I am looking into getting a winch and am wondering if it needs to be waterproof. When mounted on the front of my Sportsman it is going to get submerged when I hit the deep mud or water. Will this hurt a non-waterproof model?

 

as long as the power switch is off you should be ok,you can even get a cover to keep all the mud out..

 

The Warn 3.0ci has a sealed motor unit.

 

I've been considering the 3.0 because of that characteristic I just wasn't sure if it was necessary.

 

I have a 2000lb warn and have had to disassemble and clean it 3 or 4 times since I bought it in 2000. Its not that diffacult once you get it off the atv. Water and mud get up in it and cuase it to run slow at first then not run at all. That is the main reason I will not putting a winch on the EFI.