Outer Limits 4x4 Board

iv got an 80 series cruiser and it has a pto winch on it and i was thinking of goin to an eletric winch is this a good idear or is the pto better?

A classic argument. You will get all the pros and cons with this one.

The PTO will winch all day every day- as long as your motor is running.

An electric will winch for a while, as long as the motor is running to keep the battery charged.

You already have the PTO fitted, you are looking at some decent expense to fit an electric- not just winch, but dual battery set up- if you havent already got it.

PTO has infinately variable winching speed, electric has one.

Each has its fores and againsts.

I personally have a PTO and reckon its brilliant.

And yes, you can still winch and drive, just not a flexibly as what you can with an electric.

pto is faster and stronger, and wont flatten your battery.

elec can be used if your engine isnt running, but will drain your battery(a winch is the single biggest load your battery will ever have on it in its life under your bonnet). elec also has the advantage that the opporator can be outside the vehicle.



i would go pto personaly, but its dependant upon what you want out of it.

Most PTO setups on Toyota's I have seen. Have the ability to take a hand crank on the front of the worm drive. SO they can be used to some extent when the cars not running ie drowned in a creek or upside down.

Also I found that the maintenance of a PTO was almost non-extinct. Where as elec are look after it or it want work.

why would you want to change. i have a warn high mount and at times would prefer a pto. you can go out on your own without spare winch motors too

It is possible to be outside the vehicle when operating a PTO winch single handed. Just set it in motion at low speed, and you can get out. BUT, only in certain circumstances would I do this. I have done it when hung up on a centre hump, with 2 very well defined ruts to steer the vehicle, and the winch was a very long one. I got out to do a bit of shovel work while the winching was happening. You just need to be ready to get back in if needed.

if the PTO is already there then id be sticking with it.
but if i was starting with nothing then id probably go the electric just because its easier to fit

BundyRumandCoke wrote:It is possible to be outside the vehicle when operating a PTO winch single handed. Just set it in motion at low speed, and you can get out. BUT, only in certain circumstances would I do this. I have done it when hung up on a centre hump, with 2 very well defined ruts to steer the vehicle, and the winch was a very long one. I got out to do a bit of shovel work while the winching was happening. You just need to be ready to get back in if needed.

i agree, but thats only in limited circumstances. generaly you would want to remain in the vehicle to steer it and sometimes to adjust winch speed. that and the fact that if the cable breaks, the truck may well start heading downhill in a hurry with no1 to jump on the brakes!



id still prefer pto tho

I will view this in enviroment ..

If y ou do mudd wheeling or expedition a PTO can do better than electric winch .. by far ..

If you do rock crawling ( some serius rock ) electric have a great advantage in control and handling ..

[quote="macca81"][quote="BundyRumandCoke"]It is possible to be outside the vehicle when operating a PTO winch single handed. Just set it in motion at low speed, and you can get out. BUT, only in certain circumstances would I do this. I have done it when hung up on a centre hump, with 2 very well defined ruts to steer the vehicle, and the winch was a very long one. I got out to do a bit of shovel work while the winching was happening. You just need to be ready to get back in if needed.[/quote]


i agree, but thats only in limited circumstances. generaly you would want to remain in the vehicle to steer it and sometimes to adjust winch speed. that and the fact that if the cable breaks, the truck may well start heading downhill in a hurry with no1 to jump on the brakes!



id still prefer pto tho [/quote]

I wouldnt even remotely consider exiting a vehicle being winched if there was a chance of it getting away, downhill, uphill, any hill.

BundyRumandCoke wrote:

macca81 wrote:

BundyRumandCoke wrote:It is possible to be outside the vehicle when operating a PTO winch single handed. Just set it in motion at low speed, and you can get out. BUT, only in certain circumstances would I do this. I have done it when hung up on a centre hump, with 2 very well defined ruts to steer the vehicle, and the winch was a very long one. I got out to do a bit of shovel work while the winching was happening. You just need to be ready to get back in if needed.

i agree, but thats only in limited circumstances. generaly you would want to remain in the vehicle to steer it and sometimes to adjust winch speed. that and the fact that if the cable breaks, the truck may well start heading downhill in a hurry with no1 to jump on the brakes!



id still prefer pto tho

I wouldnt even remotely consider exiting a vehicle being winched if there was a chance of it getting away, downhill, uphill, any hill.

i dont doubt that, but theres always one who will read this and go out and try something without thinking.....

All the guys I know doing winch comps with pto's have an electric back up because pto's break! When things get tough a pto will pull and pull and then break. An electric will just stall. If you have any idea what you are doing you won't kill the electric and it will get you out.
If you are a complete muppet you will burn out the motor etc. But most people stop when the motor stalls!

nzdarin wrote:All the guys I know doing winch comps with pto's have an electric back up because pto's break! When things get tough a pto will pull and pull and then break. An electric will just stall. If you have any idea what you are doing you won't kill the electric and it will get you out.
If you are a complete muppet you will burn out the motor etc. But most people stop when the motor stalls!

you can fit a clutch to the pto shaft instead of the usual shear pin, that will prevent breakage... most pto breakages occur from people using shear pins rated considerably higher than they should be...

buy a zook

nzdarin wrote:All the guys I know doing winch comps with pto's have an electric back up because pto's break! When things get tough a pto will pull and pull and then break. An electric will just stall. If you have any idea what you are doing you won't kill the electric and it will get you out.
If you are a complete muppet you will burn out the motor etc. But most people stop when the motor stalls!

i still don't trust mine(h/mount) when by myself hours from anyone else with no phone reception. i've burnt them(motors) before but from solenoid problems (they locked on) but that problem is now solved. anyway i think pto's are more foolproof than electric but they both have their good and bad points. i still love my highmount for those ledgy hills.

muppet_man67 wrote:buy a zook

complete and in depth recovery equipment list for a sierra:
-2 wheelbarrow handles. when broken down, bolt to side of vehicle and walk it home.