I have been considering a mile marker hyd winch IMO it has these pros
1. completely sealed
2. no electronic upgrades needed ie. 2nd battery, hi output alt etc
3. low profile
the main con i see is you have to have the engine running to use it of course. This leads me to my main question. How many people have actually been in a situation that you could not run the engine and needed to use the winch? Im thinking if you are that far under water your are screwed anyway and better have a friend use their winch to get you out. Feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks Curt

 

Hmmmm. I've never really entertained the idea of a hydraulic winch. I guess it brings with it a level of security (it can't be used by some hoodlum unless the engine is running). But the same level of security can be obtained for an electric winch via an interrupt kit. I haven't had to use my winch with the engine off yet. A winch is a tool of necessity and I would hate to limit myself any way what-so-ever. If I broke down in a less than desirable place, it would be a comfort to know that my winch could pull me out of the way.

It's nice to see another Nevadan on the board. Where in Northern NV are you exactly?

 

Im in Fernley. I have been looking into winches and the hyd is lighter in weight and the hyd lines can easily be routed so as to be out of the way etc. I have considered the breakdown thing and my conclusion is if your engine is dead the amount of electric winching you could do would be min before killing the bat. Then you have no cell phone charger, cb,etc. Im just trying to compare apples to apples where you have at least a running engine to work with. Thanks for the input. Curt

 

I have the Revos too. Very quiet havent had a chance to see some snow with them yet. How do you like yours? Are they holding up well for you?
Also, how did the TB oversize work out? Much improvment?
Curt

 

I just got em last week. So far, they are great. I haven't really had a chance to test them out though. Yeah, the bored t-body working with the ported and polished intake and plenum made a big difference for me. Although, more mods equal more maintenance. I have to take the t-body of the plenum and the plenum off the intake 2-3 times a year to clean it all to make those mods worth while.

 

Where do you get these Winches. Got a web page handy and price ? what kind of adapter do you need to use to run one of these

 

yes i do
I am currently waiting a reply on application with a toyota factory p/s pump but i would think they are similar to most.
http://www.milemarker.com/
Curt

 

FWIW... I don't have a winch, so this is all kind of second hand experience.

I've seen a few rigs I've been wheeling with get stuck where the engine could not be started. In each case, it was on the way up a pretty good hill, or with the front end elevated on an obsticle. Some rigs won't start if they aren't on reasonably level ground. If you're stuck, it's usually on/near an obsticle of some sort. That would be a crappy time not to be able to use your winch.

 

Thanks for the input, Were these vehicles fuel injected?

 

Yes, all of them were. Two were second gen 4Runners and one was a newish Wrangler. FWIW... I believe one of the 4Runners also had a problem with the Fuel pump, so that may have been the greater problem. It was a few years ago, so I don't remember all the details.

 

I've heard nothing but good things about MileMarker hydraulic winches. If anyone ever makes a winch bumper for the 4th-gen runner, I'll be getting a MileMarker to go with it.

I don't really do anything or go anywhere extreme, just out back in the woods, often alone. So I want to make sure whatever winch I get won't let me down.

The one thing I liked about the MileMarker was that it basically doesn't burn out. You can winch all day long without it overheating. In addition, the winch can be under water and still work just fine. MileMarker's main problem is that the engine has to be running.

Electric winches seem to have the basic problems of (a) being heavier, (b) burning out on long hauls, (c) requiring a heavy duty battery (or two!) in order to be useful. And obviously, they don't need the engine running to work.

All-in-all, I'll be going for the MileMarker.

If you do go electric, be sure and upgrade to dual Optima batteries. And also make sure you route all of the electrical components up and away from the winch so that a little water doesn't short it out.

 

If going the hydraulic winch route, be advised the Toyota p/s pumps are fairly low pressure as far as pumps go, maybe 750 psi vs. 1000-1500 for domestics and a lower flow rate. This means the winch will not be able to to operate at its full rated pull. You'll probably also need a fluid cooler to keep things cool as well if you intend to do much sustained winching. One option is to go with a sepatate hydraulic pump to power the winch, either belt-driven or electric- or gas-powered.

I ran my 9000# Warn for a few years on the stock 60amp alternator and a single Optima red top battery. Never had any trouble with that setup. I now run a 160amp alternator and dual batteries and again no problems electrically.

 

Thanks for the info on the PS pump. I didn't know that the 4Runner's had so much less pressure. That might be a problem. They do sell parts for the Tacoma, Trundra, and Sequoia, but don't mention the 4Runner at all. That doesn't necessarily mean anything as they're web site looks out of date. The correct PS adapter would also be necessary, but that looks like a pretty simple part. Will definately check with MileMarker first though.

As far as running hot, all their tests on other vehicles seem to show that sustained winching actually runs cooler than any type of driving. Again though, this may not apply to the 4Runner.

Now if only someone made a heavy-duty winch bumper.