It is what I would call one of those “eureka moments”. It was while walking around the KWF Forestry Show in Germany, a demonstration caught my eye, it was winch cables but not as we know it! They were demonstrating nylon winch cables with the same capabilities as the steel cables we normally use in skidding. It looked too good to be true but after further investigation it appeared nylon rope is used in forestry on the continent. With the nylon rope weighing 90% less than the steel rope but with the same tensile strength it has to be good.
Pulling cables up and down steep banks is exhausting, just ask anybody who has tried it! Not only does it help with productivity but more importantly safety. Nylon rope doesn’t have sprigs and when it breaks it just drops to the floor. Compare that to wire rope, which lashes out catching anything and anyone in its unpredictable path.
Nylon rope sounds too good to be true – well as with most things there is a downside and it is the price. Yes it is expensive but with the added benefits to safety it has to be worth it. There is however still a place for wire rope over certain terrains, but to cover all situations we operate both. The best of both worlds!