I purchased a used Honda Rancher that came with a 2.5 Warn winch and plow. The first time I used the winch, the switch would get stuck in the in and/or out positions. I would have to play with it to get it to stop. Also, I noticed that the cable was somewhat tangled and not wound up properly. In trying to reverse out the cable, it created an even bigger rats nest. I disengaged the winch and hooked it to a tree to try and pull it out, but no luck. I next attempted to remove the winch from the mounting plate. I was able to remove all but one of the bolts. The fourth one will not tighten or loosen and the head is not stripped. It is as if someone put it in too tight and it stripped the hole. I was able to get my cable untangled by manually feeding it back around the winch. The cable is bent in several places and has some loops that I am unable to straighten. My questions are as follows:

1.Is it normal for these types of switches to stick in one position?
2.I was contemplating replacing it with a 3-position toggle switch. Has anyone ever done this?
3.With the cable in the shape it is in, should I replace it? If so, is best to use cable or the synthetic rope? I only intend to use my winch for the plow.
4.Any ideas on getting the other bolt out besides cutting the head off with a Dremel?
5.What is the trick to getting the cable to wind on the winch correctly?

Thanks for your help.

 

Hey Jag,
I have the same winch on my quad, never have had the switch problem though, a friend has a super winch and is on his 3rd switch, think it depends on how much you use it and dirt getting in the switch. As far as the cable, I replaced mine with a rope from rockstomper.com and works great, no more tangles or cut hands from frayed cable. Every once in a while i pull it out to wind it evenly onto the spool, cant seem to find a way to have it wind even on the drum. Hope I helped some. DSG

 

i would keep an eye on the kinks for any broken strands. There is no way to get the cable flat unless it is attached to the drum on the very edge. When you wind it back on keep the first few wraps under tension, this should keep the cable from pulling into it's self when you are winching under load. If you have a heavey enough load on the line while spooling it should feed itself on as flat as possible.

 

Thanks. I hooked it to a tree and had it pull me towards and it wound up just fine.