some electrical tape and cut through the middle of the tape with a cutoff wheel. The tape keeps it from unraveling and you get a nice clean cut.

 

Yes some care and new parts need to be given when switching from cable to synth rope. A new fair lead is a must Most people switch to alum fair leads for several reasons. Marks and rust will damage rope, if you have to do a hard angle pull the sharp edge will cut the rope as i found out. Even the roller leads for synth cannot do a extreme pull from under the machine backwards.
I usually carry at least 3 different length of straps, 3-4 shackles, 3 ****** blocks, and 50 feet of extra rope. I also carry a repair kit to repair someones cable if it breaks. And dont forget a 6"pc of coat hanger and black tape to repair my rope if it breaks.

 

Since I put on 30" Mudzillas, 2,000 miles ago, I've only used my winch for.... plowing snow. Last fall I installed carbide "Grip Studs" for the ice. I like the synthetic rope, if there is a barb sticking out of a cable, I'll find it. BTW before the Mudzillas, I was stuck all the time with crappy Carlisle 489 25" weenie tires.

 

Price-wise, I don't think you can beat synthetic. Here's an example: I bought the identical rope, only gray. Didn't have a single break plowing this year and dragging people out of mud holes. At that price it's nothing to buy a new rope each year at the end of winter.

 

My new KFI winch has synthetic rope. I was going to get steel cable to save a few bucks but the synthetic rope is the same price. It has a sheath over the last few feet so that when you wrap it around a tree, that portion is protected and the tree as well. The only complaint I have about it the few times I've used it so far to test it out(haven't really been stuck since I've gotten it) is that the line pull is a little slow. It has a 1.2 hp motor which sounds plenty powerful enough but its just slow. To really test it, I drove off in a hole and put the Grizzly in neutral and had it pull it out uphill with me on it, 850 lbs or so total weight. It did it without trouble but just took longer than I expected, literally seemed to inch forward. It even says in the owner's manual that its only meant for intermittent use. Pulls of more than one minute or so will cause the motor to overheat and you will have to let it cool off a minimum of 5 minutes before you use it again. Maybe all winches have a similar warning but a pull much longer than about 1 1/2 times of the quad(about 10 ft) will take longer than one minute. It does come with a rubber stopper for the hook which is a nice standard feature.