PTO winches work only when your engine is running,so why would you want a PTO winch over an Electric Winch? Other than for a Original Restoration? Pros and Cons of Both. Personal Experiences?
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PTO winches work only when your engine is running,so why would you want a PTO winch over an Electric Winch? Other than for a Original Restoration? Pros and Cons of Both. Personal Experiences?
I have never had a PTO winch. I do have an electric winch, 8,000 pound Ramsey. I made a frame for it that allows me to mount it in the back of my flat bed '66K20 or on my car trailer. When it works, I really am glad I have it. I have learned that constant use or months without don't matter. I need to take all of the wires off, clean the terminals, and reassemble it at least once a month. I usually have it in the back of my truck to pick up 2,000 pound round bales of hay. Rainy weather makes for heavier bales of hay and electrical corrosion. I hate having to spend so much time on preventive maintenance and still have it give me troubles. I have completely rebuild the winch part and the motor part. It is in good internal condition. I just can't seem to keep both selenoids clean and working. I have tried many different methods of covering them too.
That same truck has a PTO driven hydrolic tailgate. I can also remove it. I put it on last week. It had been sitting out in the weather for almost two years. I bolted it on, connected the hydrolic quick connect fittings and it works like it did when I took it off. I like that. I also am leary of using the electric winch with the engine off. I am afraid of running the battery down and not being able to restart the truck. It weighs more than the M715 and as you know, unless you are on the side of a mountain. A single person can not push start something that heavy. That is why I have been looking for a cheap PTO winch for years now. Unfortunatly, I live in the middle of the oil patch. The oil field companies use things until they are not able to be rebuilt. That and the fact that people around here consider winches something to make money with, not use for play, tends to keep the price up and the supply low.
To answer your question based on research and study, not on total experience. I would go with a PTO. Once they are set up right mechanically, they are simple, easy to maintain and easy to use. A side bonus is that they are very hard to unbolt and steal compared to an electric.
An electric winch may run with a dead engine but not for long as they will drain a battery quickly. They can also overheat during long or heavy pulls.
My pto will go all day. the electric one gets hot and I have to let it cool down
I have two PTO winches on my truck. The brute strength of a PTO winch is impressive. Electric definately does have it's place for several reasons...plops right on the mount without other shafts and devices, will run when your carb has stopped allowing your engine to run, usually lighter, etc. PTO have more parts, generally heavier duty parts, will not fade, heat up, or stop pulling, are not usually found on 'VISA-Jeepers' rides, don't have solenoids to fry or corrode, and I'll be putting an efi on mine at some point (I have the efi) then, if ever, if I need to winch from on my side the engine will run til the bottom end burns up. But, it's kind of what's easiest for you...your truck.
A warn dude told me two full pulls for an electric winch. After that let it cool for awhile. I have poured water or heaven forbid beer on a motor to cool it. I have always had electric. Keep the connections real clean and you are set. Since I now have a PTO on the M715 and M35A2 I need to get schooled up on using them. I have used the M715 winch once to pull a dumba** in a suzuki SUV up out of a muddy road he never should have gone down. Still had dealer plates on it. It seems to me that PTO's are a two person operation. Especially for reeling in the last bit of cable. The one advandage of electric is if you roll it, you have a good chance at self recovery. One thing I never see anybody do is lube the cable. Every once in awhile I dump a half can of tri-flow on my cables. Try it, your cable will love you for it.. TGIF!!!
Yeah, you're correct on the end of spool stuff. Winching in that last little bit without seeing it can be a pain. It does take a little while to get the knack of the PTO jobbies with the manual in/out clutch. I actually picked up one of my winches on the cheap from a fire company taking it off of one of their trucks 'cause it was too complicated for their weekend warriors. They welded in a heavy plate and put warn 12,000's on it...a deuce bruch truck. Oh, another thing I like about the deuce style winches I run is the 1/2" cable. THAT stuff has some serious balls to it.
i like my pto...used it for the first time the other day...its got some balls to it
Twer I to build a trail only light truck I'd go electric in a sec. For heavy and ugly...PTO BABY!
They both have thier place and advantages. You won't really know which is better until you've had both and then you'll know what YOUR style of riding demands.
I, for example, have a nasty habit of getting my motor in water and thus it stalls and is stuck. Were I to have a PTO, I'd have to get the motor in shape to run before I could use my winch. As I have it, I just winch out and then change the oil or whatever. Dual batteries and a propperly rated electric serve me well.
They are cheaper, and usually less brute than PTO's- but a 12K Ramsey has always gotten me free.
-B.