winch size

[eyemaster]

I am looking at winches for my 4wheeler, what size do most ppl have on them? I have an arctic cat 400.

Thanks

[WAY2FAST]

There are a number of different sizes and price ranges...

Polaris has been pushing the warn 2500lb winch with there new machines. The way you use your winch should determine the level of use and dependability you want... If it is going to be regularly used... I would consider the Warn 2000 or 2500lb winch... If it is going to be used for occassional trail riding.... I would try out an off brand... In any case you will be needing a winch bracket to go with it. Try Kappers Fabricating in Spring Valley, MN..

They make a number of winch brackets and sell winches... Very dependable people... Talk to Corey Boelman and tell him Jon sent you... (Probably charge you more).... A couple of other things I have picked up along the way that may help you after the purchase... A winch that is rated at 2000LBS is only going to pull to that level with the cable fully unwound... So when you need it for self recovery... you should extend the cable as far as you possibly can...

Try and keep the cable as clean as you can and try using a good motorcycle chain lube on the cable.. Also try and keep it coiled tight and uniformly on the spool. A little preventive maintenance now will save you from fraying the cable prematurely. I will stretch my cable out on a hot day and recoil as often as I can... Maybe look into the new poly rope... I have used this one other time and had great luck... just sold the wheeler with it still attached. I would recommend the 2000lb warn with KFI bracket and roller fairlead... Shouldn't set you back too far. Try [Admin Note: Please read forum policy before posting again. Thank you] or hsolist... Good Luck!

Jon

[Neiko]

I had a Warn 2000 on my old wheeler but it died on me probably because I went through some deep water a few times with it. I ended up putting a Warn 3.0 on my X2 because they are suppose to be sealed up better then the smaller ones.

[WAY2FAST]

The 3.0 is a very nice winch... it is made from stainless steel, and very dependable... I had 2 of these and have since went back to the 2.5 warn winches.... If money is no object... and you are going to own the ATV for a long period of time... make the investment and check out the new warns at [Admin Note: Please read Forum Policy (about links) before posting again. Thank you].... they have the 3.0 set up with the poly rope.... Thats the ticket.... the poly rope nover frays and is just as dependable for those big pulls!

[tripper]

I have had warn and super winches and the warn have held up better. Go as big of a winch as you can afford. The less the winch has to work the less draw on your battery and if you are realy stuck the battery is the weak link.

Lets face it with the present laws that are in place a winch should seldom be needed other then for clearing fallen trees off the trail.

[Smokey]

I recently purchased an Arctic Cat 400 LE, which, as part of the "LE" package comes with a 2500 lb Warn winch. So, based on that, I'm guessing that a 2500 lb winch is probably a good size for your 400 Cat.

[JohnMickish]

Here is something to remember about winches, whether is on a ATV or pickup or whatever. As stated above, the rated pulling strenth is on the first wrap of cable and it decreases on each subsequent wrap. One pully doubles the pulling rating of the winch and two pullys double that rating. You can take a 1500lb winch and with one pully attached to a tree or whatever and reattach the hook to your stuck ATV and you have 3000lbs of pulling force you effectivly cut the winch speed in half, so you spend twice the time on a lower wrap for more torque.

Here is another intersting piece we should all know. When I was in the Military I went thru a vehicle recovery class and there is a formula for the power needed to pull your vehicle out of the mud. I'm not positive on these numbers but it's what is stuck in my head. If I am wrong please let me know.

If you are stuck in thick mud up to both axles the multiplier is 7. That means if your vehicle weighs 600lbs you take that times 7 (600 X 7 = 4200lbs). Therefor it would take approximatly 4000 lbs of pulling force to strait pull your machine out. There are various factors that come into play here such as the density of the mud. The 7 factor was for very thick clay type mud, a looser sandy or watery type of mud would have a lower multiplier.

I hope this helps. Remember, don't ever stand inline with the cable, if it breaks it will kill you. One thing we where taught was to put an old coat or something on the cable so that if it did break the jacket or whatever would slow the cable down faster, like a flu-flu arrow.

[tripper]

Yup, I always have at least on pully and choker in the box.It is amazing how meny uses you find for them once you start to carry them.