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Winches

Winches

Take the load off your mind when it comes to winches.

A vehicle winch is a mechanical device with a rope, chain, or wire cable wound around a rotating spool called a winch drum. If you may need a winch for hauling, lifting or pulling your vehicle out of a sticky situation, get to know what to look for among all the options out there.

Which winch type suits you best? Let's lift the lid on the options.

There are four main types of vehicle winch, have a read and see which suits you best.

1. Power Take Off Winch

The Power Take Off (PTO) winch was the first power winch to be manufactured. The PTO winch connects straight to the transfer case via a drive shaft which operates the winch gearbox. The PTO winch is powered by your vehicle's engine, so it needs the engine running in order to work. The engine's power ensures it's an incredibly powerful winch.

The pros:

Very powerful
Full power always on demand
Multiple speeds through the gearbox

The cons:

Cannot use without the engine
If mounted at front, only pulls forward
More expensive than other winches

2. Hydraulic Winch

The hydraulic winch gets its power from your vehicle's power steering, powered by hydraulic pressure.

The pros:

Very powerful
Secondary battery not required
Motor protected from water

The cons:

Cannot use without engine
Only has two speeds
If mounted at front, only pulls forward
If steering moves while running, winch stops

3. Electric Winch

The 12v electric powered winch is the most widely used 4WD winch, powered by electric from the battery first and then from the alternator. This winch doesn't need the engine to work but it's best to bring a spare battery for long trip, just in case.

The pros:

Lightweight easy to use
Widely available
Can be used without engine
Very efficient

The cons:

Not very powerful
Uses a lot of battery energy
Single speed only
Electric motor can be affected by water
If mounted at front, only pulls forward

4. Manual / Hand Winch

The manual / hand winch doesn't need an engine or a battery to run, all it needs for power is a pair of hands and some energy from the operator.

The pros:

Doesn't need engine or battery power
Can pull forward, back, left or right

The cons:

It takes time to achieve result
It takes energy effort from the operator

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Winches

Take the load off your mind when it comes to winches.

There are four main types of vehicle winch, have a read and see which suits you best.

1. Power Take Off Winch

The pros:

The cons:

2. Hydraulic Winch

The pros:

The cons:

3. Electric Winch

The pros:

The cons:

4. Manual / Hand Winch

The pros:

The cons: