Winches with rope included

Rope

— a rope in this case is a cable made of synthetic fibers.

Cables (of various materials) are the standard traction element for winches and other similar devices (belts are an alternative, but they are much less used). But specifically synthetic products are much less common than metal ones. On the one hand, they are noticeably lighter, easier to wind, insensitive to creases and do not form burrs. In addition, when broken, the ropes do not “shoot” as much as steel cables, in this sense they are much safer; and it is possible to repair a broken synthetic cable even in the field by tying it with a fairly reliable knot. The reverse side of these advantages are high cost, as well as relatively low resistance to abrasion, temperature extremes, ultraviolet radiation and pollution. The latter makes the ropes even more demanding for maintenance: if such a rope is not regularly cleaned, dirt remains between the fibers, which gradually fray them and reduce reliability.