Recent updates to technology have greatly benefited 4WDers in the last couple of years!

One of our greatest advancements of new technology has been the introduction of durable and lightweight synthetic winch rope as standard equipment right across the entire range of our winches here at 4WD Supacentre.

Even as recent as five years ago, the vast majority of winches on the market came with old-style heavy weight dangerous steel cable. Here at 4WD Supacentre we believe in synthetic rope’s benefits so much that we now make sure it comes standard on every single winch that we sell!

SAFETY

By using a synthetic rope for your 4×4 winch we gain stacks more safety and ease of use on the tracks.
Firstly, a synthetic winch rope by its nature doesn’t ‘store’ kinetic energy as much as steel cable this is due to its low mass as well as its inelasticity (amount of stretch).

Surprisingly enough a steel cable is a bit like a spring, and if you’ve ever seen a steel cable let go when it’s under tension, you’ll know it is a frightening experience and one that can very easily turn deadly.

By using a synthetic winch rope not only is it much more user-friendly, if it does break from wear and tear or misuse, it simply drops in its place as it doesn’t ‘store’ any of that stored energy from being put under tension. It’s lighter, much easier to handle and work with, it doesn’t splinter, it floats on water and it’s just as strong as its steel cable counterpart and that’s a huge win for all of us!

One major thing that synthetic winch rope has working against it compared to its heavier and less safe steel cable is its inability to handle abrasive, sharp and rugged terrain, this includes the internal fibres being abraded by particles of dirt on the inside. Over time this can cause a catastrophic failure of the winch cable, resulting in a failed recovery.

Because synthetic rope is made of thousands of strands of ultra-fine fibres twisted together, there is the potential for these to be damaged if your rope is dragged against sharp or abrasive surfaces. Whilst a winch cable may take small amounts of damage, this is not the end of the world – it just means you need to be a little more careful about the way you use your rope.

There are ways to prevent damage to your winch rope, if you’re winching up and over a rise that means the synthetic rope is potentially going to cut into the ground, it’s a good idea to use something like a tarp or even a floor matt or the handle of a shovel to help keep the rope up out of the dirt and sliding smoothly.

There are more things that can potentially damage your winch rope than just direct contact with sharp and abrasive surfaces. If you have to do a long, extended recovery in really sloppy mud, then it’s vital that you thoroughly clean your winch rope when you get home to save it from internal damage. This is especially true for that sandy, silty type of mud that finds its way as the small bits of grit can work their way in between the cables internal fibres and over time can cut the winch rope from inside out.

Thankfully cleaning your winch rope, is extremely easy to do and takes next to no effort or time (approximately 1-2 beers on a sunny Sunday afternoon). When you get home from your next adventure and you’re parked up on your grass lawn washing your 4WD, unspool your entire synthetic winch rope all the way out, so there’s only clean rope left still wrapped around the drum.

Get a large bucket, something like those 20L buckets that fertiliser or pool chemicals come in and give it a thorough rinse out. It is very important that it’s completely clean as any harsh chemicals can potentially damage your synthetic rope. You might want to give it a quick wash out with some mild dishwashing detergent to ensure that the bucket is completely clean.

Now, sit the bucket in front of your 4WD and put the winch rope in it, then fill the bucket with clean water from the tap.

Gently massage the entire winch rope to get the majority of the mud out of it, then tip it all out and repeat the process with fresh water. Only, this time you want to let the winch rope soak in the bucket for at least half an hour to let the water get right into the rope and soak out all the mud. Empty the bucket and leave the winch rope dangling over your bull bar to drip-dry, somewhere in the shade and out of direct sunlight. When it’s mostly dry you can re-spool the rope back onto the drum under slight tension (put on a pair of gardening gloves or your recovery gloves and hold tension against the rope as you spool it in).

As a pro tip you should never never use your pressure-washer to wash your winch rope, as although it might look like it gets it clean, all it is doing is forcing the dirt right up inside the synthetic winch rope.

Do this cleaning routine every time your winch gets used hard in a muddy environment and you’ll massively extend its service life and get even more bang for buck out of your massive powerful Domin8r X 12,000lb winch or your Grande MKIII!