MileMarker 9000 lb. Hydraulic Winch

OK, let’s talk about modifications. Suspension, tires, skid plates, bumpers, lockers, winches…hmmm…let’s see. Which one of those modifications can free you from a mud hole that is so deep you can’t even open your door? How about telling me which one will get you back on the trail after a wheel slips off the edge of a shelf road and you find yourself staring down a steep 75’ cliff? Maybe we can look for the one that will extract you from the most unforgiving 4x4 terrain on earth when your vehicle is reduced to 2WD capacity due to mechanical failure? A winch! Wrong…unless you have a MileMarker Hydraulic Winch that is.

We spend countless hours reading about all the different wonderful things we can do to our vehicles and how they will allow our vehicles to go here, there, and everywhere. Well, what our readings fail to add into the equation are the two most important variables - Mother Earth and us. So much of off-roading depends on where you are and your level of experience. Picking tough 4x4 trails is actually quite easy. Find something that looks like you will have a 50/50 chance of making it – and try it. This will also give us "seat time" and allow us to gain experience. But what happens if we don’t make it and we get stuck…real bad.

That is where the MileMarker winch (a.k.a. Guardian Angle) comes to the rescue. It will get you out of nearly everything – and if it can’t, I know the number to a guy with a heavy lift helicopter that might be able to strap you out! The MileMarker system is that good, period.

The main feature that sets MileMarker far apart from its competitors is the fact that it is a hydraulic winch – not an electric. The electric winch depends upon your vehicles electrical system to provide it with the energy it needs. It actually asks for far more electrical energy than your vehicle is capable of supplying for any reasonable length of time. This quickly leads to the electric winch overheating itself AND your electrical system. This happens while the electrical winch "stalls" and provides you with no pulling power whatsoever. Oh great – I need to get out of here but the "save all" system I have wants to cook itself and my vehicles wires, and play dead.

Oh sure, you might be able to build-up the system to some extent, but...are you looking to install a second high capacity battery, a new heavy duty/high output alternator, a separate high power wiring loom, easily accessible emergency power cut off switch and re-settable circuit breakers (the winch cables carry enough current to weld 0.25" steel plate)?

Heck no! I just want a winch! The MileMarker uses a fraction of your engines available power, which is accessed through your power steering pump. The power steering pump runs all the time so there go the extended pull worries. In fact, there have been tests conducted where a MileMarker winch has pulled a vehicle up a steep incline over-and-over…for twenty-four hours straight!

The installation is quite easy. Mount the winch as you would any other winch. Connect the hydraulic lines to you power steering pump and the electrical solenoid valves (used for controlling the winch) and you are ready to start winching.

We wanted to put this winch to the test so this is what we did. We picked a cold (17 degrees) dreary day with 6-7 inches of fresh snowfall and the toughest trails we knew of in the area. When I say tough I mean no one else goes there except for us – and on hot dry days we still fail to complete some of the obstacles! As we dropped into Devils Ditch (a huge steep ravine with shelf roads for motorcycles/ATV’s) we knew we would not be getting back out using the traditional 4WD system. After about a half-hour of travel we positioned our Grand Cherokee at the waters edge – this is where the fun began.

Breaking through several inches of ice like an ice-breaker up in the North Atlantic – hitting large boulders hidden by drifts of snow – falling down slick waterfalls into several feet of water – the test was about to start. We broke a front axle and lost our 4WD capability! That is right – our ARB locked Dana 30 axle snapped and now we had the same off-road abilities of a late 60’s Mopar muscle car – strong engine, limited slip rear axle, and 2WD! Yikes – this was NOT part of the test we had planned for – but we had the MileMarker. Out came the lines – wrap up the tree-savers and hook up the winch – go! We were moving again. One very nice feature on the MileMarker hydraulic winch is the fact that is has two line speeds – high and low.

What this did for us is save lots of time. When we were on mild to moderate parts of the trail we used the high speed in conjunction with the vehicles 2WD capability to make quick progress. When the tuff stuff tried to stop us we switched the winch into low gear and placed the vehicle in neutral – and moved on, through and over…everything!

Several times we found the vehicle sliding off the trail and coming to rest just inches from certain disaster – the MileMarker got us back on the trail and guided us safely up the remaining sections. After four solid hours of winching and dragging our 4500 lb. beast through everything that Devils Ditch could throw in our way – we were safe!

Sure we were cold, wet and tired but we were heading back to our warm homes with the vehicle that we came in. We had the ultimate suspension system, great tires with brand new tread, skid plates to protect us, bumpers that could stop a freight train, the hottest locking differential in the world but what got us out of there – a MileMarker winch.

Could an electric winch have done the same? No. Electrical winches are OK for short duration pulls that go a few feet and last a few minutes. We winched continuously for four hours and thousands of feet! Winches are the last straw – a last resort type of movement – I will never even consider an electric winch after experiencing what I did that frozen December day. If I had an electric winch I fear that my Grand Cherokee may have become a frozen monument and been snowed in for the remainder of the winter.

As with any modification we make to our vehicles this one has some drawbacks. The main one being that your engine is required to be running if the winch is going to be of any use at all. There are arguments on both sides of the fence in regards to this point.

One of the better arguments happens to be: What if your engine ingests water and dies in the middle of a deep water crossing? An electric winch should have the ability to pull your vehicle out even if the engine is not running since it is battery powered. This brings up the question of the electrical unit being waterproof and if that feature is required for it to run submerged. I have not had the chance to try and run an electric while submerged but I know that the MileMarker is designed to run submerged if as long as engine power is still available.

Another good argument is this: What happens if your vehicle is rolled on it's side or completely over? Most vehicles engines will not run while inverted so this would rule out a hydraulic winch such as the MileMarker. An electric would be able to pull while your vehicle regardless of attitude.

Selection of the type of winch you install is a personal choice each one of us must make based upon what types of off-roading we do. For the steep slippery trails I travel most often I find the long pull ability of the MileMarker to be one of it's strongest points. If you are on the rocks quite a bit and really only need a tug now and then to free you up - an electric may be your best choice. I have found that while "dancing with rocks" it is hard to trade off between the ability to steer the vehicle and use a hydraulic winch - you really can not do both at the same time. All in all - the MileMarker works quite well for me and my type of off-roading. Here are some of the key features of the winch I have:

Mile Marker 2 Speed Winch
Model #75-50085C

• 9,000 lb. single line maximum pull capacity @ 1500PSI
• 2-Speed -High Gear ratio is 1 to 1, Low Gear ratio is 6 to 1 Planetary Gear set
• Uses 2 size 6 Steel Braided High Pressure Hoses - 4' and 5'. 3000 PSI work load with 12000 PSI. Incorporates Female swivel JIC size 6 fittings on both ends.
• Uses 10" X 4.5" bolt pattern (4 bolts, 3/8")
• Stainless Steel fasteners and Tie Bars
• Sealed with O-rings against the elements
• Freespooling
• 4 way roller fairlead
• 100' X 3/8" galvanized cable & hook (14,400 nominal breaking strength)
• 2.5" diameter Drum
• 9" flange width on Drum
• 12V Solenoid directional control valve. Flange mounted to Hydraulic Motor. 3 Way with tandem center. Spring loaded to default to center when coils are not energized closing both ports to hydraulic motor when not in use. Has 2 Ports-P(IN FLOW), T(OUT FLOW). Energized Coil draws 2 amps. Maximum Pressure rating is 3000PSI@3.5 GPM.
• 12 ft. Lead hand control with Rocker switch (IN or OUT)-12 V
• 14 Cubic Inch White Hydraulic Motor (5 year warranty)- accepts solenoid valve
• Mechanical Lock
• Power IN or OUT
• Shipping Weight is 97 lbs.
• ***Optional*** Can be operated from OE Power Steering Pump with 35 Series Vehicle Adapter Kit.

Note: This winch was custom installed in an ARB Bull Bar Front bumper at Grand Cherokee Connection.

MileMarker 1450 South West 13th Court Pompano Beach, FL 33069 (800) 886-8647