wforicv
1/2 ton status
Anybody got thoughts on hydo winches? Pros? Cons? How difficult are they to setup? Anybody use a hyro winch? Just poking the coals to get some info flowing......
Eric
Eric
CK5
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Hydro Winches- Any Thoughts?
- Thread starter wforicv
- Start date
used a few...
We had a few ramp trucks with hydro winches..they have a few advantages,and a few drawbacks..
advantages:
1.powerful!..we used one as a frame straightener and pulled crumpled sheet metal back into place with one..can't recall ever "stalling" it pulling heavy trucks on...
2.no battery drain
3.fairly quiet..
Disadvantages:
1.engine must be running to turn pump!--we tried using an electric hydralulic pump from a dump body once..--it kills batteries fast,takes too long a run time to spool out 30' of cable or more and back again..pump motor wont live long ..
2.slow as snail****..takes over 2 minutes to pull a car on the ramp..we even bought a new pump on one truck,thought it was too small or junk--no difference in winch speed or power--just the nature of the beast I guess--this might not be true of ALL hydro winches,but both of ours were slow..
3.one leaky hose,or if one pops..and your dead in the water..ditto if your low on fluid,and don't have any with you to add..
4.lots of valves,hoses,and potential for failure (at least on a tilt/slide ramp truck)..off roading can be tough on the plumbing..
Not sure if I'd want one on an off road rig,that might have stalled after getting stuck in a swamp...
maybe if you had a small gas engine to run the pump instead of the vehicles engine.. 
We had a few ramp trucks with hydro winches..they have a few advantages,and a few drawbacks..
advantages:
1.powerful!..we used one as a frame straightener and pulled crumpled sheet metal back into place with one..can't recall ever "stalling" it pulling heavy trucks on...
2.no battery drain
3.fairly quiet..
Disadvantages:
1.engine must be running to turn pump!--we tried using an electric hydralulic pump from a dump body once..--it kills batteries fast,takes too long a run time to spool out 30' of cable or more and back again..pump motor wont live long ..
2.slow as snail****..takes over 2 minutes to pull a car on the ramp..we even bought a new pump on one truck,thought it was too small or junk--no difference in winch speed or power--just the nature of the beast I guess--this might not be true of ALL hydro winches,but both of ours were slow..
3.one leaky hose,or if one pops..and your dead in the water..ditto if your low on fluid,and don't have any with you to add..
4.lots of valves,hoses,and potential for failure (at least on a tilt/slide ramp truck)..off roading can be tough on the plumbing..
Not sure if I'd want one on an off road rig,that might have stalled after getting stuck in a swamp...
maybe if you had a small gas engine to run the pump instead of the vehicles engine.. The control valve MileMarker supplies with their winches favors the PS/PB systems over the winch. So if you have hydro-boost you can't winch someone else with your foot on the brake w/o something like a Mico Lock.
