Hey folk,

My brother just bought a 500HO and he wants me to install a winch on it for him. He did not want to spend $500 for a Polaris one from the dealer so I am shopping around for him on ebay. I found some Venom brand ones for $250 and under......are these any good? What other suggestions do you have?

Thanks!

JB

 

If it's something you think you'll use a lot, I'd go with Warn. If you ride alone and it will mean getting home riding, or walking, I'd go Warn. If you want it for "possible" use and you ride with others that will help you out if the winch fails, the cheaper ones will do.
The cheaper winches (Chinese) are hit and miss. Some have had great results, some have gone through several that break after the first use.

 

I have a 2500lb. Viper Max that I bought off of eBay for $150 about a year ago and it has worked just fine for me so far and has gotten me out of many situations. Some complaints, though:
-The cable gets twisted fairly easy, and that sometimes affects how it reels back in.
-Possibly due to the way it was reeling in from the cable being twisted, the cable has been flattened in a couple of spots and has started to fray as a result.
-It's somewhat noisy compared to a Polaris winch.

Overall, it's been a good winch. I've used it quite a bit in the year I've had it, and it keeps going strong. To alleviate some of the cable problems I stated before, it might be a good idea to get a synthetic cable for it. I've heard they are quite nice compared to steel. Just my 2 cents.

 

I agree with RENO, think about how you are going to use it. I installed a Viper on my grizzly last year and an Extreme on my new 800 sportsman. Viper broke once while in warentee and they fixed it, been fine sense. I was plowing snow with the viper and the cable did frayed then broke. I bought the Extream with their synthetic cable, but it did not come installed like it was shown in the picture.

I have not installed a warn but these other 2 brands can be a little bit of a challange. I resized holes in both mounting plates to make fit. The sportsman mounting kit was even more fun, with the piece that goes over top. It will go to gether but.....lets just say, I finaly won.

 

find a warn if you can. better winch for the money.