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the hydraulic set up's i've seen work off the power steering system. Therefore in order for the winch to work the engine has to be on. with and electric winch you can winch until the battery dies. So for example you're in water up to your hood, you can't have the engine running bc you may suck in water, there fore you have to winch. well no winch you can use.
all the hydraulic winches i ever used were PTO driven off the trans. they have allot more power than an electric unit, but as kjg noted, no motor running, no winch.
I do not like one better than the other yet. I have never had one and just wanted to know a little about them before i get one.
do you know of a brand that is better
If the winch is going to be used as more of a "tool", like on a work truck or a company truck the hydraulic is the only way to go. Hydraulic winches will also outlive the best of the electric winches if there used on a regular basis, like every day.
The advantages are; long life, high speed retrieve, they can run non-stop without overheating, they work under water (provided the engine is running, some electric winches will too), you can even get quick couplers and put the winch on a portable mount so it can be put on different trucks or moved from front to back. Electrics can do that too.
If this winch will be seldom used or used in a situation where the engine wont be running (up side down?) then electric is the way to go
The water issue is simple , water proof your motor.
Another way one can go about doing the hydro-fluid supply is using a sealed electric hydro powerpack (as either a main supply or backup), this way you could run the winch whenever you want, and with then maybe even make up your own hydraulic jack as well (built into the truck would be even cooler)