Posted by Charlie on January 22, 1999 at 22:10:21:
In Reply to: Re: How do you operate PW PTO winch? posted by Jack Smith on January 17, 1999 at 12:35:26:
All this talk about how one can kill/maim oneself with a PTO winch reminds me to mention that hydraulic power offers the same power as PTO but with the one-man controllability of electric (well, nearly). In particular, a spring-loaded return-to-center spool valve is a "deadman" safety feature that could save a life or limb. The only real problem with hydraulics other than where to put the reservoir and controls is cost. Any PTO system can be converted to hydraulic. The cost for a typical Power Wagon type setup (given an existing PTO installation) is about $600-$1000 for motor, pump, reservoir, hoses and spool valve. Electro-hydraulic controls are really nice and really expensive. Motor, pump, reservoir, spool valve could all be scrounged/found used depending on your location and acquaintances. A PTO operation is really a 2 man job; one person can safely operate hydraulics.
Charlie