I am going to install a winch on my 500HO. Question..has anyone ever had any problems with air restriction to the radiator because of the location of the winch? Also, has anyone ever put a 2500# on a sportsman with double tube front bumper?

 

I have a 500 HO with the double tube bumper and 2500 lb. winch. I don't have any problems what so ever.

 

Hey...uflg95...your the man i need. Does the Warn 2500lb winch mount the same as the 2000lb winch? I've been given four different answers from folks at polaris shops. What confused me to start with is the polaris catalog list a 2500lb winch for a Gen IV winch kit except Sportsman 500RSE. Can you help me out with a little further explanation?

 

BigDawg. I think the bolt pattern is the same for both. The problem is, Polaris only sells the winch kits (winch AND mount) but doesn't sell a 2500# winch kit with a mount for the double tube bumpers (at least it's not listed in their catalog). I removed both bumpers on my Sportsman 500 HORSE and put on the multi mounts with the 2500# winch. I like that setup and figured I wanted a winch more than bumpers. Check online for someone who has mounts and winches. Cabela's has them both but you'd have to remove the front bumper. Try Cycle Country or maybe Dennis Kirk. Lots of places sell them.

Rick

 

rickcor..therin lies the problem..i want my bumpers and a 2500lb winch..thanks for the info

 

It looks like Cycle Country has mounts for using with the bumper. I finally got to their site. Also, to answer your original question, I've never had any overheating problem by having a front winch. They mount high enough to allow plenty of airflow underneath.

Rick

 

Rick..I could't get cycle country @ cyclecountry.com. It sounds like you found what I'm looking for..I would probably be ok with a 2000lb winch..but it's a "brain thing" with me..I've got to be maxed out.

 

rickcor is right. However Polaris offers the mount plates seperately now. Or if your local dealer sells enough winches they could take the 2000 lb. winch kit for the RSE and swap the brackets and hardware with the 2500 lb winch kit. We have done this several times for customers and myself. That way it doesn't cost you more and they still have a complete kit to sell. As far as difference the winch itself is identical in and out, the difference lies in the selenoid, wiring and switch. I love the remote switch, there have been plenty of times I would not have wanted to sit on my machine while winching something.

Bigdawg, Polaris now (brand new) offers bumpers to fit on the Multi-mount. I wish they had them when I bought mine.

 

Hey Bigdawg,

I'm not speaking from experience here, cause I have a superwinch, But I have checked the warn winches out, and there are no apparent physical differences between the 2000, & 2500, regarding bolt pattern. As a matter of fact, I've heard discussions on this same question before. I do have one suggestion for you though. Get the biggest winch you can afford, or at least buy a ****** block.(which will double your pulling power, but in my opinion, are more often than not,limited in use.) My Superwinch has failed me miserabley when I needed it most. That was my mistake though, buying a light duty winch, and the fact that I had known about their worthless rocker switches. Do I sound disappointed? Yes, I am. I will tell you one thing, any winch is better than no winch.
There are no differences in mounting any of the Gen IV Chassis as far as I know. My partner built his mount for his RSE, then duplicated it for my Expedition. I don't want to steer you wrong, but I know of no difference.

Brian