I just ordered the new Warn 1.5ci for my Baja x and was wondering if anybody has put one on a DS650 yet?

 

Why

 

Interesting idea.....I'd put it on the back, I wouldn't want any additional weight up front, and it would be kinda like adding reverse.......I got stuck in mud and snow this last spring,,,,took over an hour to get out,,,,all by myself,,,,way out in the toolies.......I finally figured out that I could flip the DS over on its side by grabbing the nerfs and the rear wheel........Built a road, flipped it over on the other side, built another road and drove out.........A winch would be pretty funny/cool............Probably never use it though.....

 

i've thought about it before, pushing and pulling the heavy ds gets real old real fast when your in a foot of snow, but i could never really think of a good place to put it, keep us updated on this

 

Interesting concept, a winch on a sport quad. I have seen the adds in Dirt Wheels with a Warn winch on a Z400, and thought to myself, ... why? I wonder how many people that buy a winch for a sport quad have used a winch on an ATV before. I would be interested in hearing how it works out for you, but here are a few thoughts about winches on sport quads.

I use the winch on my Grizzly on pretty much every solo ride. I have never used it on a ride with the family, simply because they never go the places I go on my own, where I need the winch. Just this weekend I used my winch twice; ... one time was to winch a boulder the size of my Grizzly out of the way so I could get through a tough spot on a trail I was building; the other time was to winch a log out of the way on a 45 degree slope. I could climb the 45 degree slope, but could not climb the slope and get over the 18" diameter log while climbing the 45 degree slope.

I don't do mountain goat trail building with my DS, and I don't do rock crawling with it, so I haven't even thought of using a winch on it. A winch is awkward to use on an ATV. It is slow, cumbersome, and is usually a last resort when nothing else works. On a sport quad (even a DS) I would just pick it up and move it. If I needed to get to the top of a hill that needed a winch to get up, I would think it would be faster to ride to the end of the valley and come up the hill from another route.

 

You don't ride in snow do you?

 

Yes, I do. And I've had the pleasure of lifting one of the old heavy DS's out of the snow as well. I guess having a winch on a sport quad would depend on how quickly and easily it could be removed when you did not want it.

 

Yep, we ride in the snow, mud, and anywhere the 4 wheel drives go. I could have used the winch many times to pull us out of water, ice and mud many times, or move a log on the trail (wish I had more than once). Fell thru the ice and 2 feet of water with 3 guys and would have given my lunch money for a winch that day. Only time will tell if it is a worth while expense and weight on the front.

 

There is a portable hand winch that is available (I think from Cabella's) that you can stow in a little carrysack. doesn't weigh very much & it could be used on front or rear. Looks like a combination comealong/boat winch, but works good. Bracket on one end that you slip over piece of round frame pipe & other end has hook to go onto whatever you are using for an anchor point. Even comes w/ extra strapping to go around tree/rock/whatever for additional strength & length.