Winch Recommendations

U

uke

New member
Hi Forum Members
I would really appreciate some guidance and recommendations on purchasing a winch for my 2017 1100C. Need it mainly for my new snowblower but need advice on hooking up, ease of use , strength , etc.
 
I tried to find a winch that would pull twice the weight of my 1120D. I chose a Warn 4000xl with a portable cradle. The cradle and associated cabling allows you to use the winch in the front and rear receivers. Very happy with combination.
 
I have a 3000# Ramsey on my RTV (but haven't used it on a plow or snowblower). It can drag/pull the RTV with the emergency brake on.
More related to your situation is the winch & plow on my ATV.
It's a 1500# Superwinch but on a single line pull, it struggles to lift my 4' snow plow.
I put a snatch block on the cable do double the pull strength (at 1/2 the speed) and it has no problems.
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What do owners of winches use them for? (I’m sure that reads like a silly question …. but seriously…) How often and for what purpose are they needed? When our family bought a first “off road” vehicle…a Kawasaki Mule… we got all excited about how a vehicle like that really needs a little miniature winch of some sort and agonized over the many options as we gathered all the pieces needed for installation.

When we bought the RTV… it was already equipped with a WARN 4500 with remote and synthetic cabling, second/dedicated battery and auxiliary parallel charging-system. We live on 1500 acres of rough terrain with some soggy-bottomland and sand shorelines… and have NEVER found any use for it at all. The one time we needed to pull a huge log out of the way…we simply hooked a chain to it and put ‘er in Reverse and pulled it out of thy way. Done!

I’m not bad-mouthing the idea… I’m not opposed to kool toys…. I’m only posting this story to bring a measure of scrutiny to the discussion... to help others realize that winches are not something that is as needful as might be imagined. We have found ZERO use for the Warn 4500 and the second-battery and it’s charging system actually managed to fail in such a way as to cause troubles with the MAIN battery which was resolved by complete REmoval of the secondary system. (Turned out….the 5 year old original Kubota battery was just fine…and in-fact is the only battery still installed and working fine every day! Yes, I removed all that extra battery/charger for the winch and tossed it. The winch..if I ever use it…will run fine off the single factory-installed Kubota battery….I’ll just plan on keeping the little diesel running simultaneously so as to not drain the battery.)

All the mounting plates, parts and winch purchased for the Mule 5 years ago are still sitting in their original boxes …still un-installed.

So…. in summary… I’d suggest you seriously consider whether or not you truly have a use for a little winch that would barely pull the RTV out of a mud-hole anyway…before sinking a lot of money into it.
 
I don't use any of mine often but they're great when you do need them.
My area is very hilly so I don't have mud patches so that's not an issue for me.
As mentioned, on the ATV it's primarily used for the snow plow.
On the RTV and tractor, they're primarily used for felling trees and skidding logs.
There is an occasional need for pulling itself or another machine out of a predicament, mainly in winter conditions.
 
I installed a winch on my ATV when I bought it over 22 years ago. I have found it helpful if not necessary many times. So much so that it was an accessory I insisted on for my new RTV. For some it is like insurance, you hope you don’t need it but glad you have it if you do. For others, winches make what we do easier. It really depends on use case and preference. I have hung tree stands, pulled deer out of ravines too steep to get down, skidded logs in tight spaces, got unstuck. These are just a few of the things. Could I have found another way, sure, but the winch allowed it all to be done in a controlled way. At the end of the day it is preference. As to getting unstuck, a properly rigged 2,500lb winch could get a buried RTV out. Snatch blocks are your friend!
 
Armyaviatr said:
Did see the Kubota uses SuperWinch winches with Kubota stickers and colors. They are pricy.
Click to expand...
I just bought an X1140 and Kubota is now reselling Warn winches. I do believe they were rebranding SuperWinches prior. I wanted the winch to be dealer installed and the Kubota literature showed four winch options which are all Warn winches. 3,500 and 4,500 both wire or rope. I normally would have installed it myself but I figured this time I would let someone else deal with it.
 
My dealer gave me a Warn VR-X 4500 pound with my RTV. But I had mine installed on the Orange Aftermarket receiver hitch cradle, and I have both ends wired. So I can use my winch on the front or the rear.
 
I use it for:
To snatch fallen trees and pull them out.
Fence stretcher.
To load itself on trailer, when needed.

Never to un stuck it.
 
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Xeno555 said:
I use it for:
To snatch fallen trees and pull them out.
Fence stretcher.
To load itself on trailer, when needed.

Never to un stuck it.
Click to expand...
I also use mine for fallen trees to pull them out or to pull them off the trail so we can pass. And I've used it to pull it or other equipment onto a trailer. I've never had to use it to get unstuck but that was one of the reasons I wanted it put on. I've never used it as a fence stretcher but that is a dang good idea. :thumb: :clap:
 
Doc said:
I also use mine for fallen trees to pull them out or to pull them off the trail so we can pass. And I've used it to pull it or other equipment onto a trailer. I've never had to use it to get unstuck but that was one of the reasons I wanted it put on. I've never used it as a fence stretcher but that is a dang good idea. :thumb: :clap:
Click to expand...
I have a Harbor Freight "Bad Land 4500" used it 1 time when I got stuck BIG TIME, it paid for itself that day!!! I'm OLD and Broke Down with Arthritis, I really didn't figure the Harbor Freight was any good, BUT I Was Wrong, it Works Great
Woody
 
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