A winch strap made from Kevlar® is a safer and more convenient alternative to a steel cable on a winch, as it eliminates the risk of injury from frayed wires and requires less maintenance. It also has a more secure hook attachment.
A winch strap is a woven strap, often made from Kevlar®, that is used in place of a steel cable on a winch. The steel cable often frays and causes injury to the winch user. The cable also tends to rust and develop weak points that can break when under pressure. Steel cable also has a tendency to snag, causing it to become tangled, whereas a winch sling is easy to stretch and wraps around a winch much neater than a cable.
A good winch can be an invaluable tool for an off-road enthusiast or construction worker. When used in a factory or manufacturing environment, requirements for safe operation are a must. Many manufacturing accidents result from a winch cable breaking or developing frayed wires, which can lead to severe cuts. By upgrading to a winch strap, the dangers of cuts and abrasions caused by frayed steel cable are eliminated.
Maintenance injuries also become a much lesser concern when using a winch sling. With a winch equipped with a steel cable, the cable should be periodically unwound and checked for broken strands. The winch’s steel cable should also be oiled to prevent rust and then wound neatly back onto the winch spool to prevent the cable from jamming. Often, the practice of lint control leads to injury of personnel examining the steel cable.
Examining the winch belt is a much simpler task. The winch strap unwinds easily from the winch spool and is checked for cuts and abrasions. Once checked, the winch strap is looped back onto the winch and is ready for use. A cut winch sling is simply replaced, saving time compared to cutting frayed steel wire with cutting pliers. The fabric winch sling requires no lubrication or special treatment.
One benefit of using a strap instead of a cord is in the hook attachment. On a steel winch equipped with a cable, the hook is attached to the cable using cable clamps. Over time, the clamps can loosen and break, causing the hook and its suspended load to fall to the ground. Instead, the hook is attached to the strap by stitching the strap back to itself with Kevlar® thread. This style of hook attachment is nearly foolproof, as all the threads would have to yield at once for the hook to come loose.
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