well, after freaking 7 hours, we got it on!! honda ordered the wrong mounting plate....

mounting plate= 1500lb. winch
winch we bought- 2500lb. lol

we took the winch itself apart and then boled parts on at a time....then put the winch back together on the quad...it was a REAL pain in the azz but if we had to wait to order the correct mounting bracket, it probably woulda been another month

we ordered it through honda just so we could get the correct stuff.....

so, if i'm pulling myself out of a puddle, i shouldnt apply gas?
where should i get the 'tree saver' from?

thanks!

 

For tree saver, I'd recommend going to rockymountainatv.com and getting their winch accessory kit. I think I said in the earlier post that it was from summit, but it's actually a tusk product.

It comes with 2 nylon straps (a short one and a long one) that can be put around trees so you don't kill the tree by pulling the cable through the bark, and so you don't kink the winch cable by hooking the hook to it. It also comes with a ****** block, basically a pully that will allow you to run the line out to the ancor point (tree or whatever) and back to the quad to double the winch's pulling power. Having a ****** block can also be handy for rigging a pull when there isn't an ancor point in the direction you need one. There are also a couple of clevises in the kit, and some gloves. Add the Tusk tow strap to the kit, and you would be pretty well set up. You could look at the Warn brand winch accessory kit, too, but I like the tusk one better, and it's cheaper.

As far as trying to drive forward while winching, that depends on the situation. If there is any chance the machine could catch and jump forward and then slip back, doing so could damage the winch. Any time you jerk the cable suddenly it will put a shock load on the gears that they aren't designed for.

 

Keep kids/teens away from the feed button. If you can disable it from running altogether, to it! My nephew rides mine a lot when I'm not there. He "accidently" bumped the switch (mine is a rotating switch, and it stays on when you turn it on until someone pushes it off) and let all the slcak run out without pulling the cable out! It took 3 hours to take the whole thing apart and untangle the cable after that. I think most swithces I've seen in the past couple years are push bottons and not slides, making accidental activation harder to do.

When I know I'll need to use it, I hook it to the front rack for easy access.

 

Recon,

For a cheap tree strap use a heavy duty rates ratchet strap. I have 4 straps rates at 10,000lbs each to strap my wheelers to the trailer. I throw one of them into the glove box on the wheeler and use to wrap around trees, stumps, etc or to add length to the cable to reach whom I am pulling out.

You may also want a pulley. They can be useful in changing the direction of your pull OR doubling the pulling power of your winch.

Few tricks:
1) if you are pulling someone out of the mud who is really really stuck bad. pull at a slight angle to their axles/tires. It helps break the suction of mud and can make pulling them out easier. I am not talking a 45 degree angle just slightly off to one side or the other.

2) If your winch has a free spool lever on the side of it. Connect the hook to your rack (or bungee cord) and tighten the cable just until the hook doesn't rattle. Them move the lever to free spool so if your winch switch is accidently hit your winch cable will not spool in or out damaging your rack. (I am not sure if all winches have this option or not)

3) If you submerge your winch in mud or plan on doing it. Then plan on taking it apart at least every six months to clean and regrease. OTher wise it may fail and of Murphy has anything to say about it. It will fail when you are hip deep in mud with no way out.

Also, Rocky Mountain ATV sells a wich kit for about $80 I think. Has a pulley, tree strap, carrying case that velcros to the rack, and some other stuff.

Hope this helps

SJ

 

Rocky Mountain's Summit Kit that I've mentioned is $39.95.

It's the one that I like better than my buddy's Warn kit, which goes for $93.99.

 

well, the winch came in handy today! on the fourth time needingg it, it started making noises....i looked and the cable came off of the spool..... we tried an hour to fix it and we couldnt ....gears just wouldnt grab...but we're gonna try again in a week (going away to florida tomrrow)....ill let ya know how it goes,...