PTO Winch vs Electric Winch

Last Updated on June 16, 2021

At the present time, there are mainly two types of winch that got popularity in the off-roaders community. They are the hydraulic winches and the electric winches. However, there is another winch type that was widely used in the old days. This type of winch is called PTO winch.

You may find that the electric winch is good enough for your job. But the PTO winch has some advantages over the electric winches. That’s why it is better for you to know about the PTO winch as well.

Today, In this article, I will be talking about the electric and PTO winches. I will try to cover every detail of them and at last, I will make a comparison of which one is better. So, let’s get started.

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PTO Winch

What is actually a PTO winch?

Well, the PTO winch was the popular winch-type in the previous days. It is hardly found nowadays. The expertise of a PTO winch is it can wind faster than the electric winch. Without it, the PTO winch was much reliable comparing the electric winch.

Basically, the PTO stands for the Power Take-Off winch which is different from the recovery winch of your vehicle. The working process of PTO winch is also much different than the modern winches.

Usually, the electric and hydraulic winches are the common winch-type you will find in the market. The PTO winch is totally different from them. It depends on the car transmission, whereas the electric and hydraulic winches depend on the hydraulic pressure and motor. The PTO winch will run as long as your engine runs. That’s why this type of winch is much more efficient and reliable.

How does a PTO winch work?

In general, the PTO winch is being used in tractors, trucks and off-road vehicles. This type of vehicle holds some space for mounting the PTO winch. Well, it does not mean that your vehicle will come along with a winch. You have to purchase one separately and it can be a bit troublesome for you as this type of winch is not much available.

Without it, you will need to make sure that the winch is compatible with your vehicle while making a purchase. While making a purchase, you will have to provide the specification of your vehicle to the winch manufacturer at first. They will give a quick check whether the PTO winches will fit in your vehicle or not. Thus, you should get started.

After checking everything and making a purchase, then it’s installation time. The installation process is a bit difficult and you will need to be careful as you will need to connect the winch with the gearbox.

However, the hydraulic winch holds some hydraulic pumps with them. It offers mechanical weight distribution by the hydraulic fluid system thoroughly your vehicle. While the force distribution, the hydraulic motor gets the mechanical force and then converts the force into rotational motion.

You should know that the PTO winch does not remain attached to the gearbox directly. It just gets power from the gearbox. You will find that there is a hydraulic system standing between the gearbox and the winch. The hydraulic system is basically the tubes that remain filled using hydraulic fluid.

How much power usually a PTO winch have?

As I already mentioned that the PTO winches depend on your vehicle’s gearbox to unwind or wind itself. So, the power of your winch will be determined by your engine. You will not have to worry about the winch power. Because the PTO winch holds enough power for pulling your vehicle.

Electric Winches

What is actually an electric winch?

Well, the electric winches are the common winch-type you will find in the market. You will find a wide range of electric winch with different weight capacities. So, you will have plenty of choices and you will not have to worry about that. Apart from that, the electric winches are easier to install.

How does an electric winch work?

I hope that you are already familiar with the electric winches. The electric winches are usually powered using an electric motor that remains connected with a battery. As you will be using the winch for pulling your vehicle, so it will be powered from the battery of your vehicle and there is the actual problem.

Basically, the batteries of your vehicle are designed to start your vehicle. They are not designed for operating a winch. That’s why you may need to get your vehicle’s engine running for avoiding the battery draining it completely. Without it, heating up the battery is another issue that you must keep into your consideration. That’s why it is a must to have a few intervals between long-time winch operations.

However, this can be treated as an advantage as well. You will be able to winch even if your battery is dead. You are allowed to keep an extra powerful winch battery with you if you don’t want to drain your battery.

How much power usually an electric winch has?

Well, the electric winch power depends on the winch you have. There are so many winches available with a wide range of capacities. You will find some winch has a capacity of 2000 lbs while some winches have a capacity of 12,000 lbs. You need to go for one that will satisfy your purpose.

By the way, I have reviewed winches of different capacities and purposes. You can check these if you plan to buy one:

PTO winches or Electric winches. Who is the winner?

Now, the question is which one is better among these two types of winches.

The electric winches are the most familiar winch-type in the present time. They are providing service for a long time. The electric winch is reliable and even you will find some winches that do not produce heat. Apart from that, finding and installing the electric winch is much easier. When you are talking about electric winch, you have a lot of options to make a pick. The most interesting is that maintaining the electric winch is much easier.

As opposed to, the PTO winch does not hold any remarkable changes in the last few years. Although, the PTO winch is faster and more reliable, there are some downsides too. At first, the PTO winch is very hard to find and they are much pricey. Without it, installing the PTO winch is a hassle and there are very few tutorials to follow. After everything still there is a question of whether you will find a winch or not.

So, the electric winches are the best option considering the above-mentioned facts. They are reliable, efficient and have the ability to make the job done like the PTO winch.