Two types of winch ropes

In the past, only wire ropes were considered as rope for winches . Thanks to the development of high-strength, high-tech synthetic fibres, synthetic ropes have been available for years that offer the same high breaking strength as wire ropes with a comparable rope diameter. However, both types of rope have different characteristics on the winch.

Winch rope cables, e.g. forestry rope

Winch rope cables are available in various designs. EN 12385-4 regulates the basic construction and quality of winch ropes. A winch rope is a composite of numerous, mostly galvanised individual wires. Different thicknesses of the wires and their arrangement in the rope result in wire ropes with different properties. Rope winches with rope drums of smaller diameters require flexible wire ropes made of thinner wires, as the winding radius is very small. Thicker wires on the outside of the rope reduce mechanical wear. Our ropes for towing winches made of galvanised steel wires are available in many diameters and lengths. This means that we offer an optimally suitable rope for almost every application. Advantages of using a winch cable made of steel:

• High-strength steel ropes provide good resistance to mechanical wear and tear
• Very high breaking loads available through highly compacted rope constructions - e.g. through highly compacted forestry ropes
• Standard lengths and rope constructions immediately available from stock
• Any lengths available on request
• Very good price/performance ratio

Synthetic ropes

Synthetic ropes can frequently serve the same purposes as steel ropes. Synthetic winch ropes are fabricated from exceptionally high-strength synthetic fiber strands, which are woven to create a round rope. The breaking strength of synthetic ropes is on par with equivalently sized steel ropes. Here are the advantages of using a synthetic rope on your towing winch:

• Low weight and extremely high flexibility
• Any rope drum diameter possible
• Same tensile load as a normal steel rope
• Optimum winding properties on the rope drum
• No risk of injury from broken steel wires
• UV stability
• Resistant to many acids, petrol and oil
• No re-greasing necessary
• Standard lengths available from stock
• Custom-made lengths available

Synthetic winch ropes are also being used more and more in the field of forestry winches. Just as in the forestry industry, synthetic ropes are gaining popularity in the off-road sector due to their lightweight nature and ease of storage.