Winch Options

[zeebs]

I am looking at getting a winch for my sportsman 800. I was thinking the warn 3000lb with synthetic rope but I get to looking around and wondering if I should look at different brands of winches? Also wondering if I would be better off to buy the winch with wire cable and then buy the synthetic rope seperate and replace it right away and is there different brands of synthetic rope? What about fairleads? I saw a warn fairlead for $40 and a KFI fairlead for $20 both roller type Why the price difference? The ATV is pre-wired so maybe I would be better off to buy the polaris winch kit so its a quicker install but $530 seems high and then I have to go with wire cabe and replace it with rope because thats the only way they come. ANY SUGGESTIONS???

Thanks in advance.

 

[grizzlydave]

I would go with a warn 2500lb winch, especially if your quad comes prewired, the warn 2500 and 3000 are the same winch, the only difference is the gauge of wire you are using. 2500= 8g and 3000= 6g. other than that the two are identical. the rt/xt/2500/3000 are all even the same replacement parts number. I also personally love the synthetic rope, but if using rope it is easier to buy the whole warn winch kit it comes with the roller,fairlead,rope,relay,switch,wiring, it's cheaper to buy the whole kit than piece it together. but that price your getting is pretty rough, especially in Yankee dollars, I can find those 100$ cheaper in canada

 

[AreWeThereYet]

My next winch,..

 

[99summitx]

My next winch,..

Mine too, just waiting for my warn the pack it in. Wide spool 4500# Amsteel blu

 

[tex78]

rainy creek power sports have a 3500 pound winch with rope on sale for 389.00..... not sure of the name .... but my 2500 is now going to the back and the 3500 is goin to the front

 

[zeebs]

Do Warn winches have permanent magnet motors or series wound motor? also do Viper winches have Planetary gear train or Worm gear train?

 

[T-GUY1978]

On my old honda 350 I had a viper winch that i ordered off ebay, That thing was the biggest POS it lasted 2 trips to nordegg and that was it, the housing broke into about 20 peices. I was pulling strait on not at any crazy angle and i had a roller fairlead so it shouldn't of mattered to be at a bit of an angle anyway. After that i went to costco and bought one of there 2500 pound winches for $120 and thats thing lasted for over 2 years. It was kinda loud but it got the job done. My grizzly has the warn RT2500 and I love that thing I won't go back to anything else now. Its warn all the way. Oh ya i paid around $350 for that POS viper

 

[99summitx]

On my old honda 350 I had a viper winch that i ordered off ebay, That thing was the biggest POS it lasted 2 trips to nordegg and that was it, the housing broke into about 20 peices. I was pulling strait on not at any crazy angle and i had a roller fairlead so it shouldn't of mattered to be at a bit of an angle anyway. After that i went to costco and bought one of there 2500 pound winches for $120 and thats thing lasted for over 2 years. It was kinda loud but it got the job done. My grizzly has the warn RT2500 and I love that thing I won't go back to anything else now. Its warn all the way. Oh ya i paid around $350 for that POS viper

Are you sure it was a Viper and not a Venom winch, all that I've heard about the Viper is positive at 1/2 price of a warn and fantastic customer support.
VIPER Elite EX5000 Special Edition - Kawasaki Teryx Kit $529.99
Warn XT4000 $687.99 + mounting kit + Snatch block +++

 

[AreWeThereYet]

On my old honda 350 I had a viper winch that i ordered off ebay, That thing was the biggest POS it lasted 2 trips to nordegg and that was it, the housing broke into about 20 peices. I was pulling strait on not at any crazy angle and i had a roller fairlead so it shouldn't of mattered to be at a bit of an angle anyway. After that i went to costco and bought one of there 2500 pound winches for $120 and thats thing lasted for over 2 years. It was kinda loud but it got the job done. My grizzly has the warn RT2500 and I love that thing I won't go back to anything else now. Its warn all the way. Oh ya i paid around $350 for that POS viper

The BS light is flashing like crazy,......

 

[zeebs]

Right or Wrong I ordered a Viper Elite 3000lb today so I will let ya know how it works when I get it installed thanks againahhh hell have another

 

[DaveB]

Viper winch in the Ol Lady's quad...works great. Quiet and smooth at 1/2 the price of the Warn.

 

[zeebs]

So I started to install my winch and the mounting bracket holes that the winch bolts up to didnt line up so I took the air grinder to the holes and reamed them out a bit so it would work now I go to put the mount on my 4-wheeler and the bottom of the mount hits this box with some wires going to to it right in front of my radiator. I dont know if that is a sensor of some sort I should move??? If I move it down my mounting bracket holes dont line up with what on my 4 wheeler anyways and it seems my winch kind sits tilted up due to the way the pieces lay on the ATV. this mount came from moto alliance and I told them my model and year and everything. My biggest complaint about moto alliance is their instructions.... they are TERRIBLE. Any body ever mounted a Viper Elite on their sportsman 800....or any POLARIS ATV???? Any help or pictures would be great! im not too happy... I should be riding instead of dingin with this project!

 

[OnlyPolaris]

are you installing the mount upside down?

 

[zeebs]

are you installing the mount upside down?

You must be speaking from experience! It ends up I was but the funny part is the oval hole for the wires to come through ends up on the top and on the opposite side as the winch motor. So it seems to me like it fits better upside down! I will post some pictures of the install.

 

[OnlyPolaris]

You must be speaking from experience! It ends up I was but the funny part is the oval hole for the wires to come through ends up on the top and on the opposite side as the winch motor. So it seems to me like it fits better upside down! I will post some pictures of the install.

fortunately its not from experience. I have seen enough winch mounts to know the little hump on the back side is not perfectly centered.

 

[burnt toast]

Do Warn winches have permanent magnet motors or series wound motor? also do Viper winches have Planetary gear train or Worm gear train?

Permanent megnet, planetary.

 

[Mongrol]

Some winch/mount combos are made to mount with the winch upside down.

Eg. 550XP Polaris with Warn winch & KFI mount.