I have 2 '01 Big Bears and am looking for a winch for each of them......I was wondering what the preferred brand is, or a brand that is good to buy, and also what to look for when buying one. I see a lot on ebay, but wanted to get more info before I buy......Also, most of these do not come with a bracket for the Big Bear.....Do I have to have a bracket in order for it to "bolt right in"??
Thanks for the advice.

 

Warn and Ramsey are the best companies. Warn is a little faster, but has more battery draw. Ramsey is slower, but has less. I would guess at least a 1700, and probably a 2000, Depending on the price difference, you might even want to get the 2.5. Those are warn sizes, im not sure about ramsey. I believe you are supposed to have a winch that will pull 2.5 times the weight of you and your quad and all of your gear. so if you had a 550lb quad, weigh 200lbs, and have 50 lbs of gear, you should have a winch that will pull 800x2.5=2000 pounds. Yes you will need to buy a mounting bracket for most applications. They run around 50 dollars.

 

As stated, both Warn or Ramsey are the better and from my observation, Warn is predominantly the leader I think. I studied the 2 before I bought a new one and settled on the Warn 3.0ci (3000lb) for my 500HO. All my experience has been with Warn on both several service vehicles that I own as well as my personal truck and now 2 ATV's. ebaY is the place to go as far as I'm concerned. You can get a 3.0 for about $330, your mount set up would likely be around $40. The 2.5ci (2500#) is even less but lacks the remote control but you could fit it. I have the 2.5 on the 400 Sportsman. Warn is good stuff and has good customer service should you need it.

Now maybe someone with Ramsey experience can chime in.

Oh, BTW....someone here says Rule makes the best winch...you know, the guys that build fish tank pumps and bilge pumps! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img] Sorry, that's a joke from a recent post that blasts Warn and Ramsey! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

I have to agree w/ them. I have a Warn 2.5ci on my Kodiak and it pulls very well. We also use Warn on the Jeeps and trucks.

 

If I wanted to replace my 2.5 warn winch for a 3.0 would the same mounting bracket fit and would all the wires be the same? I guess I am wondering if all the warn winches would use the same mounting brackets weather it be a 2.0, 2.5, 3.0? Tree Doc, mabey when you get your new 3.0 you could compare it to your 2.5 on your 400 Sportsman? See if you think it will bolt up the same ?

 

The bolt spacing is the same between the 2.5 and the 3.0 however the offset is different. You'll notice the drum is more to the left on the 2.5ci and not centered. The 3.0ci is centered. The mount that I bought for my Polaris was drilled for both and I believe that to be standard. As far as wiring, it is all identical but the 3.0ci comes with a remote which I installed on my headlight pod. You'll need to run that wiring back to the contactor where it will plug into the existing thumbswitch/contactor interface. It will be real easy for your install. Mine is now in and done!

 

So as long as I have a 2.5 now than I shouldn't have any problems up-grading to a 3.0
Thanks for the info.....beats geting the stuff you want only to find out you need more[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

 

oh I was going to ask you tree doc if you see a difference between the 2.5 and the 3.0?

 

Yeah....one pulls more weight than the other! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

D'oh! Sorry...I just couldn't resist. I haven't been stuck yet to try them out but it would seem the 3.0 runs quieter, smoother, & maybe a little faster, and it looks better cuz the drum is centered....You know, it's gotta look cool! I'll have comparison when I can later.

 

lol.....I would be interested if there isa big difference between 500 pounds of winching strength? I think I would like to upgrade to the 3.0 but I am thinking about another new machine so mabey that will get the 3.0!