("Anyone replaced with the "swaged" cable here? It's a good bit more expensive.") Rusty, I dont understand the question, can you clue me in?
Fluid Film dont sound like a bad idea to me, if one is logging in the mud, I dont think it matters if lube or no lube, some mud/dirt is going to wound in, one solution is hook up a sprinkler system to spray water on the cable as it it being winched in, or better yet, it's to muddy out there so I'm gonna take another month off.
I almost forgot to mention, the only time I got grease on my Fransgard winch clutch disc so it wouldn't work, was when I put to much grease on the chain that turns the cable drum. I had to tear it all apart and spray the brake disc with brake solvent, put back together and from then on, more careful applying grease to chain.