Warn hydraulic winch?

[77 K20]

First of all- I gotta say I've never owned a winch of any kind. However in the off road club the other members almost all have winches. But all are the electric kind. And I've seen a lot of problems with them. Overheating, melting, whatnot.

I am thinking about buying ORDs front bumper. It has provisions for a winch. This got me thinking.

I don't want to re-do my whole electrical system for an electric winch. I figure to do it "right" my V-belt system should go away. Get a serpentine setup with a big alternator, then add a second battery and isolator.

So based on an article I read a long time ago I thought a hydraulic winch is the way to go. They are more expensive, but then they don't overheat. And I'd probably have to buy a PSC power steering pump- but that would be it.

Am I flawed in thinking this way?

Anyone have any hydraulic winch experiences? Doesn't have to be Warn either. Mile Marker- etc

 

[dvdswan]

How many times have you been REALLY stuck alone? I've had numerous winches and have used them less than you would think. Probably really 10 times over the last 30 years. I've used them for smaller jobs a dozen or so times just to make things easier than breaking my back.

Most stuck times I've used a tow strap because they are quicker and easier to use/put away. Winches are not fast by any means.

I will always have a winch on my vehicle for the just in case.

As far as hydraulic winch, unless you are pull a seriously heavy vehicle, I wouldn't bother. 18K winch doubled is a 36K winch which would be enough for a crew cab dually with a fully loaded camper on it.

 

[bucket]

I kind of disagree with the requirements of the "right" way. Unless you are constantly getting stuck, just adding a second battery will work well, without even adding an isolator. Imho, the "right" way only involves heavy cables of proper size, routing and termination, along with a good battery. Anything beyond that is just extra insurance and the ability to use the winch excessively.


As far as hydraulic winches go, I've only been around the big ones like used on semi trailers, wreckers and AG equipment. I don't know how those compare to smaller ones that would be used on an off road truck.

 

[77 K20]

I've been out wheeling for almost 30 years and have only needed a winch twice (really really stuck those times). That being said I keep modifying the truck to be better. This means I'll possibly get stuck in worse more remote areas.

I'd also want to run synthetic rope and I keep seeing how heat is an issue from the electric winches. Hydraulic doesn't have this issue at all.

I did read how the army gave up on electric winches for their humvees. They switched to Mile Marker hydraulics.

 

[AuroraGirl]

I've been out wheeling for almost 30 years and have only needed a winch twice (really really stuck those times). That being said I keep modifying the truck to be better. This means I'll possibly get stuck in worse more remote areas.

I'd also want to run synthetic rope and I keep seeing how heat is an issue from the electric winches. Hydraulic doesn't have this issue at all.

I did read how the army gave up on electric winches for their humvees. They switched to Mile Marker hydraulics.

in a case like me,i will be putting a electric clutch hydraulic pump on my square to power a plow lift cylinder. a really also-useful application would be pull rams, winches, etc so if i get quick connect couplers i could power various utilities with it.

 

[bigcountry78]

Majority of winches sold are electric, and have been for ~60 years at least. For most folks an electric winch and one good battery/alternator are all they will ever need. I also agree with stepping back and really evaluating what your needs are. I have a winch, but it’s no longer in the truck because I just don’t have the need for it. Never really did for that matter. It just looked cool lol.

 

[77 K20]

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This was from 7 months ago. Oops. Everything was fine until I had to turn around. The one part of this long bed truck I hate is turning around if there isn't a big enough area.

I just like to be prepared.

My fuel injection is also very sensitive to voltage. Just hooking up my air compressor to air up the tires draws 50 amps and causes the engine to surge really bad. So that was why I figured the best bet was a second battery with an isolator... or go hydraulic where it draws 2 amps.

 

[Overland Suburban]

Just a thought but the guys I wheel with use chainsaw winches and I'm impressed! It's nice when you want to pull straight sideways when you can hook to the side of your vehicle. Carrying a chainsaw is a must anyways if your wheeling in timbered country and a chainsaw winch is light

Tracy

 

[Bextreme04]

I don't do any serious wheeling but I've never needed a winch outside of the Army. FWIW, I've never seen a HMMWV with a winch... we have recovery vehicles with winches. They do have the fittings on the outside of the wheels to self recover, and they have pull ropes to yank each other out. If they get REALLY stuck, they call for recovery and the big boys come out to play. I was a main battle tank mechanic and the recovery operator, so I have done some interesting recoveries. The M88A2 that we had used a 70-ton rated hydraulic winch with 100 meters of 1 5/8" steel cable. You could hook it up 2-1 with the 140 ton pulley and yank about anything out of anywhere. The winch by itself weighed more than a HMMWV and needed a 3-ton winch to pull out the cable.

Electric is OK, but I've never seen any serious application use anything but hydraulic. It's just so simple, powerful, and reliable.

 

[Coal creek Chris]

Chainsaw winch is interesting, didn't know those existed. Would those stand up to frequent, hours-long use or are they more for occasional pulling?

Thinking about adding a winch to the front of my truck for log recovery and I'm more interested in a high duty cycle than a high weight pull rating. Also would want long cable length, 200 feet would be nice. Mostly will be moving small diameter pines in the 4-8 inch range and occasionally larger logs. Seems like hydraulic winches are better for duty cycle but not sure about tying into my PS pump. My transmission has the PTO cover on the sides, could I run a hydraulic pump off that with hoses up to the front? Any creative ideas are welcomed. Thanks.

 

[77 K20]

I have done some more reading about hydraulic winches- it is hard to find a PTO hydraulic pump. Some of the pumps work only one way (they are not reversible). This is important as when you would go to use it you put the transfer case in neutral and then you put the transmission in gear (reverse or drive). Putting it in the wrong gear reverses the flow and can damage the pump.

Seems hydraulic winches have a slower line pull speed than an electric but you can run them all day long without overheating the winch.

Some people run two power steering pumps. One dedicated for the winch and/or the hydraulic steering setup.

Some also just use a better power steering pump (PSC) and then run a much bigger fluid reservoir that is remote mounted.)

 

[AuroraGirl]

I have done some more reading about hydraulic winches- it is hard to find a PTO hydraulic pump. Some of the pumps work only one way (they are not reversible). This is important as when you would go to use it you put the transfer case in neutral and then you put the transmission in gear (reverse or drive). Putting it in the wrong gear reverses the flow and can damage the pump.

Seems hydraulic winches have a slower line pull speed than an electric but you can run them all day long without overheating the winch.

Some people run two power steering pumps. One dedicated for the winch and/or the hydraulic steering setup.

Some also just use a better power steering pump (PSC) and then run a much bigger fluid reservoir that is remote mounted.)

Muncie makes a clutched belt driven hydraulic pump for SBC and maybe bbc. i dont know pricing but its in my future for my plow truck as I can use the hydraulics for more things I want. The PTO idea is cool but id rather have the serviceability and convenience in the hood. plus for using the truck like a gas generator out of the truck for hydraulics im sure i could kick up the hide idle lol.
I believe the pump has a wire designed for idle speed solenoid if desired

 

[dsteelejr]

So based on an article I read a long time ago I thought a hydraulic winch is the way to go.

Kinda late to the conversation, but maybe this will be helpful. I'm putting a winch on my square soon and I've been leaning towards hydraulic.

My uncle has a '75 K20 and he put a hydraulic winch on it decades ago, still has it and uses it. Not sure the brand, he said a co-worker gave it to him. The Munice manual transmissions and some t-cases (he has a NP205) have a provision for a PTO and he drives it off of that. No extra pumps or belts under the hood. You'll have to find and buy the PTO unit, it bolts onto the side of the tranny or t-case housing. For an oil reservoir he uses a power steering pump reservoir he got off of a Kenworth W900 (he's a retired diesel mechanic) and its mounted next to the radiator. Just about any tank will do as long as it holds enough oil. He has a control box mounted on the driver side fender that the oil lines feed into and controls the oil flow to control the winch direction or bypass when it's idle. The box is electronically controlled from inside the cab.

 

[Turbo4whl]

Something to keep in mind about a PTO and pump, the PTO must match the application. You can't just buy any used PTO and expect to work on a different trans/transfer case. In some cases you can easily re-gear the PTO for a different app.

For intermittent use, the Mile Marker winch that runs off the power steering pump can be a much easier choice. Much cheaper in the long run too.

 

[77 K20]

I'm probably a year out from buying a winch. Need a winch bumper first- but good to hear different input from people.