Synthetic Winch Rope Beats Steel Every Time—Here’s Why

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You know how the saying goes—paper covers rock, rock smashes scissors, and synthetic winch rope beats the hell out of steel.

Oh, you haven’t heard that one? Allow us to elaborate.

A winch is only as good as the cable within it. So you can imagine we’ve spent a good deal of time testing out different winch ropes to determine what the safest and most reliable option is. And that’s synthetic rope.

Now we know what you’re thinking—seriously? How is anything better than steel when you need something strong enough to rescue a 2,000-pound side-by-side that’s wedged in four feet of thick sludge?

We get it. Steel is strong. But synthetic rope actually has many advantages over steel when it comes to winch cables. That’s why synthetic is the only type of rope you’ll find inside our Black Ops Winches.

Here are the top 5 reasons why we’d choose synthetic over steel any day.

1. You can handle synthetic rope with your bare hands.

The most obvious (and convenient) reason to opt for synthetic rope is that you can handle it without gloves. You don’t have to worry about your hands getting shredded by frayed steel wires. Sure, you won’t be able to use those pieces of steel wire embedded in your hand to pick any locks like in Die Hard 3, but that almost never comes in handy.

A man handles synthetic winch rope to pull out an ATV stuck in mud. — If you’ve ever thought about handling steel winch cable with your bare hands, don’t. It’s a surefire way to end up with steel wires embedded in your palms. Stick with synthetic if you want to go gloveless when winching out.
Photo by SuperATV

2. Synthetic rope won’t rust.

Another advantage is that synthetic nylon won’t rust. If you want to keep your steel cable in pristine condition, you’ll have to pamper it day in and day out, ride after ride, in order to keep the rust away. We like that you don’t have to treat synthetic rope like a princess in order to keep it in working condition.

3. Synthetic rope is lighter and more flexible than steel cable.

In some situations, it can be tough to manipulate your winch rope just the right way to get it hooked properly. It’s especially difficult if your winch rope is a stiff, heavy piece of metal. With synthetic rope, you can expect to have a quick and easy experience every time you need to use your winch.

A rider winches an ATV up a hilly trail using a tree — If you’re lucky, you’ll be winching yourself in a straight line. But that doesn’t always happen, and when you have to work around some crazy angles, you’ll be grateful for the flexibility a synthetic winch rope offers.
Photo by SuperATV

4. Synthetic rope uses a better fairlead.

Synthetic rope uses a smooth aluminum hawse fairlead, as opposed to a roller fairlead. This is great because it gives you fewer moving parts that can fail. As the rollers on a roller fairlead start to wear, it can also increase the wear on your steel cable. The smooth aluminum fairlead used in Black Ops Winches has no such problems.

This close-up shot shows synthetic rope spooled out of a winch on an ATV — The aluminum hawse fairlead used in Black Ops Winches gives you smoother operation and extends the life of your winch cable. It has fewer moving parts, meaning less room for failure.
Photo by SuperATV

5. Synthetic rope is safer than steel cable.

The final (and most important) reason we go with synthetic over steel is that it’s safer. True, synthetic rope might whip around if you manage to break it under high tension. But if that happens, you’ll walk away with a bruise or a welt at worst. If you snap a steel cable, on the other hand, you’re likely to break a bone or rip some skin off. Either way, your ride is over and you’ll have some medical bills to pay on top of replacing that winch cable.

The bottom line of any rescue mission is safety. Whether you’re grabbing the rope bare-handed or ducking and covering from a snapped cable, synthetic winch lines are just safer. Period.
Photo by SuperATV

There you have it—our top 5 reasons why synthetic winch rope kicks steel’s ass. Synthetic cable is just one of many things that make Black Ops Winches the best accessory you can add to your ATV or UTV.

Black Ops Winches are available in 2500, 3500, 4500, and 6000-pound capacities. So whether you need a rescue plan for your lightweight ATV or you’ve somehow jammed your four-seater in between some massive boulders, Black Ops is up for the job.

Want to learn more? We’ve put together this handy Black Ops Winch FAQ to answer any other questions you may have.

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