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Power Steering Pump Winch


TrailChaser
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I was looking thru a Mile Marker catalog and saw some 8,000lbs-12,000lbs winches that are powered by the power steering pump.

What's the deal with these? Sounds like a good idea. Anyone have any experiance or heard anything about'em either positive or negative?

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If it's attached to the power steering pump, it'll be hot no matter if it's being used or not. That's not the point. The point is, electric winches work until the battery dies regardless of whether the motor is running or not. You can also swap out batteries for a fresh charge or be jumpered by another vehicle. With the hydraulic winch, the engine HAS to be running.

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The following is adapted from 6 months of research and numerous conversations with 4x4 Connection owner James Asti and many 4wheeling enthusiasts.

 

As far as what kind of winch to get, there are advantages and disadvantages of both hydraulic and electric. However, I'll touch on that a little later once I cover some of the other basics.

 

I've been looking at, and comparing different winches for about 6 months now. I'm taking my time and trying to find the best possible winch for my application, because, well, I don't even have a bumper yet.

 

I've looked at all the typical brands, and some not: Ramsey, Superwinch, Warn, Milemarker, and Harbor Freight.

 

Of those winches, I was looking primarily at the 9000-9500lb range. Those that fit into that are the Ramsey Patriot Series, the Superwinch EPi 9k, the Warn 9.5ti, the Milemarker 9000 and the Harbor Freight Cheapy 9000. My reasoning behind choosing a 9000-9500lb winch is simple. Twice the force of the vehicle weight is more than adequate to winch yourself out of most any stuck, and if need be, you can winch with another truck winching you if you're REALLY stuck.

 

As far as mounting situation, I looked at several options. An externally mounted winch on a full winch bumper, an internally mounted winch on a full winch bumper, or a front receiver mounted winch. All of them have their advantages and disadvantages, just like the different winches. Of course, cost is one factor that the reciever wins out on. It is simply a lot less expensive to fabricate. However, strenght is not one of its strong points, pun intended. They are not tolerant of angled or side pulls, and they do not have the surface area of the winch plate to distribute the force. However, the winch is removable (a big plus in certain climates and neighborhoods), and you can run wires to the rear for rear winching. It is not realistic to run a hydraulic winch with a receiver.

 

The external and internally mounted winch bumper winches, are the same as far as strength goes, but with the externally mounted winch, you can get an electric winch with an integrated solenoid (Superwinch EPi, which is able to be run under water as long as the connections are sealed). The problem with mounting your winch here, is it is fully exposed to the elements, natural and criminal. With an internal winch mount, is it not possible to use an integrated solenoid electric winch, because of space limitations, which eliminates the option for underwater use. However, it is better protected from the elements, again, natural or criminal. The only problem that I see with an internally mounted winch is when mud gets into the bumper it is very hard to clean out.

 

Now that I've sufficiently tangented for 15 minutes, it's time for the Hydraulic vs. Electric argument. (Is it just me or is this starting to sound like a lecture?) :laugh:

 

Anyways, the obvious advantage to the hydraulic winch is underwater use. Since it is not electronically driven, all hydraulic winches are able to be used under water. However, a hydraulic winch is substantially slower than an electric winch, and the vehicles motor must be running for it to be operational. There are also many, many weak points to the hydraulic power steering systems on today's vehicles, as well as the hydraulic system in the winches. I have seen hoses blow, valves give out, solenoids blow, you name it. And, if any of these occurs, then you're stuck (well, I guess you already were if you were winching, but, now you're really stuck). On the other hand, with a hydraulic winch, the power delivery to the winch is more consistent, meaning that it doesn't matter as much how much line has been pulled out, the winch will still draw at the same speed and very close to the same power.

 

With an electric winch, though, I feel that the advantages of the electric winch outweigh the advantages of the hydraulic winch, UNLESS, most of your off-road driving is done near or in water/deep mud. If you regularly dunk the front end of your truck, I cannot recommend purchasing an electric winch, because 99% of them will not work under water. As stated above, Superwinch has just released an integrated solenoid electric winch, that, when sealed properly, will work partially submerged. However, for the rock crawler, average trail runner, an electric winch is the way to go. They are much easier (and less messy, no hydraulic fluid to worry about) to install. They are generally quite a bit faster than the hydraulic winch, especially during feed or unladen draw. However, I feel the greatest advantage to the electric winch over the hydraulic winch is that the engine does not need to be running to run the winch. It will go strong until there isn't enough juice left in the battery to run it, which, depending on the winch you get and the battery setup you have, can range quite a bit in time.

 

When I get my winch and bumper, I am going to have a clone of the Shrockworks bumper for the Xterras made for my Pathfinder, and mount a Warn 9.5ti in it. I decided on that bumper, because not only is it very strong, I think it looks great. I chose the Warn because I've heard nothing but great reviews about Warn and have never had a problem with a Warn product in the past. Also, I've got experience with that particular winch, and liked it a lot. I decided to go electric, because I have an upgraded alternator, and I just purchased 2 Optima Yellow Tops and an Isolator for a dual battery setup, just haven't gotten around to installing it yet...You know...lazy...Heh.

 

Well, I'll be...this turned out to be almost a book. Hope this post helps you all choose the right winch for ya...

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i was talking about having a second powersteering pump and second hydraulic circuit just for the winch. i cant imagine that it would be impossible to do. i dont know all the specifics on hydraulics but couldnt be too hard to find out. would be just a pump bracket and some lines i think,

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Here's a free video,DVD, or CD-rom from MileMarker comparing winches. I haven't seen it yet because you have to order it from their site, but hey, it's free...

 

Here's an interesting bit of info from the MileMarker website.

 

Copy & Pasted

 

Every day more than 200 million power steering pumps operate flawlessly. Used in all types of vehicles, under every condition, from 50 below to 135 degrees above, the pump must perform for years without service or adjustment. It has to withstand every type of abuse without failure. Having a built-in governor (the pressure relief valve), it is impossible to overload or overwork the pump. The only maintenance required is checking fluid in the system and refilling if needed. Steering is arguably the most important function while driving, so the power steering pump has evolved into the most reliable system on vehicles today. It never fails unless the fluid leaks out for some reason, such as a torn hose. MileMarker chose to design a winch to use this continuous reliable power supply over the battery power used by competitors. After rigorous testing, we learned it was the right choice. We found the pump would operate continuously while pulling heavy loads with our winch and actually ran cooler when winching then it did while driving off-road. Our tests have been confirmed by many others independently, including magazines worldwide, 2 * years of testing by the U.S. Military, and testing by the University of Technology in Australia.

 

MileMarker has passed the most rigorous testing, earning multiple contracts to replace electric winches on military HUMVEE's using the factory installed power steering pumps.

 

Sincerely Yours,

 

Richard E. Aho

President

MileMarker, Inc.

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