How To Replace Steel Rope with Synthetic Rope

Without a doubt, synthetic winch rope has become the go-to winch line for many off-roaders. We get a lot of questions about converting a winch with steel cable to one with synthetic rope. In most cases, it's totally doable. There are some things you'll want to know before switching from steel to synthetic, however. Here, we'll talk about the entire process and let you know what you need to go from steel to synthetic, as well as some info about accessories.

Why Would You Switch to Synthetic Rope?

Steel line is extremely durable and has been used for decades on winches. While it has pros, such as durability and longevity, it's harder to work with, heavier, and stores more potential energy under load than synthetic rope.
While some people still prefer steel line, synthetic winch rope is the new go-to. It's lightweight, easy-to-handle, doesn't develop the sharp burs like steel line. It can also be fixed in the field. It also doesn't store as much potential energy as steel rope, either. While it is easier to break than steel cable, if synthetic line breaks, it generally falls to the ground but still requires caution when using. For most recreational off-roaders, synthetic rope is the preferred choice, whether on a truck, SUV, ATV, or UTV.

Which Synthetic Rope Do I Need?

If you have a WARN winch with steel cable and want to switch to synthetic, in most cases, you can easily switch between the two. But which rope do you need? Warn has a variety of synthetic rope for most of our truck and powersports winches.
If you've got a truck winch, you'll want our Spydura Synthetic Rope. Available in three kinds, it's a proprietary weave of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene that's been highly tested and approved for use on WARN winches. Each product has its own features. Check out our replacement rope list for the part number for the rope that fits your winch.

WARN offers a wide variety of synthetic ropes in a range of capacities up to 18,000 lbs.

Spydura

This premium rope wears a urethane coating for UV, heat, and chemical resistance. It includes a ballistic nylon sliding sleeve for abrasive environments. The end features a red heat-resistant sleeve letting you see when you're nearing the end of the rope. Spudrya is for winches with a maximum capacity of 12,000 lbs. and is available in 80' x 3/8" and 100' x 3/8".

Spydura Pro

This line has all the features of standard Spydura rope but is more robust. It's made for winches up to 18,000 lbs. in capacity. Spydura Pro is ideal for WARN Heavyweight winches like the M12, M15, and 16.5ti. It's available in 80' x 3/8", 100' x 3/8", and 100' x 7/16" sizes.

Spydura Nightline

Spydura Nightline is a great-looking high-visibility rope for winches up to 12,000 lbs. in capacity. This rope has red and black strands with a reflective tracer strand woven in—excellent in low-light conditions. Spydura Nightline is available in 80' x 3/8" and 100' x 3/8" sizes.

Spydura Rope Conversion Kits for Powersports Winches

These kits are available in a few varieties depending on which winch you have. All kits include rope, an abrasion sleeve, and a fairlead. All are 50' in diameter, but kits include different fairleads and lengths depending on application. See the WARN Product Application Guide, call customer service at 800-543-9276, or talk to your local WARN dealer for specifics.
No matter which Spydura rope you need, each includes a forged metal hook with safety clasp and mounting hardware to attach the rope securely to the drum.

Get A New Fairlead

You'll want to replace your steel rope's old fairlead (roller or hawse) with a new aluminum hawse unit. Warn Industries recommends using a smooth, large-radius hawse fairlead with its synthetic rope. Whether it's a standard hawse, a premium forged black or polished hawse, a WARN Epic Fairlead, or a Factor 55 hawse fairlead, you want something new and smooth.
Steel rope will scratch, nick, or scrape other metal surfaces. This can cause sharp points that can use damage to synthetic line, abrasion is the number one enemy.

How To Remove the Old Steel Rope

First, disconnect the battery to prevent accidental power-ups. Put the winch into freespool and pull off all the rope (don't forget to wear winching gloves) and remove the rope's anchor. Next, inspect the winch's drum for nicks, burs, or high spots, which can be caused by steel rope biting into the metal drum. If those things are present, take sandpaper and sand them down. Otherwise, they can cause abrasion to the synthetic rope. If the drum is painted black, you may want to respray it to prevent corrosion.
Next, remove the old roller fairlead (or old steel hawse), and replace it with your new hawse fairlead.

Installing The Synthetic Rope

Now that the old rope is off, the old fairlead removed, and the new fairlead installed, you need to spool on your new rope. Be sure to follow all best practices regarding safety. This includes keeping loose clothes or long hair away from the drum.
Feed the rope's looped end into the fairlead and fairlead opening (if your mounting system has this). Next, get the corresponding rope anchor and install it through the rope's eyelet and onto the drum. This action will depend on what kind of WARN winch you have.
Once the rope is anchored to the drum, you can install your included forged winch hook, or perhaps your Factor 55 shackle mount. You can now reconnect the battery. When that's done, you'll need to stretch the new rope onto the drum. If you're unfamiliar with this process, see our YouTube video on How to Stretch Winch Rope. That's it!

Replace Your Snatch Block If It's Been Used With Steel Rope

If you have a snatch block and it has been previously used with steel rope, you'll want to replace it with a new one. Just like the drum and fairlead, when steel runs across the surface of the snatch block's wheel, it can cause abrasive nicks and scratches. If a block has been used previously with steel, get a new one to use with synthetic, and only synthetic. Some snatch blocks, such as the Factor 55 RRP, are designed specifically for synthetic rope.

Synthetic Rope Accessories

While you can still use your existing steel shackles and steel winch line extensions, many companies including Warn Industries and Factor 55 offer these products made from synthetic rope.
Soft shackles and synthetic winch line extensions have the same properties as synthetic winch line because they're often made from the same material. They're lightweight, easy to handle, plus they are often more portable than steel shackles or line extensions. Both products are offered in various sizes and capacities ensuring you get the right product for the job. Be sure to select soft rigging accessories that are high-quality, labeled with working load limits (WLL) and other pertinent information so you know exactly what you're getting.