Technology has greatly benefited 4WDing in the last couple of years, and one of our favourite bits of new technology has been the introduction of synthetic winch rope as standard right across the entire range of our winches here at 4WD Supacentre. Even as recent as five years ago, the vast majority of winches came with old-style steel cable, but we believe in synthetic rope’s benefits so much that we now make sure it comes standard on every single winch that we sell!

Synthetic rope for your 4×4 winch is so easy to use, and so much safer than cable. For one, it doesn’t ‘store’ energy anywhere near as much as steel cable. 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 be deadly. Synthetic winch rope is much more user-friendly. If it does break from wear or misuse, it just drops in its place as it doesn’t ‘store’ any of that energy from being placed under tension. It’s lighter, much easier to handle and work with, and it’s just as strong as steel cable. That’s a win in our books!

However the one thing that Dyneema rope has working against it compared to steel cable is its ability to deal with dirty, muddy or abrasive environments. Because synthetic rope is made of thousands of strands of fibre twisted together, there is the potential for it to be damaged if it is dragged against an abrasive surface. That’s not the end of the world – it just means you need to be a little more conscious of how you use it. If you’re winching up and over a rise that means the synthetic rope is going to cut into the ground, use something like a tarp or even a floor matt to keep it up out of the dirt.

However it isn’t just direct contact with sharp, abrasive surfaces that can reduce the lifespan of your synthetic winch rope. If you have to do a long, extended recovery in really slopped mud, then it’s vital that you clean your winch rope when you get home. This is especially true for that sandy, silty type of mud, as the small bits of grit can work their way into the fibres and over time wear the winch rope out from within.

Thankfully it’s extremely easy to clean your winch rope, and it takes next to no effort or time! When you’re home from your next adventure and you’re parked up on the grass washing your 4WD (you do wash it from time to time, don’t you?), unspool your synthetic rope the entire way out so there’s only clean rope left 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 wash out. It’s important that it’s completely clean as any chemicals can potentially damage your synthetic rope. Even give it a quick wash 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 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 bullbar to drip-dry, somewhere in the shade and out of direct sunlight. When it’s dry, you can then re-spool the winch rope back in under slight tension (put on a pair of gardening gloves and hold tension against the rope as you spool it in). Never use a 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.