I decided to try a Viper winch on my 2003 Polaris Sportsman 700. This quad did not have any winch at all. I purchased the 3000 model that is waterproof and the atv specific mount.

Looking at the instructions, I was initially impressed. Several pictures, and what appeared to be detailed instructions. While the instructions were somewhat helpful, I would rate them as a 3 on a 10 scale. They made to much generic reference. At one point it even skipped several steps and made no reference back to them at all. Specifically removing several bolts and making no reference to reinstall them at any point....hmmmm.

I found that the winch itself was larger than the opening on the quad. In fact This winch had 2 bolts which were adding an additional 3/8 of an inch on the overalll length. Granted this may sound insignificant, but when space is limited it may have been a mile. I had to spend lots of time grinding out plastic, making a slot for the bolt to slide into. What a mess it made! After spending about an hour or so grinding and fitting the winch finally went in. I noticed that the switch to move to free spool looked like it would be difficult to get to with a glove on since the space was tight. I had some difficulty installing the supplied bolts: 5/16 x 1" the reason was the winch would not initially go all the way into the cavity due to it's size. I ditched these bolts and used longer bolts to get them into the winch. After I drew the winch in, I decided to leave the longer ones in place. My advise would be to get longer bolts to have on hand.

I can't say at this point I was impressed. 2 hours to install a winch and it still wasn't wired or on the atv. Fairlead installation was straight forward, although the orientation of the bracket needs to be given some attention. The instructions make no reference to how this is oriented.

So at this point, I am not sure that I am going to be confident in a product that uses 4-5/16" bolts to mount the winch to the winch plate but chooses to use 2 -3/4" bolts to mount the fairlead to the mount. Hmmm maybe larger diameter bolts for the winch would put me more at ease.

Wiring was pretty simple. Again the instructions left much to be desired. I guess they think everyone has perfect vision and can read the small print and see the small diagrams. Hint: Put in a magnifying glass in each order.

There was ample cable length and the size was sufficient to handle the draw on the battery. The contactor looked to be decent and was simple to install on the frame with a few drilled holes. The switch was easy to mount and is articulated enough to find a comfortable position for most riders.

Initial test: Everything worked as it should, so I put the atv back to gether and headed out to find a tree. I had some trouble getting to the switch to set it into free spool position. I had to remove my glove to make it turn. I hooked up the remote switch, included with the kit, and pulled out about 34 feet of cable. I then atttached it to a tree set it to gear mode and fired up the winch. It had no problem dragging the atv along and seemed to work flawless. I tried to use an incline about 20-30 degrees and I winched the atv up the hill. I did notice the motor was a little warm but not to bad as compared with some other models I have owned. It pulled it up the hill without any problems. Still at the back of my mind I was thinking about the small diameter bolts holding it in place. I may decide to replace those and drill and tap larger holes on the winch.

So am I personally happy with it. Yes, at this point I would say for what I do with this atv it will be a good match. My initial investment was very affordable, around 150.00 with the atv specific mount. I like this one better than the gorilla brand that I had on my other atv. Now that said to be sure, I will have to do some more testing.

So if you are looking for an affordable winch you might wish to consider this unit. I was treated very failrly by the company that I purchased it from. Shipping time was great, and the people were friendly.