I was comparing the warn 2500 and the 3000 and the specs are identical in every way but one. The 3000 # uses 6 ga wire and the 2500 uses 8 ga wire. I thought this had to be an error but then looked at just replacement winches minus electrical wiring, components, and switches and they stated you'll have a 2500 or 3000 pending on wire size used. If this is true, I could or anyone one for that matter could turn they're 2500 winch into a 3000 with a quick switch of some wiring from the auto parts store. And if all that's different is the size of the wire, why such a price jump between the two. I know the difference in wire doesn't justify $50-$75 more. With that said, can anyone recall if the later sportsman's that were prewired, have 8ga or 6ga wire. I may convert mine to a 3000# I know it's 6ga at the battery but unsure without taking apart up under the box and fender near the contactor.

 

im not really sure i know the 2000 winch i got from harbor freits cam with 6 gage wire that i installed on my out lander still waiting to try it out still waiting to find a mud hole i cant handle with my 400 it goes through just about any thing i throw at it

 

it is true about the gauge of the wire being the only differnce. you can turn a 2000 lb into a a 2500 lb w/ heavier cables as well. the thicker the gauge cable/wire the more power it can handle(same as in house electrical) thus bringing the load rate up.

 

Well that's very cool to know. Does anyone know if the the sportsman's are wired with 6ga or 8ga from the factory. I was thinking 6ga all the way to the front but can't remember without digging into the bike.

 

I was also thinking maybe the gear ratios are not the same???
Could also be- the 3000lb winch has either more wire woundings or finer (more wounds) in the armature which would draw more current- hence the heavier ga wire

I know going from an 8 to 6 ga wire will allow for more current- but both 6 or 8 ga wire can easily handle the draw of a 2500 - 3000lb winch motor. There must be more to it somewhere.

are the armature part #'s identicle?

 

Every spec is the same according to the warn website with the exception of the size wire used. If you look here you'll see that you can purchase just a new winch for less to replace an old worn out unit and they claim wiring makes the only difference.http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...BWrsUw&cad=rja

 

the older (discontinued) 2.5ci does not match the 3.0, but the new XT25 & XT30 do look like they have the same parts as mentioned above.

2.5ci

.7kw motor
204 amps
motor part # 36031
ratio 136:1
7' / minute
15.4 lbs


XT25

.7 kw motor
157 amps
motor part # 65100
stage 1 gear # 75002
stage 2 gear # 75004
stage 3 gear # 75005
sun gear 12T # 74999
ratio 154:1
4' / minute
13.4 lbs


XT30

.7 kw motor
198 amps
motor part # 65100
stage 1 gear # 75002
stage 2 gear # 75004
stage 3 gear # 75005
sun gear 12T # 74999
ratio 154:1
5' / minute
13.4 lbs

I would think there still has to be something to regulate the amps
because you can't rely on the wire to act as a resistor- it'll heat up. The winch has no idea if it's hooked to a 6 or 8 ga wire...

 

I guess you're right- the only part I don't get is, if the only change is the wire going to the battery- then the battery is what will determine how many amps the winch will get- because you can easily put 200 amps through a 6 or 8 ga cable. Hell- I have a 1000 CCA (cold cranking amps) marine battey in my boat with 8 ga wires going to the starter (installed from the factory) and that wire easily handles 15 seconds of cranking without heating up- so I really don't get how going fron a 6 ga wire to an 8ga wire would translate into an extra 500lbs of winch.

The xt25 pulls 157 amps whereas the xt30 pulls 198 amps- you're only talking about another 41 amps between the two- that's nothing for an 8 or 6 ga cable- if the battery has the juice, why wouldn't it always supply the max amperage to the motor?

I feel like there's something missing in the equation

 

I'm kinda thinking of it like sucking air through a straw (8ga) and air through an even larger straw(6ga) Both will produce the same effect but the larger will pull a greater amount of power at one time, with greater ease. In that thinking I can see the winch motor being able to pull more power at any given point with less effort there-by increasing the amount of torque the motor can output.

 

all i know is wat i read about the differnce between the 2 and knowing that heavier wire lets you pull more power. other then that i leave it to the experts to figure out.