I do appreciate all of the input! I have only had my jeep about two an a half months, but I'm really enjoying this site and all of the help.
Thanks!

 

What is everyones opinion on Mile Marker winches?

 

They are good as long as your vehicle is running. With an electric winch you have a short time you can use it before you crater your battery with the engine not running. Not sure what long term effects it would have on your steering or whether or not it would work well with a hydro assist.

 

the hydraulic mile markers are real beasts , they supplied the us military for years . from what i understand they are now going with more warns .i looked long and hard at the scout sec8 ,but reviews were mixed . the hydraulic mile markers are very expensive but can be used non stop . they dont have overheat issues and are sloooow but def get the job done . as long as your power steering pump holds up u would be good to go

 

When I was researching winches, I heard more bad than good about them, at least the electric models.

 

Is this issue specific to MileMarker? or all electric winches? I was under the impression that all the winches discussed in this thread were electric, no?

 

All electric winches. Winches put a huge draw on batteries, therefore the engine must be running to keep the battery charged enough to operate the winch. When you are using an electric winch, it should be cycled, giving the battery and motor time to recover

 

you really need to upgrade your battery when you install a winch . the best are the optima yellowtop or the sears diehard agm ,they are designed to discharge and rebound quickly without damage .

 

I have two Warn VR10000 Winchs with 100' synthetic rope on my jeep and both have worked great each time I needed them.
The Warn VR10000 winch is the larger of the entry level Warn winches good for 10,000 lbs and just over $800 each. $800 is a cheap price to pay if your alone 30-50 miles from nowhere. I cant say much about other brands never owned anything else.
As far as a hand come-along it might be nice to have as a last ditch effort or if you need suport while you reset for a differant line of pull but I would never risk a long walk home because thats all I had. Most come-alongs only have a 10-30 foot reach so you need to carry extra lines for a long pull, and plan on reseting a few times. If you do go with a come-along look into a Wyeth-Scott Company or a ARB Magnum hand winch but plan on spending more than $40, I have trashed more cheap come-alongs then I care to remember and some were junk befor I got the pull finished.
This is just what I have learned in the past. In the end Its the buyers choice.

 

I thought he was asking about the hydraulic Mile Marker winches that tap into your steering system.