Posted by Clint Dixon on Tuesday, December 18, 2001 at 11:14PM :
In Reply to: Winch Cable Question posted by Drew Rogers on Tuesday, December 18, 2001 at 10:44PM :
Drew, the only size I have ever used is 7/16, so I cannot comment on any others. I bought mine at a farm store. 250 feet of it with a fiber core. A few years after purchasing this, I talked to the owner of a large firm that supplies cables and slings for companies such as Alcoa, Caterpiller, the U.S. government, etc. They told me that wire core cable will hold up alot better than fiber core. It will not soak up as much moisture and crud and will hold its shape better and not flatten out. The fiber core rots over time. They told me that the wire core will not bend as easily as the fiber core so if one is using it on a winch drum and snatch block, the fiber will bend easier and is probably the best. Then I told them what the diameter of the spool is on a Braden winch. They said that as far as 7/16 goes, neither the wire nor fiber cores were designed to bend around something that small. They recommended not using a winch drum under 6 inches in diameter! Go figure...
In any case, I have used the winch alot with no problems.
Clint
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