[fyrffytr1]

Anybody here replace their steel cable with a synthetic one? I just bought an 18 foot open car trailer that was built in 1993. The winch on it is probably a good bit older than that. The steel cable is kinked, frayed and rusty.
I would use this winch on rare occasions maybe once or twice a year.
What would Y'all recommend?

[tom s]

The davit on my boat has a Spectra rope that lifts a 11 ft boat and outboard engine with no issue,virtually no stretch.Not sure if they make them strong enough to pull a car on.Tom

[fyrffytr1]

They do make them. I would think a 12,500 pound pull strength would be enough for a rolling car.

[wheels]

You can replace your steel cable with a synthetic rope. They make synthetic rope to pull thousands of pounds.
I go 4 wheeling with a 1987 K5 Blazer and have a synthetic rope rated at 30,000 lbs. It's lighter than steel cable and can float in water. It's also safer than steel cable. Only down fall is if the synthetic rope gets a small cut or frayed it can weaken it.

[fyrffytr1]

I see them with and without a protective cover and with an outer and inner core which is probably two ways of saying the same thing. I need to pull the steel cable off to see how long it is. It met all our needs in the past so I don't think I need one any longer. I could always get an extension and use it to hook up the car. I know I will need to replace the fairlead

[Sirrotica]

Harbor Freight has Badlands synthetic winch rope:

Link: https://harborfreight.com/search?q=s...20winch%20rope

Not sure how it compares to other winch rope in price, and capacity.

[Mike Davis]

I run Synthetic rope on my Jeep Rubicon. I have pulled some pretty heavy trucks out of the mud. I also have one in my enclosed trailer. Alot safer than a steel cable if it breaks. use the protective sleeve if going around sharp objects. It is best to keep the winch covered and the synthetic rope out of the sun.
Synthetic ropes also need a Hawse style fairlead vs a roller type.

[lust4speed]

Replaced the steel cable on the winch inside my enclosed trailer years ago with synthetic rope lead. Probably the most surprising thing is no visible stretch with the rope, and is so much better than the steel cable in every respect. Next will be to replace the cable on my 12,000 pound winch with the synthetic rope.

[David Jones]

I watched a YouTube video the other day that you might want to watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4T-yzOQkoQ
He doesn't get into his questions about the synthetic rope until the last minute, if you want to skip ahead.

[Tim john]

Just today my friend changed out his winch cable with a Kevlar lead and he also changed out the rollers for hardened ones. His wire rope cable had frayed and the factory non-hardened rollers showed signs of wear.

Tim john---

[Formulabruce]

Couple things to keep in mind. Old Winches that have been outside typically have degraded windings. Next, most DO NOT " LOCK" when you stop the pull ( to change steering, etc)
For limited use, I always weld a 2" receiver ( cheap bolt on unit ) to the front of the trailer. Then either buy or make a " cradle" for the winch. Now you can keep the winch indoors when not needed.
Typically synthetic rope does NOT need a roller fairlead, but you can use one.

[Formulabruce]

I have huge Winches, but recently I bought a 2500 lb winch with cable lock and wireless remote ( cheap) and I use 1 or 2 snatch blocks to double or more the pulling power. I can actually carry the small winch, whereas the big Warn Winches with cradle are very heavy. Built a small receiver for it, fits in the 2" hole in the trailer.
Winch power rating is on THE FIRST wind on the drum. Pulling power DROPS as drum gets bigger ( with rope or wire)and ratio changes.

[Tom Vaught]

I used a 4" synthetic strap to pull a 50 passenger "Tour Bus" out of a ditch for a Super Bowl TV commercial many years ago.
I still have the 50 foot long strap and have used it to pull several vehicles out of a ditch/snow bank with my Ford 4x4 Ecoboost truck.

A LOT easier to work with vs a steel cable. Easier on the towed vehicle on the initial pull too. But not quite the same as a cable.
probably the same material though.

Hopefully the newer stuff is as good as my older strap.

Tom V.

[dataway]

Vast majority of modern rigging for even very heavy loads is now synthetic of some kind.