Is there another Brand besides warn that will hold up as long and do as good as a job but for a little less. I know when it comes to winches you dont want to be the cheap guy whose winch couldnt pull a little red wagon out of the mud but i was just looking to save some money. I just bought my first AC 500 Manual 4x4 and i like it alot. When i was in Iraq we had some 500 Sportsman 4x4 Polaris and I Hated them. And after alot of looking around at different ATVs I fell in love with the way they look and ride and drive. Any other accesories that yall could think of that would make trail riding easier or funner would be appreciated.

 

As far as accesories for the cat 500 manual. First get better tires. I have the ITP XTR mudlights on mine with type 7 wheels and its a whole new (much better) machine. Improved handling and goes through anything without the flats. As far as the winch, if you dont plan on using it often go on ebay and you can get a nice 3000# setup for $130. It wil serve its purpose just fine and think it can break twice before you equalled the cost of the warn. I also have the 500 manual and I love it!

 

With a winch it is pretty much you get what you pay for. That said I adapted a $49.95 Harbor Freight winch to my 2001 Arctic Cat 250 over 2 years ago and it is still working fine today. So I had $50 in the winch, $50+ (I think it was like $52 and change) in the AC winch mount plate (the only way to go) and about $25 more in the wires, solenoid and switch, so about $125 into it. Took me about 2 1/2 hours to do the install and it still works fine (it better, the wife now rides the 250 and when it lets her down my day get "BAD" in a big hurry). I also found several other winch brand available at a number of different aftermarket places. Oh yeah, I already had the Harbor Freight winch on hand for my car hauler, but was given a 4000# winch for itin exchange for free use of the trailer (he's used it twice in 3 years, good deal huh?)

 

I think if you're handy with a wrench like Bear and have some time to do it, you can't go wrong trying to save a buck. As little, (or as much?) as you'll use it, as long as it works when you need it - you should be okay. Then there's people like me who are a bit on the mechanically retarded side... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] My dealer-installed Warn 2500 is awesome and was worth every red cent. I have used it 6 times to free others, (including a pick-up truck) and 3 times to free fallen trees. It's works like a charm. No matter what you decide the one piece of advice I have that is rock-solid is: Buy a ******-block! Also look into synthetic winch rope. Adds about 75-bucks to the cost, but is stronger than steel and will save your head if the cable snaps. Steel rope remembers from where it came and when it breaks all of that tension will be heading back at you. Synthetic line falls to the ground like a feather and you get to live to fight another day...

 

I forgot to mention that I have the Warn #2500 on my 205 400i and it works fine to. MassMark is right, ****** block, I have 3, 2 on the 400 and 1 on the 250. 3 tow straps to w with, but also anchor the quad when winching big thing, like trucks and big trees. I haven't tried the synthetic rope yet, but I saw an 8000# wich cable breal on a Fire/Resuce rig once and it tore up the front of the truck real good. So the synthetic might be a good idea, then again I try not to over stress my winch cables.

 

i know for the big winches on pickup trucks you can get a weight that slips onto the winch line and just freely moves up and down the line i think it is probably about 5 pounds so if the winch cable breaks it snaps it downwards towards the ground instead up letting it snap up towards you. with that said i personally wouldn't get anything except a warn winch. i had a superwinch on my old suzuki and well it didn't work very well. my warn is used all the time on the farm and well we do alot of mud running. out of all of us every single one uses a warn. i have hooked up 4 of them now on the arctic cats and i can do one in lil less then an hour still trying to get it down to a half an hour. and about the accessories what types of things are you planning on doing with your atv? did you get an MRP? and hoopie is 100 percent right get rid of them tires throw them out in the woods go out there find them and throw them again. putting stiff 6-ply tires on the arctic cat makes it handle very nicely and most go with the itp mudlites or 589's.

 

Do you have a SAM's Club where you are? I just noticed a winch kit they are selling. It was 2500 pounder. Includes cable, hook, ****** block, roller fairlead, and what looked to be the majority of the wiring. It was of a style where the winch solenoid was made in to the control "wand". Looked like you just had to supply power cables. It also had a mount that could be used to mount the control to a handle bar or rack tube. It was $90. Thought about buying it for my car trailer, may go back and get it.

You would still need the mounting plate, or you could make something up.

 

Whether or not it's a good winch I have no idea, but my buddy put a 3,000 lb Ramsey on his A/C 500. It has a wireless remote control - pretty damned slick if you ask me and nothing like being able to be off quad in some situations and still be able to winch out....

 

e-bay is a good place to search.. I have a viper winch, 3000# winch-wire harness-contactor-handlebar mounted switch-and mounting plate for 04 500 auto--all this and s&h for only $182.00 from motoalliance.com

 

If you do a lot of riding alone, a winch is the first thing you should buy. I would stick to the warn. If you get a cheap one, and it brakes, you will wish you would have paid the money for the warn... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] Good luck