Modifying Stock Power Steering Pump To Increase Pressure (Hydraulic Winch)

[Chaldaean]

(Firstly, yep, I’ve searched and had a good time reading the various GPM/PSI/power steering/hydroboost/electric winches suck/hydraulic winches suck/stop-complaining-about-the OEM-power-steering-and-just-install-your-winch threads.)

I'd like to raise the stock power steering pressure of 1200 psi to a value of 1500 psi in order to fully power a hydraulic winch per the manufacturer's recommendations.

Mile Marker states the minimum power steering requirements as 3.5 GPM @ 1500 psi (13.25 L/m @ 103.4 bars) that their "HI" series of hydraulic winches. Without this minimum supply, they estimate that there will be a 30% power loss using the stock 1200 psi system. By the way, through all my searching, I haven't come across a factual GPM for the OEM pump.

This equates to a $1300.00 USD 12,000 lb hydraulic Mile Marker winch being handicapped and rendered an 8400 lb winch. This is a hefty price to pay for a winch with borderline capacity for an 80 series.


So, I've basically got three options:


(A) Quit my searching and put the biggest hydraulic winch on that I can afford and use the stock power steering pump (Landtank has had good and lasting success with this option).
(B) Mount an auxiliary pump like a PSC SP1200X (which is rated at 1600 psi and 4.5 gpm) like Christo did in the Shortbus; an auxiliary pump that has a selectable clutch would be best.
(C) Modify the stock pump to boost the pressure to around 1500 psi. My truck is my daily driver, and I will say that I'm a little concerned and apprehensive about modifying such a critical system that my passengers and I rely upon.


The first two options are fairly straight forward and commonsensical. So, my single question, concerning the third option, would be....

Has anyone successfully raised their power steering pressure without busting hoses and burning up steering pumps? I've read a bunch of people mentioning that this could probably be done, but I haven't come across anything concrete except this archived thread on Pirate.

 

[landtank]

the biggest problem I found with trying to increase the stock pumps pressure is the design itself. You'll want that pressure at idle and our pumps use vanes that seal by means of centrifugal force. Some pumps built like ours have small springs behind the vanes to create a better seal at lower RPMs.

Sourcing some of those springs would be the first upgrade that I would try to do to ensure you are getting the max out of the pump at low RPMs.

Unless you alter the pressure relief valve on the pump I don't think you will have any worries of burning out pumps or bursting hoses. Just be sure to add a good aux cooler, that factory one is junk even for 35" tires let alone a winch.

 

[NLXTACY]

Or you could start with one of these that I have yet to install and is collecting dust on my work bench:

 

[nat88toy]

i have seen landtanks winch in action and he and i have installed a 12k hydo winch and aux cooler on another 80 after seeing how they perform i am going to sell my 12k warn electric and put one the hydro so if i were you i would go with option "A" and go wheel that sucker

 

[MSGGrunt]

How would this work. Maybe you could mount it where people mount an AC OBA conversion??? I have the MM 10,500 and love it. Probably would have to add a tank for added fluid.

High Pressure Hydraulic Clutch Pump — 2.32Cu In. | Pumps | Northern Tool + Equipment

 

[landtank]

If I was going to look into adding a dedicated PS pump I'd copy some of the design ques from the York setups. Get yourself a 3 groove pulley for the water pump and mount a saginaw pump where they mount the york. From what I've read those pumps have the highest put put and they have their own reservoir.

But to give you an idea how strong these winches are with the stock pump. I was pulling shrubs from around the house. My truck was parked in the driveway, front wheel chocked and my son standing on the brakes.

The winch never stopped spooling and quite often it was the truck hopping forward.

Offroad once I was having some issues because the tree I had strapped to was uprooting.

In the end, with hours of winching the winch has never stalled. And some of those hours were continuous.

 

[NLXTACY]

In the end, with hours of winching the winch has never stalled. And some of those hours were continuous.

Words not associated with non-hydro winches

 

[lt1fire]

Or you could start with one of these that I have yet to install and is collecting dust on my work bench:

where did you get that from???

 

[NLXTACY]

where did you get that from???

Appleton Rack and Pinion, Inc.

I just got the Toyota oil filter equivalent. I just need to have a bracket made that brings it to the right height under the hood. The fittings are Aeroquip.

 

[IBCRUSN]

I have done extensive research on the hydraulic winch option for the cruiser and the most cost effective option I have found is to install a separate PS pump (PSC, Howe, KRC, etc) above the A/C compressor. If one were to use a PS pump there is no need to have a clutched unit because the bypass circuit is internal to the pump. Going that route there is no chance of interaction between the winch and PS system which as Landtank mentioned is anemic with large tires to start with.

Something to consider as well, do you have any plans to add hydro-assist at any point in the future? If so running the PS and winch on the same pump will over tax the OEM unit greatly.

Slee install

 

[lt1fire]

Appleton Rack and Pinion, Inc.

I just got the Toyota oil filter equivalent. I just need to have a bracket made that brings it to the right height under the hood. The fittings are Aeroquip.

Where is this going to get mounted???

 

[NLXTACY]

Where is this going to get mounted???

In place of the stock p/s reservoir.Although I "may" put it on the backside of LANDTANK's charcoal canister bracket mod.

 

[mikeyg79]

Good luck steering while winching, or winching with the engine not running.

 

[Sc0-]

I am interested in this thread due to future MileMarker hydraulic winch mounting...
Anybody produced adapter designed to fit one of the many hydraulic pumps to the OEM power steering pump location? Is going to be a remote reservoir pump, or to change out the internals to get better flow/pressure?

 

[Dave 2000]

In the UK it seems some are connecting ELECTRIC power steering pumps to power the milemarkers. They can be dualled up and used with the engine on/off and obviously you can steer as it does not interfere with the stock system.

Just a thought,

regards

Dave

 

[landtank]

Good luck steering while winching, or winching with the engine not running.

no problem steering and winching

 

[landtank]

from my research the problem with our pump is that the vanes use centrifugal forces to seal against the chamber. So at idle that seal isn't as good as say 2000 rpms. No they make pumps designed like ours that have small springs behind the vanes to compensate for the loss of seal at idle.

In the end and after 4 years of service I've long since realized our system doesn't require any mods to the pump to get the job done.

You need to realize that unlike an electric winch who's effectiveness drops as the motor heats up, the hydraulics output is constant all day long at 100% duty cycle.

So while it might not be running at it's peak performance it is running adequately and will do so continuously.

 

[Tapage]

After some research in the Toyota PS pumps line .. IMOP best you go in the aftermarket pump route .. and ( again IMOP ) that was the factory are just way expensive .. if you compare with a better performance pump for fraction of value ..

Plus the PS pump and winch circuit are just for casual use ..

Landtank .. are your PS pump stock ( pressure and flow ? )

Another issue that I saw in the factory PS pump it's are gear driven .. you can't make a smaller pulley ( cheap solution ) and make it run faster at idle ..

 

[landtank]

Landtank .. are your PS pump stock ( pressure and flow ? )

Yes it's stock and I don't know what those numbers are or do I care.

Another issue that I saw in the factory PS pump it's are gear driven .. you can't make a smaller pulley ( cheap solution ) and make it run faster at idle ..

I use a throttle cable to raise my idle during winching, even easier than swapping the pulleys

 

[Tapage]

In my Hydro Assist process I was reading all kind of PS info that I got in my hands .. what I read and got it's the Toyota pumps are 1200 PSI but they lacks heavy in flow line .. they only show regular 2.8 GPM as much .. what it's low for my hydro assist aplication ..

Then I swap to a TC type pump with 1600 PSI and 3.8 - 4.1 GPM that works far better than Toyota stock one .. ( even the Toyota with smaller pulley ) in my Tencha hydro assist.

Maybe the 80 series pumps have better numbers in stock form.