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ProMark Offroad Blog

ATV Winch Mount Buying Guide

Written By: Esther
October 15th, 2010 | Filed under ATV Accessories, Winch Installation | No Comments »Tags: , , , ,

Your ATV or UTV winch needs a strong, flat mounting surface for safe operation. Besides fabricating a mount plate from scratch, you have basically three options: Model specific, universal, and receiver hitch.

Honda Foreman winch mount

Honda Foreman model specific winch mount

  1. Model Specific Winch Mounts

    2. The most popular type of winch mount is a model specific plate. Model specific winch mounts are fairly easy to install. Each mount kit is designed to fit with little or no modification. Some model specific mounts may require modification for use with certain winches, but for the most part, they mount right up with no problem. ProMark uses a winch plate wizard to help you find the right mount plate based on your make and model.

  2. Universal Mount Plates

    3. If you’re skilled in metalwork and you want to customize your mounting plate, a universal winch mount might be a good option for you. The extent of modifications needed depends on your ATV/UTV model and how you decide to mount the winch. Universal mount plates are generally cheaper, but they take a lot more work to mount.

    ATV receiver hitch mount

    ATV receiver hitch mount

  3. ATV Receiver Hitch Mounts

    4. Sometimes a receiver hitch mount makes more sense than a frame mounted winch. The nice thing about receiver mounts is that they are easy to install and they allow you to remove the winch when it’s not needed. This lightens up the load, makes wheelies easier, and prevents theft. ATV receiver hitch mounts come in 1 1/4″ and 2″ sizes to fit the size of your receiver hitch.

Winch / Mount Plate Compatibility

Make sure the mount works with your winch—obvious enough, but some winches use a 3-bolt mounting pattern and others use a 4-bolt or 2-bolt pattern. The winch size and body style can also make a difference in whether or not it will work with the mounting plate. Because of limited mounting space on some ATVs and UTVs, trimming may be required on the mount plate or bumper in order to install the winch.

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Winch Mounting Kits

Written By: Esther
January 12th, 2010 | Filed under Choosing a Winch | No Comments »Tags: , , ,

A vehicle-specific winch mount makes it easy to install your winch.

A vehicle-specific winch mount makes it easy to install your winch.

Although it’s possible to mount your winch directly to your vehicle, the best and most secure way to mount a winch is with a mounting kit. If you choose not to use a mounting kit, you’ll need to drill holes in the structural support of your vehicle (which most guys don’t want to do), and you need to be 100% sure that drilling those holes won’t compromise the strength of the structural support.

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The pulling forces of the winch can put a tremendous amount of pressure on the mounting location, so be aware of this if you choose to mount the winch directly to the structural support. Also be aware that without some of the equipment included in the mounting kit, you may not be able to operate your winch safely.

A winch mounting kit can be universal or vehicle-specific. Universal mount plates are generally cheaper, but you’ll most likely need to do a custom fab job to get the plate to fit just right. Vehicle-specific plates are designed with your vehicle’s specifications in mind, which means you can easily mount your winch without customizing the plate. So although you might shell out a few more dollars for a vehicle-specific plate, the ease of installation is worth it.

Another option is to go with a receiver hitch mount. These mounts are designed to be moved from front to rear for more winching options. You can also remove the winch and mount altogether if you don’t need it. It takes some extra weight off your quad or truck and keeps your winch out of the elements when it’s not being used.

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Best Winch Mounting Location

Written By: Esther
November 11th, 2009 | Filed under Offroad Recovery, Winch Maintenance | No Comments »Tags: , ,

A high mounted ATV winch is easier to maintain, view, and access.

A high mounted ATV winch is easier to maintain, easier to access, and easier to view during operation.

Where you mount your ATV or truck winch can make a difference in the maintenance requirements and lifespan of the winch, especially if you ride in muddy, swampy, or wet conditions.

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On some ATVs and trucks, you might not have the option to mount the winch in any other spot than the OEM mounting spot, but if you have the option to mount the winch higher, or if you can build a custom mount with the proper frame support, you might want to mount your winch higher rather than lower.

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Advantages of a High Mounted Winch

  1. Mounting the winch higher keeps it out of the mud and water. Constant exposure to mud and water is hard even on a waterproof winch. Without proper maintenance, the buildup of abrasive materials inside the winch housing and gears can lead to corrosion and can degrade the lubrication inside the winch.
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  2. Mounting the winch higher keeps it cleaner, which means less maintenance on your part and a longer lifespan for the winch. A winch cover also helps keep your winch clean and dry.
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  3. Mounting the winch higher gives you easy access to the winch when you need it. If you bury your ATV or truck with a low mounted winch, you’ll be forced to dig down into the mud and water to get to your winch. Not to mention, operating a submerged winch can cause major damage.
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  4. Mounting the winch higher keeps it visible. If the winch is higher, it’s easier to watch out for cable stacking. Letting the cable stack up too high on one side of the drum is a major cause of winch damage. It can also result in a “bird’s nest” that won’t be easy to untangle. A low-placed or hidden winch mount can block your view of the cable as it spools, increasing the chance of a bird’s nest or damaged winch. Keep that in mind when choosing a winch mount.
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Precautions for High Mounted Winches

Keep in mind that you’ll need to hook up to an anchor point that’s higher than the winch. If the anchor point is too low, the winch can bog your vehicle further down in the mud. If necessary, use a snatch block to hook up to an anchor point and then attach the winch hook to a low anchor point on your vehicle (lower than the winch). If you ride in areas with few natural anchor points, however, you may run into problems finding an anchor point higher than your winch. In this case, you might want to mount the winch lower on your vehicle.

On most ATVs or trucks, you might need to build or buy a custom mount to install the winch higher than the OEM winch location. Just make sure the mounting points are strong enough to withstand the force of a hard pull. The winch should be attached to the frame for the strongest reinforcement.

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Which ATV Mount Plate Should You Buy?

Written By: Esther
July 15th, 2009 | Filed under Choosing a Winch | No Comments »Tags: , ,

Summary:

  • Universal Mount:

    Cheapest but may require modification to fit your quad.

  • Custom / ATV Specific Mount:

    Designed to fit your specific ATV or UTV model for quick and easy mounting.

  • Mobile Mount:

    Saves you the expense and weight of installing 2 winches for front and rear pulls.

When it comes to deciding what kind of mount plate to buy, there are 3 basic factors you’ll need to consider: 1) How much you want to customize your mount, 2) How you plan to use your winch, and 3) How much you want to spend.

Custom Mount Plate

Custom Mount Plate

  1. How Much Do You Want to Customize Your Mount?

    2. If you’re a gear head who likes to work on your ATV every chance you get, you might just want to buy a universal winch mount and custom fit it for your quad. If you’ve already done a lot of custom work on your ATV, a model specific winch mount may not even fit, depending on the type of mods you’ve done that affect the size of the mounting space for your winch.

    On the other hand, if you rely on a mechanic to keep your quad purring, you’re better off with a custom, ATV specific winch mount.

  2. How Do You Plan to Use Your Winch?

    3. If you want to install a winch on both the front and rear of your quad, an ATV mobile mount can save you the expense and weight of a two-winch setup. Having the ability to move your winch from front to rear can come in handy sometimes. You can also take the winch and mobile mount off your ATV when you don’t need it.

  3. How Much Do You Want to Spend?

    4. If you’re looking for the cheapest way to outfit your ATV, a universal winch mount is the cheapest winch mount you can buy. As long as you’re okay with drilling a few extra holes yourself if needed, a universal mount should work just fine on a tight budget.

Which Type of Mount Plate Do You Think Is Best?

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