Electric or hydrolic winch?

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DavidStreet

New Member
Posts
7
Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the forum so treat me gently!!

I'm planning to fit a winch to my Defender 110 XS (with air-con) and getting a bit confused over which type of winch to buy.

I found myself reading these articles: -
4x4winches.com - Truth Not Opinion
4x4winches.com - Truth Not Opinion

These articles suggest that electric winches can't compete with hydrolic ones. The primary areas where electric winches seemed to fail included: -

  1. Overheating
  2. Multiple / Repetitive pulls in quick succession
  3. Winch speeds
I've also spoken with David Bowyer at Goodwinch Limited who assures me that modern electric winches don't suffer the problems described above and that my Defender 110 XS won't need an extra battery and thereby reduces the overhead costs (dual charging systems etc.)

So this is where the Forum comes in. I'd welcome any contributions to help me decide.
When in use the winch may be used to not only recover my loaded Defender 110, but I also may also need to winch a boat and trailer (weighing around 3 tonnes on the road) over uneven ground.

I'm driving the Land Rover and towing the boat and trailer down to Malta. Leaving the boat in Malta, the plan is to then go on expeditions with the Defender into North Africa.

So what should I buy, an electric or hydrolic winch?

Cheers!
 
Hydraulic is better... if you can afford it ;) more complicated to set-up but they are good. Bowyer knows what he is talking about to, I would get a winch through him if i was in the market.

G
 
Other thing to think about is when your going to be using it.

If its going to be to try and pull yourself out of a swamp when your engine has cut out then a hydrolic one is not going to be much use - nor for that mater is a cheep electric one that is not sealed!
 
I suggest electric to make things simple. Hydraulic is not as popular as electric. It's a little bit complate and expensive. You'd better consider an electric one as winching starter.
Cheers.
 
Thanks guys, the replies have been useful.

When it comes to buying stuff I tend to research hard and try (when possible) to "buy once". That means that budget isn't going to be an issue.

Hydrolic does seem to be the best device, but as JamesCronin said, they do rely on an engine that is running.
Given that the winch is going to be fitted to a new(ish) 110 XS with a snorkel and all the wading kits and water ingress protection, what is the likelihood that I'll have an engine that won't start?

I've also read that electric winches are high maintenance. Apparently, they consume solenoids and need to be stripped down regularly when they've been "dunked". I really don't have time for stripping down and rebuilding my winch. Is a waterproof winch really waterproof?

The next bit focuses on ease of use. Are hyrolic winches available with a remote control?

Keep the comments coming guys.
Thanks.
 
why have you neglected to include a manual winch in your list ? - none of the above mentioned failings apply

tirfor.jpg
 
DavidStreet said:
Thanks guys, the replies have been useful.

When it comes to buying stuff I tend to research hard and try (when possible) to "buy once". That means that budget isn't going to be an issue.

Hydrolic does seem to be the best device, but as JamesCronin said, they do rely on an engine that is running.
Given that the winch is going to be fitted to a new(ish) 110 XS with a snorkel and all the wading kits and water ingress protection, what is the likelihood that I'll have an engine that won't start?

I've also read that electric winches are high maintenance. Apparently, they consume solenoids and need to be stripped down regularly when they've been "dunked". I really don't have time for stripping down and rebuilding my winch. Is a waterproof winch really waterproof?

The next bit focuses on ease of use. Are hyrolic winches available with a remote control?

Keep the comments coming guys.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

If you want the best of both worlds then why not get an electro-hydraulic unit as used on tail lifts, tippers and spec lift recovery trucks. It uses the electrics to power a hydraulic pump.;)
 
Thanks Ratty.

Does anyone have any experience with electro-hydrolic winches? Who makes them? Any recommendations?

Cheers.
 
I've had both an electric and hydraulic winch in the past. If you put the cost to one side I found that the two had different strengths. The electric winch, an X9 was faster and was excellent for most situations and never let me down. I used two batteries linked together to ensure plenty of power but didn't go into split charging etc I only ever had to stop winching a couple of times to allow the batteries to recharge a bit before carrying on.
The hydraulic winch I had was a milemarker and was slower than the electric, the electric would run quite a bit faster on light or no load whereas the hydraulic seemed to run at the same pace regarless. Where the hydraulic came into it's own was when I winched myself to the top of a long and greasy slope and then anchored myself at the top and winched three other vehicles up one after the other. That winch would have run all day without stopping.
If I had to choose I would be guided by what I expect to do with it. If you want to have it to pull you out of the odd sticky spot then get an electric. If you expect to be winching for hours and tackling difficult situations on a regular basis I would have a hydraulic.
The only other factor to consider would be if you have a petrol or diesel motor. On a petrol I would have an electric as going into water your petrol is more likely to cut out and with a hydraulic no motor equals no winch.
I like the idea of hydraulic run by an electric pump and it would be worth looking at the electric power steering pumps used on a lot of modern cars. You would need to find out what pressure and flow rate they run at. I know milemarker used to sell an electric pump but it was very pricey.
 
DavidStreet said:
Are hyrolic winches available with a remote control?
Click to expand...

Yep - just use a simple hoist remote.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weZ_Ze6BmsE"]YouTube- Seven Sisters winching[/ame]

The hydraulic vs electric question doesn't really have an answer. Hydraulic has no run on, is simple, doesn't cook plasma rope, can lower out reliably, it is quiet, powerful and low maintenance.

Electric is cheaper, faster to pay out off load, generally faster pulling in (up to about 4 tonnes, more choice, works without the engine running (I've never seen a self recovery in these situations though, or heard of one etc. If you're that stuffed get a mate to pull you out).

If you buy once & well, get hydraulic. It's an elegant solution (and can tug a 27 tonne recovery truck, a Range Rover and a Defender at once without any noise or fuss, albeit slowly). If you want a winch that works and will give you loads of good service for less moolah, get electric.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8M4D6mei4k"]YouTube- Winching demonstration at Land Rover Max, Newark 2009[/ame]
 
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