Whether you're working with manual or powered winches, choosing the right wire rope winch cable can make all the difference in safety, efficiency, and longevity of your equipment. Lifting Gear Direct can supply winch cable in diameters up to 13mm and lengths up to 30 metres as standard.
Winch cables are available in a range of diameters from 6mm up to 13mm, providing options to suit a variety of winches and load requirements. The diameter you choose must fit the winch drum correctly for correct and safe operation.
The cable diameter can impact the breaking strength and typically smaller diameter cables, such as 6mm or 8mm, would be ideal lighter-duty applications and manual winches. Medium diameters around 10mm offer a mid strength cable popular for general-purpose use. Larger diameters like 12mm and 13mm provide maximum strength for heavy-duty applications and larger winches.
From our range of winches, both manual and electric 6mm, 7mm and 8mm cables seem to be the most used rope diameters, with larger rope diameters being used in cable pulling machines (Tirfor type).
When it comes to the length required Lifting Gear Direct have 10, 15, 20, 25 & 30 metre options available online. If you need a bespoke length please get in touch, we can usually help.
One of the most important aspects of winch cable specification is the end fitting. One end of a winch cable is left fess, without ant fitting. This end is secured to the winch drum prior to winding on the rest of the rope length. For ease of fitting and to prevent unravelling we always fuse and taper this end.
Your choice of fitting for the load anchoring end will ultimately depend on the load and how you wish to anchor the winch to the load. The most standard options incorporate a thimble eye termination, to this we can add in a permanent safety hook fitting or you can opt for a shackle fitting.
The thimble eye fitting is perhaps the most common choice. The steel thimble fitting reinforces the end loop that protects the wire rope from wear and abrasion; the thimble also makes it easier to anchor due to the eye being more rigid.. Thimble eyes provide a great connection point for attaching shackles; other rigging hardware like safety hooks can be fitted during manufacture for a permanently fitted hook attachment.
Hook end fittings offer immediate functionality, enabling direct connection to your load, vehicle recovery points, or loads without additional hardware. This makes hook-ended cables popular for recovery operations and applications where quick deployment is essential.
Shackle end fittings can provide a semi-permanent, quick connection method. If you choose this option the shackle will be securely attached to the thimble eye, giving you a reliable, yet removable connection point that's ready for immediate use. This option works well when you need to connect to a variety of loads.
You should always refer to your winch manual to determine the correct rope diameter and maximum length of rope it can handle. Using the incorrect rope diameter for your winch could result in rope damage and sluggish handling. Similarly, using a rope too long for the drum will result in it not being completely wound on before slipping off.
When it comes to the rope construction we use a 7x19 galvanized wire rope format. Its a good all rounder with just the right amount of flexibility and strength required for most winching applications. Due to being galvanized steel the cable also has good corrosion resistant properties and thus may be used outdoors.
There are two tensile strength options to choose from with our 7x19 rope, the 1960 is the standard option and a little harder than to 1770 option available on request. Find out more about the cable breaking strength in the specification above.
When selecting winch cable, consider your maximum load requirements whether lifting or pulling, the type of winch you're using, and how you'll be connecting the cable to your load or anchor point.
Match the cable diameter to your winch's drum size, choose a cable length to suit the drum capacity, whilst providing adequate reach without excess, and select the end fitting that best suits your typical applications.
There are no products to list in this category.
There are no products to list in this category.
