ATV Winch

[BimmerAgent]

Fellas, I just got a Honda Rubicon, and need to add a winch. Have you bought one recently? I've looked at Warn, Superwinch, Ramsey, and Gorilla. The specs on the admitted Chinese-made Gorilla are impressive, as is the price. Any thoughts ? Also, is a 2500 pounder enough ? Thanks. Bruce

 

[BigPapa]

2500 will be plenty unless you need it to pull the ATV up a 10 foot bluff out of a 3' deep mud hole.



I have sold all three. The Warn is the "Cummins" of the crowd. The Superwinch and the Ramsey fall into the "Ford" & "D-Max" category and the Gorilla is the "diesel/gas conversion-from-an-early-80's-Olds" model. :-laf



Scott

 

[B.G. Smith]

I have a Honda with a Warn on it and my san has a Polaris with a $80. 00 winch from Sams on it. I actually like the controls for his best. A fairlead is a must. bg

 

[scootergmc]

I have a Kawasaki Prairie 700 with the Warn 2500 (buy the quad, get the winch free). It has served very well, even pulling some heavy trees... I have been impressed by the little guy. No complaints here. I too recommend the roller fairlead.

 

[TowPro]

I got the Warn 2500 with roller fairlead on my Polaris. I only use it to raise the snow plow, but I did not want to have to fix the winch in the middle of a snow storm.

 

[BrianJ]

I have a Kawasaki Prairie 700 with the Warn 2500 (buy the quad, get the winch free). It has served very well, even pulling some heavy trees... I have been impressed by the little guy. No complaints here. I too recommend the roller fairlead.

Ditto on everything, including the roller fairlead...

 

[BimmerAgent]

Warn

Thanks, guys..... sounds like Warn is the right one. Bruce

 

[DerekW]

the nice thing about warn is the ease and availability of parts after long term use or many generations of handing it down and buying it used and selling it slightly more used when cash is tight. I used to be in charge of the warn winch repairs at the 4wd shop. I like warn and parts are availability is nice too

 

[SAndreasen]

i have a john deere buck with a 2500 pound warn with me on it and with my gear bags and stuff the buck weighs eleven hundred pounds the 25oo does not have near enough grunt on the short line pulls and sometimes not enough with the line out past the recomended five wraps#@$%! my next purchase will definatley be a snatch block so i can double line pull

 

[JOdell]

the nice thing about warn is the ease and availability of parts after long term use or many generations of handing it down and buying it used and selling it slightly more used when cash is tight. I used to be in charge of the warn winch repairs at the 4wd shop. I like warn and parts are availability is nice too

BULL CRUD!!!! I have a 7 year old warn winch on my ATV. Something broke on it. Warn told me that they no longer make parts for it. I had to fab my own just to get it fixed.

Having said that, I would still buy a warn. -Jason

 

[MChildress]

Another vote for Warn. I have Warn 2500's on a Grizzly and Big Bear. They are a must on 4x4's. Our Suzuki 300 and Honda 350 Rancher are 2wd and I have been able to get them out with only two tires down. Put all 4 tires down and a winch is your best friend.

 

[TowPro]

SAndreason, You need a Warn Accessory kit I think you could build one out of a hardware store for less, but here is the WARN one.

 

[SAndreasen]

ya thanks i have seen that kit i am going to try and find a snatch block cheaper than the one in the kit i seen some the other day at cal ranch that may work but i do like the larger eyes on the block with the warn kit i usualy have enuff chains and hooks that it shouldnt be a problem with a block that dosent have quite that large of eyes though

 

[TowPro]

the biggest failure I hear about with winches is those that wrap the cable around something and hook the end hook back onto the cable. It distroys the cable where the hook rubs.

Also you want to unwind your cable and "pre tension" it after using it. I have a driveway on a steep hill, I let out all the cable and hook the cable to a tree (with a strap). Then I use the winch to pull the ATV up the hill as I wrap the cable onto the drum.

 

[BigPapa]

The single biggest problem we see with winches is people using the winch to tie the ATV or Utility vehicle to the trailer when they're hauling it. The constant jerking and banging damages the gears which were designed for a smooth constant pull, not jerking.



Scott

 

[BimmerAgent]

Sam's

Well, I just bought this one.



Champion 2000 ATV Winch Kit - samsclub.com



I just couldn't say no to the price. Hopefully it won't take a dump right when I need it most.



Thanks for all the replies. Bruce