Possible Setups

These are the most common ways in which to setup Mile Marker Hydraulic winches:

Stage 1 - Power Steering Pump System.
This is by far the most common setup, after 2.5 years of testing by the US Military this is the setup they opted for. If you are preparing a vehicle for an expedition reliability is everything, a failure in the Kruger National Park can be sorted by calling out the AA. The same failure in the middle of the bush could, in the worst case mean death. The Stage 1 system is not fast, with a no-load line speed of 1.5 meters a minute and a loaded speed of around 1/6th of that which is indeed slow. However, in a typical recovery scenario, this means only a few extra minutes of your time, which is no big deal when you consider the considerable reliability advantage. Plus you can run your Air-con, lights, wipers, heaters, etc. while you are winching. A battery powered winch, has a very unpredictable reliability record, many people, who have gone to the trouble of fitting extra batteries and bigger alternators find they do a good job often for years, others cook the winch, or damage the vehicle's electrics during the first few minutes of use. What you have to ask yourself is can you take that chance?

Stage 2 - Basic Dedicated Pump System
For general off-roading this system offers unparalleled power and 3 meters/min line-speed under full load. It may seem more expensive than a cheap battery powered system, but most owners of electric winch system are willing to spend around the same for the extra performance on a Stage 2 system as they would on a decent dual battery system. Not to mention the massive difference in reliability, durability, warranty and waterproofing. This system can however be difficult to install and sometime not possible depending on the vehicle, it is also not for everyone as the pump will usually take the place of the air-conditioner compressor

Stage 3 - PTO Pump Powered System.
The Maxidrive PTO Pump Powered System. Simply the high workload system, there is no battery powered rival FULL STOP

(Engine drive pump setup also available)