Winch Cables
Selecting Winch Rope: The Upside and Downside of Steel Winch Cable
First, wire rope or cable is cheap and it is less subject to abrasion than is its newer synthetic cousin. It’s also heat resistant. The heat generated by the braking system in planetary gear driven winches can pose a problem for synthetic winch rope.
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WARN WINCH CABLE WIRE ROPE 125' X 5/16 (38m, 8mm) & HOOK **NEW** PART #38312 US $100.00  |
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Warn Winch Wire Rope Cable XD9000 9.5xp 125'. US $95.00 |
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2000LBS POWER CABLE WINCH 12V REMOTE CONTROL ELECTRIC US $91.99 |
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Westin T-Max Replacement Winch Cable 47-3610 US $89.95 |
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Warn Industries 25430 Winch Cable Wire Rope Extension 5/16" x 50' US $89.95 |
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Rugged Ridge Synthetic Winch Cable 1510231 US $89.94 |
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12V REMOTE CONTROL 2000LBS CAP. POWER CABLE WINCH KIT US $84.99 |
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12V Remote Control 2000LBS Cap. Power Cable Winch Kit Automotive Boat Pulley US $84.25 |
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15276 Warn Replacement Winch Rope Cable 80' of 5/16" US $83.99 |
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2000LBS POWER CABLE WINCH 12V REMOTE CONTROL ELECTRIC US $82.99 |
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Superwinch Replacement Winch Cable 1577A US $81.90 |
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Ramsey Replacement Winch Cable 251123 US $81.01 |
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WARN 61560 Snatch Block 19000lb M8000 Cable Winch Recovery Greasable Pulley 5/16 US $79.92 |
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Superwinch Replacement Winch Cable 1514A US $79.90 |
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Superwinch Replacement Winch Cable 1514 US $79.90 |
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Superwinch Replacement Winch Cable 1513 US $72.94 |
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Winch Cable Galvanized Steel 5/32" 50 ft. GP1800/GP3000/T2000/ATV/1800/ATV2300 US $71.90 |
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Superwinch Replacement Winch Cable 1527 US $71.90 |
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Rugged Ridge Synthetic Winch Cable 1510230 US $69.94 |
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Ramsey Replacement Winch Cable 251118 US $67.07 |
On the downside, wire rope is heavy and the individual wire strands frequently fray leading to potentially serious injury to the hands of the winch operator, even with gloves on. In addition, wire winch cable can be difficult to respool, kinking up along the way. It also gets very cold to the touch during winter operation and it can rust and stretch out with repeated use. But most significantly, wire rope actually stores energy and if it snaps during winching the recoil can produce devastating results.
If you are a newcomer to the off road world you may have wondered why you’ve seen what appears to be car floor mats draped over wire cable in some of the pictures and videos of winches in operation. That’s why they are there: to minimize the recoil snapping effect of a cable that breaks under stress.
