Winch Reviews

If you’re looking for a Winch Manufacturer that is as “off the beaten path” as its products, consider Mile Marker. First there’s their brilliant advertising tag line: “Abused World Wide.” ATV’s are built to be abused and so should the winches that are mounted on them. But if you are one of those who think words are cheap, consider this. Mile Marker’s patented hydraulic winch is the only winch approved by the United States Government for military use. All those Hummvees you see on the news videos take more abuse than you will probably see in a lifetime of vehicle ownership. And most are equipped with Mile Marker Winches.

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Mile Marker has also introduced a variable speed recovery winch, using their trademarked MiFi Technology. The controls have no solenoids and no analog parts — they are completely digital solid state. What’s more, they offer a conversion kit so you can add MiFi technology to your existing winch even if it is a competitor’s brand. They also make traditional electric winches, locking hubs, and conversion kits. Let’s take a look at some of their top products.

Mile Marker Winches: Electric Winches
Mile Marker makes winches for ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles), UTVs (Utility Terrain Vehicles), and Truck Winches, in a Tough Series, an X series, and the new V series. The X series and the V series feature their MiFi Technology control systems. Even their original Tough Series electric winches have fully redesigned 300 amp solenoids for more reliable operation. There are new models of V Series winches coming out soon for both trucks and ATV/UTVs.

Mile Marker Winches: Hydraulic Winch
Electric Winches can quickly sap a vehicle’s battery of its capacity, leaving an hapless ATV or Pickup Owner with a vehicle freed from the mud but unable to start! A hydraulic winch is completely independent of the vehicle’s electrical system. It uses your vehicles power steering pump as its source of power so as long as the car is running and you don’t run out of gas, you can keep right on winching. And you don’t have to retrofit your power steering pump in any way. The original equipment pump will do just fine. Electric winches are great for the occasional self-recovery or hauling application, but for those with more frequent winching tasks a hydraulic pump is a better choice.

Mile Marker Winches: ISO Certification
If you’ve looked into Mile Marker Winches at all you know the company is headquartered in Florida with a Distribution Center in the state of Washington. However, the winches themselves are manufactured in China and this raises some concerns to some potential buyers. Not to worry, as Mile Marker is an ISO certified organization. What does that mean? ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization, an international set of quality manufacturing standards subcribed to by over 162 countries. ISO certification means the certified manufacturer follows these standards and is audited at least once a year. So if your concerned about Mile Marker’s China plant, rest assured that the ISO certification is a mark of a quality product, wherever it is made.

If you own an ATV or 4×4 vehicle you need to have a winch. After all, these off-road vehicles are designed to take you off the beaten path, where others fear to tread. And when you get stuck out there off that beaten path, you’re on your own. There are a lot of companies out there that manufacture ATV winches. What makes one stand out from the others?