I just got a new King Quad 750 (actually won it from a local TV station). I am new to ATV's, only rode one once about 10 years ago. What should I look for in a winch? From reading around, I think I need a specific mounting bracket and the winch itself. Can someone (maybe someone that has this machine) give me a run down on how to install one?

Thanks.

 

i do not have a KQ, but winch instalation is pretty straite forward on most mechines. the winch will go on your mechine behind the front plastic/frame area. there is an empty space and frame tubeing, that is where the winch mount plate will join your frame(and the winch on top of that). winches will come with some kind of a flair head, usually a roller flairhead; that will go on the very front of the ATV, on the frameing. probably the biggest pain will be wireing. wires go from winch to a circut, then battery and a switch.

any good winch company will provide phone support and a detailed instruction manual. MOST IMPORTANTLY: make sure that the winch you purchase comes with a model specific mounting plate!

some good proven winches are: Warn, ramsey, and i say viper winches.

if your looking at viper winches go to http://motoalliance.com/


im not favoring viper, just most people dont get them direct from the manufacturer and deal with ebay instead.. ramsey and warn also have good websites, alot easier to find

good luck, and installing a winch is something you can do yourself

 

I got a 3000#, waterproof gorilla with the King Quad mount and full accesory kit on ebay for $144.00. I have used it a few times and have friends with them. None of us with the newer style ones have had any problems. Mounting is easy, There is a nice pre ran piece of loom to feed the wires through from out front to the area under the seat. Took me about an hour. Could do it now in about 1/2 that. Directions are pretty simple. Venom, Viper, Gorilla, they are all about the same. If you want to spend twice that, go Warn. I just couldnt justify the $ after hearing from my friends with the gorillas. Happy so far.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: 4x4d

Venom, Viper, Gorilla, they are all about the same.

just makeing a point, they are not all the same, exept for price. venom is not as advanced of a winch as the other 2. iv heard of people getting VENOM winches over ebay, haveing problems, and curseing all the brands.. they are NOT the same winch and not made by the same company. the only thing that lumps them together is that they are on ebay.

I have no problem buying a winch off ebay, just know what you are getting. Viper winches are older model warn winches that have been updated and waterproofed. im not sure about gorilla, but they seem to be a reputable company with few complaints. But VENOM winches are a "knock off" of the VIPER winch company. http://motoalliance.com/ - VIPER even says on their website! iv heard of people on here conplaining about ebay-winches. more likely than not they bought a VENOM winch, which are not waterproof BTW, and damb the other 2 reputable companies

so 4x4d, you like your gorilla? havent heard much about them

 

Yes those winches do have differences. I was kinda refering to they are all on the same end of price range and a nice complete package. I like 'em but I get mixed reviews about them all. I also agree about being careful buying on ebay. My friends and I all bought from the same guy and had no problem. The first guy told the rest of us about him so we took the chance. Out of 6 of us ( all gorillas on 600-800lb machines), one has failed. That one was operator error. There is a big warning saying not to do what he did.

 

probly best advice on winches i could give is buy one from the manufacturer or an authorized dealer. that way you dont have a douby about condition of the product, and they are far less likely to dispute warrenty work.

i will be the first person to say<u> i have a problem with my viper winch.</u> it ate my cable when i was plowing [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] but that was my own fault, i did not wind it properly before i used it on my plow. ( Operator error) but the nice people at motoalliance said it was a problem they had before on my model winch, they are sending me a bushing upgrade kit, $5 for shipping, to correct this problem. and they come preinstalled on ALL of there current model winches.

[img]i/expressions/beer.gif[/img] cheers to them for helping me out, eventhough it was my fault their product failed.