Thinking about installing a winch in my Kodiak. I looked at the Warn 2000 and 2500, and also the Superwinch which is cheaper. Is Warn the best? Also heard about nightmares doing the install. So maybe it would be better to have the dealer do it. Any info as to prices and experiences with the Warn or Superwinch would be greatly appreciatied. Also, does the weight of the winch affect the handling of the bike much?

 

Fpilot, respectfully, if you ask how hard winch installation is, maybe you SHOULD have the job done by a shop. Installation is straightforward, accomplished with simple hand tools; however, if you ask the question, maybe you'd better seek professional help.

Questionnaire about whether you should install your own winch: Do you own a 1/2" drive metric socket set? SAE sockets, too? Maybe 3/8" drive? Combination wrench set? Wire terminal crimper? Multimeter?

If most of the answers are "No," save yourself some headaches and have your friendly local dealer do the work. Tackle the task only if you want to learn and empower yourself, shade-tree mechanic-wise.

I own both Warn and Superwinch products; each company's products sold for ATVing (Warn A2000/A2500 and Superwinch T1500/ATV2000/X1/X2) are thoroughly adequate for ATVing in my opinion.

One mandatory bit of advice I ALWAYS pass on: Whatever winch you buy, get a ****** block! A ****** block can double your extraction force and permit the versatility of pulls from all angles.

Check out some winching tips on the Superwinch website at Superwinch. I'm sure Warn has a website also, locatable from your search engine.

Tree Farmer

 

Just finished installing a warn a few hours ago.Wasn't hard at all,just took a little time.The next one though wouldn't take half as long.Go for it!!!

 

In reguards to cost I found what appears to be a good deal on Super Winch at atv outfitters.com no shipping charges and a fair price. Hope this helps.

 

i installed my Warn A2000 on my Big Bear in about 30 minutes, nothing to it if your familiar with had tools. Clear instructions, and the wires are labeled for the switch

 

Can't tell you much about installation--my Warn was installed when I bought it. I'd recommend running the power through your light-switch so you don't have power to the solonoid all the time--it will get really hot otherwise. No complaints about the Warn; only complaint I've heard about the Superwinch is the switch. A lot of people claim it doesn't hold up well in wet riding condition. I can tell you I've used my Warn a lot and it still pulls like a champ. I agree about the ****** block--get one. It takes a lot of stress off of your winch.

 

Actually, I am a pretty good wrench turner. I only wondered if the winch installation was difficult after reading the article in the April edition of Dirt Wheels on page 79 where they say the installation process was a "chore" and took them more than 4 hours. They also mentioned they had to have some special tools to complete the job such as a 7/8 inch hole saw.
I figured if it was hard for these guys who have access to pro mechanics, it would be really hard for me.
Anyway-maybe they only had journalists working on it! Thanks to all for your response.

 

I have a 2000 Kodiak that I installed a warn winch on. Piece of cake unless you hate the thoughts of installing that big ugly gray switch on that nice new machine with those four big ugly wires running to it. After a lot of thought I decided that I would hide the switch in a dry out of sight location so that it wasn't corroded when and if I need to use it. I mounted it under the seat on the rear wall of the storage box. (I bet all the purests are just cringing about now.) If you do this the four wires need to be switched (be very careful on this one or you'll do it a couple of times, so that the short ones go to the battery and the long ones go to the winch. Of course I had to drill a hole into the storage box large enough to fit the wires, I drilled it at the left side bottom rear corner. A little silicone on each side of the holes has held up well and is still water tight. The wires running to the battery were a little long so I just doubled them up along the frame rails and used some wire ties to dress them up. The switch works great but is a little inconvient because you have to take the seat off and more or less sit on the storage box. I suppose if you plan on using the winch a lot this may not be the way to go but it has worked out good for me.

 

TreeFarmer: a few questions for you!
1. Does the Solenoid need to grounded? (I was thinking of attaching mine under the hood-near Battery of a 2001 kingquad.)plastic mount.
2. I found two spare wires in wireing harness under handlebars, can I attach the red switch wire(key-on) to one of these plugs? (If so does it matter between the two/I think both are hot but not confirmed yet.)
FYI: I saw somewhere on this site that these wires was for the optional horn kit. been searching for 3 days but can't find it now!
I sent this to you cause you seem to be (da man) for information about winch questions.)
Any WAY......Thanks for the info. in advance...James
01--Kingquad,soon to be 2000 warn winch, soon to be cooler fan(ordered),front storage box with windshield attached.(not put on yet)
HAVE A GOOD DAY![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]