I'll try to post this a couple different places when I get a chance.

We've searched extensively and haven't found a single rear winch setup for the old style rear chain drive/shaft front drive Sportsman 6x6's. Not one thing on Gurgle images, zero aftermarket ideas, as well as one-off custom jobs, although I'm sure the latter exists somewhere. So, this is how we did ours. I'm hopeful this will help anyone else that is trying to do the same is all. If you have a chain (rear) drive 6x6 and have ever gotten to the point you can't winch forward, can't back up, and don't have a buddy to winch/drag you out, you already know why we pursued this. I can go into more detail upon request, but the pictures should be explanatory enough.

Key items are 1/4" 2X2" angle iron for the box support and massive hinges to replace the original weldable door style hinges. 1/4" flat stock for the rear winch mount also. Also reinforce your dump box's frame wherever you see fit.

Have a good day y'all.

Pete

 

I like it and the light.

 

Looks good and is a great idea. I like the light too!

 

For the rear light, find the bundle of wires coming off the tranny. In that bundle, tap into the light-purple wire. That purple wire will be the (+) for your backup light. Run your wire (with inline fuse) to the rear, wherever you see fit to mount your reverse light.

Then you need to tap into a (-) ground. Right back there in the vicinity of where your backup light will be, you have the wire bundles/connectors for the tail/brake lights. Inside the bundle that goes to the left taillight, find the brown wire and tap into it for your ground.

The backup light will come on anytime you put the rig into reverse, but you can also put it on momentarily while in either of your forward gears by pushing the reverse override button. Also, it will only work with the key "ON".

 

Hey, are those tires, Mud Bugs? If they are, how do you like them and how do they ride on hard packed surfaces?

 

The rear 4 are Mud Bugs, in 25X11X10. Kind of a fairy name for cool tires if you ask me. They're basically tractor cleats, 1.1875" lugs (38/32).

Hardpack - With 4 tires back there, you really never have the leading edges of the cleats all striking the ground in unison, which means the rear rides pretty smooth. The rig never sees tar, so the only hardpack I can speak to is gravel. Honestly, the fronts send more vibes than the rears do.

How do they perform? We haven't had it stuck yet. More like we haven't found challenging enough situations to put it in. Where 6X6 was needed previously, 4X6 is more than sufficient now. We tend to run in AWD before we really "need it" though. Helps reduce chain stretch to have the fronts pulling.

The most relevant way we've put them to the test is by pulling a 14.5' fiberglass boat (45 gallons of water + maybe 200 lbs of stuff inside it), through a water hole which was maybe 40' long. Not a lot of mud in the hole, but some sogginess sitting underneath about 22" of standing water. So, say 400 lbs of boat + 45 gallons of water + 200 lbs of stuff inside boat + 250 lbs of trailer total. The tires pulled through great, confidence inspiring.

It'll be a couple weeks before we go back into the marshes hunting for swamp white oak. We'll be able to better see how they perform then.

 

Let me know how they do. Thanks for the info.

 

Moosehenden - tires seem great so far. Haven't "had" to use either winch since winter. Some vibes at really low speeds on gravel, not bad at all though.


Pictures update.

Old wood rack made for a nice campfire one night.

Still need to to make the canoe racks and tailgate. Then powdercoat, or paint if too costly.

 

Quite the work beast.

 

Where you hunting for that "swamp White Oak", over in the Mille Lacs area?