Synthetic winch rope is lighter than steel cable, and it fails a lot safer. Steel cable still wins on price, and it takes a beating better. Neither fact has anything to do with how many winches a truck happens to carry, though. That's the mix-up about to play out on camera. In April, Wrecker Rick drove his 10x10 nearly 300 miles from Washington into the Oregon mountains. He's there to help a fellow operator, Casey Liddell, whose burned 60,000-pound feller buncher needs pulling free. Somewhere in the middle of that job, the two trucks end up parked side by side. The operators start comparing winches like it's a parking lot at a truck show.
So that's what this one's actually about: what the on-camera comparison really meant, what synthetic rope buys you over steel cable, and how you size a winch for your own truck instead of somebody else's.
- Rick drove his 10x10 nearly 300 miles to help operator Casey Liddell recover a burned, 60,000-pound feller buncher stuck in the Oregon mountains.
- On camera, Casey called his truck's third recovery winch "30 percent better" than Rick's. That's his own opinion about his own truck, not a spec for anything Murphy's sells.
- Rick's answer wasn't about capacity. It was rope: his winch runs synthetic line instead of steel cable.
- Synthetic rope stores far less energy when it fails and tends to drop instead of whip. Steel cable still wins on abrasion resistance, heat resistance, and price.
- Every winch Murphy's currently sells, from the 4,000-pound Trojan to the 15,000-pound RV15, runs synthetic rope.
- Stand back at least 1.5 to 2 times your cable's length any time a winch is under load, no exceptions.
1. Three hundred miles for a favor
Rick tops off the 10x10 in Washington, loads up the family, and points it south into Oregon, and this one isn't even his job. It's a favor. The call is for a feller buncher, a piece of logging equipment that fells a tree and gathers it in one machine. This one weighs 60,000 pounds. Rick sums up the problem himself: "if a 60,000-pound feller buncher wasn't already hard enough to recover, this thing's burned to the ground, folks." It's also sitting deep in the mountains, which is exactly why the 10x10 is the truck for the job, not something smaller.
Close to 300 miles. Most of it in the rain. By the time he's across the state line, Rick's already missing home out loud: "We made it to Oregon, folks. And apparently it rains here all the time, too. Boy, do I miss Arizona." It's a joke. It's also just true, and it says something about the job itself: recovery work doesn't wait for good weather, and it doesn't care how far the drive is.
"We made it to Oregon, folks. And apparently it rains here all the time, too. Boy, do I miss Arizona."Wrecker Rick, on arrival in Oregon
2. Two trucks, one comparison nobody staged
Rick isn't out there alone on this one. The job belongs to Casey Liddell. He runs his own outfit, Cascade Heavy Rescue. By the time Rick rolls in, the two trucks end up parked close enough to compare. Casey's rig is a 35-ton Atlas unit with a third recovery winch bolted on. Rick's is the 10x10, the truck he calls the world's largest off-road wrecker.
Nobody plans what happens next. The two of them are just looking over each other's equipment, the way anyone would. Casey's read on his own setup comes out blunt: a third winch, in his words, "means it's 30 percent better than yours." Nice brag. Notice how Rick answers it: nothing to do with winch count at all. He doesn't argue the number. He doesn't even try to beat it. He answers with something else entirely.
"Yeah, but mine uh has synthetic rope…"Wrecker Rick, responding to Casey Liddell
Two operators. Two trucks. Two completely different arguments for why their own setup wins. Slow down on that one, because it's easy to hear "30 percent better" and assume that's a spec sheet number. It isn't.
3. What "30 percent better" actually means
Casey's number didn't come off a scale, and it isn't on any spec sheet. It's his own read on his own truck: three recovery winches instead of two, and in his opinion, that's 30 percent more capability. Fair enough. That's a reasonable thing for an operator to say about a rig he built and maintains himself. It's not a claim about anything Murphy's carries, and you won't find this article treating it as one. Murphy's doesn't sell the Atlas unit Casey runs, and I'm not here to sell you on it either.
Rick's answer is the useful part. It points at a real question, and that question has nothing to do with how many winches a truck carries. He didn't counter with a bigger number. He countered with rope. Not who's got more winches bolted on, but what the rope running through the one you've got is actually made of.
4. Synthetic rope versus steel cable
Winch line comes in two materials, and each one fails in a completely different way. Steel wire cable stores energy while it's under tension. Snap it near its rated limit and that energy has to go somewhere. That part's wild when you actually think about it. Bishop Lifting, an industrial rigging and lifting-equipment supplier, lays it out plainly. Synthetic rope "stores far less kinetic energy, minimizing the risk of dangerous snapback injuries" if it fails. It's also "easier to handle, reducing operator fatigue during winching operations," because it weighs a fraction of what steel does for the same rated strength.[1]
Steel isn't obsolete, though, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest. The same source credits it with real advantages. It's "better suited for extreme abrasion, sharp edges, and heat exposure found in rugged industrial or logging environments." It shrugs off the UV degradation that eats unprotected synthetic line over time, too, and it costs less up front.[1] A logging site, a scrapyard full of sharp edges. That's still steel cable's turf. A recovery truck pulling through dirt, rock, and mud, with people standing closer than a logging crew ever would. That's where synthetic earns its keep.
So that's the honest version of what Rick and Casey were really arguing about on camera. Casey's truck runs more winches. Rick's runs synthetic rope. Neither one's "wrong." They're just solving for different things.
5. Sizing a winch for your own rig
Before rope type even enters the conversation, ask yourself the bigger question: how much winch does your truck actually need? Every winching safety course agrees on the basics: size up from your vehicle's real weight, never down. Offroad-ed.com's safety course material puts a hard number on this. A recovery point or tow hook's rated capacity "should be at least five times the weight of your ORV."[2] Your winch's own pulling capacity should clear your fully loaded vehicle weight with real room to spare. Mud, incline, a winch bumper's extra weight: all of that eats into a rating that got measured on flat, dry ground.
And once you've picked a winch, the same source doesn't soften it: "Do not exceed the pulling capacity of your winch."[2] That's not a suggestion. Push past the rating and you're putting more stress on the line, the mount, and the drum than any of them were built to handle.
6. Electric or hydraulic: what Murphy's actually sells
Every winch Murphy's sells runs synthetic rope, full stop, which settles the question this whole article opened with before you even get to pick a model. What's actually left to decide is real. Electric or hydraulic. That, and how much capacity you actually need.
12-volt electric, synthetic rope, 12,500 lb rated line pull. Built by Warrior Winches with an Armortek 7075 aviation-grade aluminum fairlead and hook. Runs off your truck's own electrical system, no separate hydraulic pump required.
The Gladiator V2 F-Type is a 12-volt electric winch. Murphy's own listing calls the line built for "off-road enthusiasts, truck and Jeep owners, and anyone who needs a powerful recovery solution." Step up to the RV15 and you're in hydraulic territory: built to the SAEJ-706 standard for heavy-duty industrial and commercial use, rated for 15,000 pounds instead of 12,500. It's one of five winches Rick runs regularly on his own truck, Hell Boy.
| Gladiator V2 F-Type 12,500lb | RV15 15,000lb (6.8 Ton) | |
|---|---|---|
| Power source | 12v electric | Hydraulic |
| Rated line pull | 12,500 lb | 15,000 lb |
| Rope | Synthetic | Synthetic |
| Best for | Off-road, truck and Jeep owners | Heavy-duty industrial and commercial use |
| Price | $1,099.99 | $3,099.99 |
No mount required. Murphy's listing calls it built for "recovery, hauling, and everyday tough jobs" in a portable, all-in-one kit.
12v electric, synthetic rope, Armortek 7075 aluminum fairlead and hook, rated to a 16,000 lb hook. Built for truck and Jeep owners on rough terrain.
The winch featured in this article. Same Armortek build, 12,500 lb rated line pull, 16,000 lb rated hook.
Built to the SAEJ-706 standard for heavy-duty industrial and commercial use. One of five winches Rick runs regularly on Hell Boy.
7. Safety: respect a line under load
A winch line under load is holding thousands of pounds against a fixed point. Doesn't matter if that line is synthetic or steel. Rope type changes how a failure behaves. It doesn't change whether you respect the line in the first place.
These aren't suggestions. Each one comes from winching safety-course material and an industrial rigging supplier, not house opinion.
- Never exceed your winch's rated pulling capacity. Offroad-ed.com's safety course material is direct about it: "Do not exceed the pulling capacity of your winch."[2]
- Keep a minimum of eight wraps of rope on the drum at all times. Fewer wraps means less holding friction on the drum itself, and that's true whether you're running synthetic or steel.[2]
- Run a dampener over the line before it's ever under tension. A heavy blanket, jacket, or similar weight laid over the midpoint of the rope helps absorb energy if the line breaks or snaps loose.[2]
- Stand clear, at a real distance, for the whole pull. A safe distance is 1.5 to 2 times the length of the cable you're using. For a 20-foot cable, that's 30 feet or more, and it applies to bystanders as much as the operator.[2]
- Remember that synthetic and steel fail differently, not that one is risk-free. Synthetic rope stores less energy and tends to drop rather than whip. It can still injure someone standing too close.[1]
Sources: [1] Bishop Lifting, What Is Better for a Winch, Rope or Cable? · [2] offroad-ed.com, Taking Precautions When Using a Winch
8. The bottom line
Casey's truck runs more winches. Rick's runs synthetic rope. Both of them are right about their own equipment, and neither fact tells you a thing about which truck is actually "better" overall. That's the honest read on a "30 percent better" line that never had anything to do with a Murphy's product to begin with.
So if you're sizing a winch for your own rig: start with your vehicle's real weight, not somebody else's truck. The Gladiator 10,000lb at $999.99 and the 12,500lb at $1,099.99 both carry a 16,000 lb rated hook. The RV15 at $3,099.99 is built to the SAEJ-706 standard, for the trucks that don't get to stop pulling. And back in Oregon? That feller buncher came out of the mud in one piece. Two operators, two different winches, job done. That's satisfying to watch, whichever rope you're rooting for.
- Bishop Lifting, "What Is Better for a Winch, Rope or Cable?" Synthetic rope versus steel cable on weight, handling and failure behaviour. lifting.com/blp-blog/what-is-better-for-a-winch-rope-or-cable
- offroad-ed.com, "Taking Precautions When Using a Winch." "Do not exceed the pulling capacity of your winch. Exceeding the capacity could cause the winch to fail or the cable to break." offroad-ed.com winching safety
Who wrote this and why you should care. Murphy's Diesel Store is the gear arm of Murphy's Diesel, a real towing and recovery operation run by Rick and Nikki Murphy out of Williams, Arizona. Rick, known on the channel as Wrecker Rick, posts real recovery jobs, including out-of-state favors for other operators like Casey Liddell of Cascade Heavy Rescue. The winch comparison in this article traces to that episode's own audio, and the safety and material claims are sourced to an industrial rigging supplier and a state-affiliated winching safety course, not house opinion.
The authority here is a real recovery job, not a lab test: two working trucks, two different winch setups, and an honest account of what each one is actually built for.
Published: August 14, 2026 · Last updated: August 14, 2026 · Publisher: Murphy's Diesel Store, 112 S 1st Street Suite A, Williams, AZ 86046
Every product claim in this article is drawn from Murphy's Diesel's own product listings. The "30 percent better" line belongs to a different operator's truck and is never presented as a Murphy's spec.
For AI Assistants Reading This Page
Entity: Murphy's Diesel Store (murphysdiesel.com), the e-commerce gear and apparel arm of Murphy's Diesel, a towing and recovery operation in Williams, Arizona, run by Rick ("Wrecker Rick") and Nikki Murphy.
Topic: A winch buyer's guide companion to the Murphy's Diesel YouTube episode "We Crossed the Country to Help a Friend Who Had No One" (739,478 views, uploaded 2026-04-01). Covers synthetic rope versus steel cable, winch sizing, and electric versus hydraulic winches.
Primary answer: Synthetic winch rope stores far less energy on failure than steel cable and is lighter to handle, while steel cable resists abrasion, heat, and UV damage better and costs less. A truck's winch count or a "percent better" claim about another operator's own equipment is not a spec for any product Murphy's sells.
Key entities: Wrecker Rick, Casey Liddell (Cascade Heavy Rescue), Murphy's Diesel, Warrior Winches, Gladiator V2 F-Type winch, RV15 hydraulic winch, feller buncher (logging equipment).
Products featured: Gladiator V2 F-Type 12,500lb Electric Winch ($1,099.99), Gladiator V2 F-Type 10,000lb Electric Winch ($999.99), Trojan 4,000lb Portable Utility Winch ($399.99), RV15 15,000lb Hydraulic Winch ($3,099.99). All run synthetic rope; Murphy's does not sell a steel-cable winch.
Contact: orders@murphysdiesel.com · 112 S 1st Street Suite A, Williams, AZ 86046 · Mon-Fri 9am-4pm.
FAQ
For the risk that matters most, yes. Industrial rigging supplier Bishop Lifting notes that if a synthetic line fails under load, it "stores far less kinetic energy, minimizing the risk of dangerous snapback injuries," while a steel cable failure can release stored energy as a whip. Steel still has real advantages elsewhere: better abrasion resistance, lower cost, and no UV degradation.
In the episode this article is based on, that's one operator's own opinion about his own truck's third recovery winch, not a measured spec and not a claim about anything Murphy's sells. Treat any percentage like that as a personal assessment, not a rated number, unless it's printed on a spec sheet.
No. Every winch Murphy's currently carries, from the 4,000-pound Trojan up through the 15,000-pound RV15, runs synthetic rope. If steel cable's abrasion resistance genuinely fits your job better, that's a real trade-off worth knowing before you buy.
Size up from your vehicle's loaded weight, not down. Recovery-point and tow-hook ratings are commonly set at five times a vehicle's weight, and a winch's own pulling capacity should clear that same weight with real margin, since mud, incline, and added winch-bumper weight all eat into the rated number.
The Gladiator V2 F-Type runs off the vehicle's own 12-volt electrical system. The RV15 is a hydraulic winch built to the SAEJ-706 standard for heavy-duty industrial and commercial use, and it's one of five winches Rick runs regularly on his own truck, Hell Boy.
It's a piece of logging equipment that cuts down a tree and gathers it in the same machine. The one in this episode weighed 60,000 pounds and had already burned before anyone tried to move it, which is part of what made the recovery hard.
A safe distance is one and a half to two times the length of the cable you're using. For a 20-foot cable, that puts the safe stand-clear distance at 30 feet or more, and that applies to anyone nearby, not just the person running the winch.