well I just finished getting it all back together,
I cut the plastic holding the +/- together(I'm not talking about the plastic cover on the wire)
it looks like it was moulded on ,and is made just for the Polaris .
Instead of useing the 6' yellow and blue wire i used the 3 'red and black wire from the winch to the contactor

I also got the plow mount hooked up.

 

the winch istalation isnt hard. there should be an instalation manual that comes with your winch in the box from polaris on how to install. discard the warn winch instalation manaul as its useless. the polaris manual is pretty detailed and will give you the exact way to mount everything right. oh, and the front cover that you said wasnt made to go back on. it was, its just a pain in the *** to cut and put back on and thats probebly why in the pictures its not on there. but belive me, it looks a whole lot better to put it back on then to leave it off. take a look at my gallery and you can see a picture of it off and on.

 

if you buy your winch from polaris the instructions will be in the winch box telling you step by step how to install. the only thing that has to be cut is the front cover and your machanic was right you have to cut an extra inch or so on the right side so you can get to your free spool with your fingers. if you choose to use that cover u need to run some short self tapping screws in the bottom of the cover or else it will blow off while riding. i lost mine that way. i think it looks a lot meaner without that cover anyway. take a look at my pic.

 

I too like it without the cover....What is this free spool thing you mentioned and what does it do??

 

the free spool is like a neutral in a transmisson. it just allows you to pull the cable out freely without having to use the winch control buttons

 

Can you also retract the cable back without having to engage the winch, or is it just to extend it? Is it like a dial you grab with your whole hand, or just a button to release the cable?
Some close-up pics would be nice.
Thanks.

 

How about a pic of the controls? Curious how the look on the handlebar, and how they're attached.

Thx again.

 

It is only for allowing the cable to 'free-spool' out....you can't put it back in that way, you have to winch it back in. Its so that you can get your cable out quick if you are stuck and get it hooked up to winch yourself out.... It is on the end of the winch, here it is on Warn's site...right side:

Warn 3.0ci

On the right side of the page, you will see a video link, you can watch a video about the winch and accessories....I'll take a pic of my winch controls, mount, remote, etc. when I get the mud off of my machine....

dave

 

Thanks Dave.

Hey, 2 more questions:

What's the 'mechanical brake'? Did you get it, and what's is it good for?

Finally, I read somewhere Sportsmans were 'pre-wired' for a winch, but reading your 'mounting instructions', that doesn't seem the case, even on '05 machines. Am I wrong??

 

Do you think it is better to cut the cover, or leave the cover completely off. I was wondering if it is hard to get at the free spool with the cover on. I suppose it would entail taking your glove off in the winter time. Also, i imagine that you can't see where your cable is winding up if you have the cover on. I like the looks of the cut out cover much better than the bare winch, but am wondering about the pros and cons of doing it either way.