Winch cables are arguably one of the most reliable and durable tools if you want to hold onto something heavy like towing cars or boats. But they are not invincible and can be broken at times.
If you are facing a situation where your steel winch cable is broken at the top or in the bottom, then you might not have to throw them out and get a new one.
Because if you know how to fix a broken winch cable properly, then you can re-use them again without facing any drawbacks.
And in this winch cable repair guide, we will show you exactly how you can do that. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the details, shall we?
4 Steps Guide To Fix Broken Winch Steel Cable
Primarily, for repairing winch cable, there are two ways you can fix a broken winch cable. You can either go for the manual option, in which we will discuss the steps or you can take the help of tools.
Most of us don’t have access to the required tools for fixing a broken winch cable. And unless you deal with a broken winch cable every day, we don’t recommend you get one for just occasional use.
The manual method or the Molly Hogan Loop method is much easier, cheaper, and time effective.
Here are the steps that you will need to follow to fix a broken winch cable with Molly Hogan Loop:
Step – 1: Assess the Damage
The first thing that you need to do before you start fixing your winch cable is to assess the damage. Figure out where the cable was broken and which parts have been affected the most.
If the damaged end is sprayed out, then you are lucky, and the process will be much easier.
Otherwise, you will have to follow an extra step.
Step – 2: Fray Out the Damaged End
This step can be ignored if your cable has already been frayed out due to the damage it has taken.
If not then you will have to do it manually. You can fray out your winch cable by hitting it with a rock, hammer, or bat. Banging the damaged end on the road can also help to fray out the cable.
Some also try to fray it out with their teeth. Don’t do that. It is very difficult, and you can end up hurting yourself.
Step – 3: Unwind the Cable
Next, you have to unwind the cable. Make sure that you are unwinding them equally. The ones with three strands can be a bit difficult for first-timers.
But if you just have to wound up the center strand before and there should be four on one side and three on the other.
That being said, you can go with any of the other options if you are more comfortable with that than the mentioned one.
A few things that you will need to keep in mind while unwinding the cable is that you will have to unwind quite a bit because you are going to loop them up.
But the smaller the loop, the better the performance will be, so you will have to keep an eye out so that you don’t end up unwinding too much or too little. Also, you will need to have at least a six-inch tail for this to work.
Step – 4: Looping & Threading
Once you are done with the unwinding process. Make your loop. After that just take the cable and start threading them back together through the loop.
For this process, we recommend that you wear gloves if this is your first time doing it. Because the procedure can be a bit rough if you haven’t done this already.
That being said, the process will be fairly simple because you just have to put back the natural curves or threading of the cable. Once you start to curve them, they will easily start to go back to their braided form.
You can also be sure that you are doing the process right by checking the part of the cable which you haven’t worked on.
The pattern should be the same, it might look like the looped one is going backward but the structure will follow the same concept.
You should keep tucking the cables back in until you are not able to anymore. Once that is complete, you will be left with two strands. Thread them together with the mentioned process and ensure they go back and look like a normal winch cable.
And that’s it. This is how you can fix a damaged winch cable without needing the help of any tools.
The Final Cut
Knowing how to fix a damaged winch cable can become very handy in the wilderness, especially if you are in an area where towing service isn’t available.
The Molly Hogan Loop is a highly effective way to fix your winch cable, and experts say that it retains almost 90 percent of the cable’s previous strength.
So, unless you are pulling something equal to or above the working limit of your winch cable, then follow this step by step process. It will serve you perfectly, as long as you follow the steps properly.
So, don’t ignore any of the steps, and best of luck fixing your winch cables!
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