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I need advise on a good winch for the 420

29K views 48 replies 24 participants last post by  shadetree 
#1 ·
I'm thinking of putting a winch on my 2013 Rancher 4x4. What would be a good winch and bracket to get. Also put me in the ball park on price. I'm wanting to use it to winch it into the back of my pickup truck. I have a 6' ramp and its steep. Kinda don't like to drive it up since my truck has some height to it....
 
#2 ·
Without a doubt, the Superwinch Terra is the best winch for the money (less than $200 on Amazon.com). They are an incredibly good, reliable winch and they draw less current than similar winches. You can get them in a 2500 lb or 3500 lb model and with wire rope, or the better synthetic rope. For sure, don't be fooled by Warn winches. They are way overpriced and they don't hold up that well.

Superwinch also stands behind it's products better than any other winch manufacturer around. They are incredible when it comes to customer service, and their winch parts are warranted for life on the Terra models.

As for a mount, I recommend the KFI mount (for the Rancher) which you will also see on Amazon.com
 
#3 ·
Kentco, a Superwinch being better than a Warn is all a matter of opinion my friend. Tell me, why did Honda go with Warn winches for their endorsed kit instead of Superwinch?? Warn winches being over priced and don't hold up that well? Have you been smoking crack? I gave $229.00 for a complete model specific winch kit that was totally pulg and play and works like a champ. I've used mine quite a bit and have not had the first minutes worth of trouble from it and others will agree to the same. Not saying Warn is better than Superwinch but definately not worse or a sham by any stretch of the imagination. But as usual, what you have and run is always the best and better than what everyone else uses right? Right....
 
#4 ·
If you are just using it to pull your quad up the ramp then imo it doesnt really matter what one you go with. If you do alot of mudding and plan on using it to pull yourself or others out of thick mud then it really comes down to budget. I personaly have a champion 2500 and it works fine for me. I also know people that have warns and its deff better, One of my buddies has a super winch and its was "ok" being that he primarly used it to plow. Do some research and find the one that best fits your needs.
 
#7 ·
Bolin, I've seen sooooo many Warn winches fail and fall apart. Virtually everyone I know that has had a Warn winch has replaced it with something else. Also, the difference between Warn and anyone else when it comes to customer service is like the difference between night and day. There are many posts on this forum in which guys talk about their experience with Warn and there are also posts about guys amazing service from Superwinch.
I won't get into a big winch argument here. But, I will say that I speak from experience; and not from rumors.
 
#9 ·
Yes I have, an RT-25. First, the contactor went out (4 months after purchasing it). Warn would not replace it under warranty and wanted to sell me a new one for $85. I got a new (other brand) contactor from somewhere else for half the price. Then, the motor seized up. Warn would not take care of that and wanted to sell me a motor for the price of an entire new winch.
My next door neighbor HAD a Warn winch. He never used it, and his ATV to this day only has about 300 miles on it. His winch literally fell apart. He replaced it with a Superwinch and lived happily ever after. I might note though, while my neighbor was installing his new Superwinch, he had all the Superwinch parts laying on his garage floor, ready to be installed. He had to go somewhere in the middle of the installation, and he accidentally ran over his contactor/relay (before he ever got it installed!). He called Superwinch the next day, expecting to pay for a new contactor since he destroyed the other one. But, to his surprise, the representative not only sent him a new contactor at NO charge, but he also sent it 'overnight' by FedEx!
When I installed one of my SuperwincheS, I found that a little bit longer cable would really help my installation. I called Superwinch (again, expecting to pay for a cable) and they sent longer cables out to me at NO charge.
Another guy, on this forum was having trouble mounting his new Superwinch Terra on his ATV. He called Superwinch for help. Superwinch sent him another model that would fit better in his atv, and they sent it at NO charge. Then, they ALSO sent him a rear winch mount for his atv so that he could mount his first winch on the back of his ATV, and that was sent at NO charge. So, the guy ended up with winches on the front and back of his atv and by only paying for his first ATV. The success stories with Superwinch go on and on.
Warn has a limited warranty. If you damage your winch equipment or it goes out of warranty, Warn is ready to dig DEEP into your pockets. If your Warn winch is a day out of warranty, that's your tough luck.
I do volunteer work for the U.S. Forest Service. Before the year 2000, they had Warn winches on all their trucks. Since 2000, they only purchase Superwinches.
 
#10 ·
I too have and recommend a super winch over a warn, from personal experince, adn seeing them both in action and how long they lasted

the super winch's can be had at Cabela's for under a 100 bucks too
I have had a super winch on my Atv for 13+ yrs, well its my second one, I swapped out the first one 2-3 yrs ago, not cause it failed, cause I got a second new one dirt cheap and I neded a new cable on the old one, so just replaced the whole unit, figured it has some yrs on it so why not, still have first one for a spare in a box, still works, just bneeds a new wire rope
as for winching up ramps, , be careful about doing that, as the cable can cut into the tail gate if not up high enough when starting up
and a remote switch I think would also be worth its weight in gold for that too, make it a lot safer any how
 
#12 ·
Like Kent says The Terra is the best for the money.
 
#14 ·
Dyna, I couple of guys have used the Superwinch mount for their Ranchers and have had a little difficulty. They used the KFI mount and things installed MUCH easier.
So..... The Superwinch Terra (25 or 35) from Amazon.com (Your choice of wire rope or synthetic rope.
The KFI winch mount for Honda Rancher, also from Amazon.

Oh yes, the Superwinch Terra also comes with a 12' remote control that is REALLY nice to have. Except for plowing, I nearly always use my remote winch control to control my winch!
 
#18 ·
kentco,

I apologize for not being a Honda owner, but I would like to ask you a question about the Terra 35 winch. Two days ago, I ordered a Terra 35 SR and a KFI mount for my 450-sized ATV. After placing the order, I began to find reviews which indicated that the winch would not fit my quad.

I noticed that KFI does not include Superwinch Terra series winches as being compatible with their mount for my particular ATV, but they do show Superwinch's LT series as being compatible. I emailed KFI, and they replied by saying that the Terra winch will not fit my ATV with their mount because it is too large of a winch.

During my Internet research, I came across a Honda Rancher owner who received the exact same response from KFI regarding their mount, Terra winches, and Honda Ranchers. KFI's website also does not list their Rancher mount as being compatible with Terra winches.

I emailed Superwinch with similar questions, but they have not yet responded.

I tried to cancel my Amazon order, but I was too late; it has already been shipped. In your opinion, do you believe KFI is just playing it safe because the Terra is a very tight fit, or do you believe it will not fit? If I understand your posts, you know people who have installed a Terra winch onto Ranchers using a KFI mount even though KFI says it won't fit. Correct?

I'm debating whether I should go through the trouble of seeing whether it will fit or just send it back without all of the hassle.

I really want the Terra winch to work for me. I posted up on a Yamaha forum, but I haven't received a response from anyone who has installed a Terra on a 450 Grizz.

Thanks for any help.
 
#16 ·
I saw that too I knew he was gonna change it read his rincon wheels thread. But I figured it wood be one of his quad, and it first I thought someone else on here was named kentco. Lol. And I am going to put a super winch terra 35 steel cable on my 4x4.
 
#17 ·
I used a super winch mount, and to be honest, it was a little cheesy, I beefed it up, due to it would bend on a load
now its rock solid
I think most all winches of same size all have the same bolt patterens, so ods are any mount will fit most winches, if not, just have to have a new hole or two drilled to work
 
#20 ·
Hi Everyone, I was up working on the trails. I stay very busy with that. After the Labor Day weekend, we had a lot of damage to fix.
Regarding my avitar picture. Yes, it's different! I'm in the process of going back to STOCK wheels. I'll still have Bighorn tires, but they will be mounted on stock wheels. There are absolutely NO aftermarket wheel manufacturers that make a wheel with a similar offset to that of the Rincon wheel. Thus, the aftermarket wheels push each wheel out about 1.5 inches, adding 3 inches to the width of my atv. Some of our trails are tight, so having a wider wheelbase is not appealing to me. Next, we have strict 50" laws on our trails. My aftermarket wheels didn't make me wider than 50", but they made me very close to it; too close for comfort.
Regarding mounting a Superwinch Terra on a Rancher. Many people (including me) have successfully mounted the Terra winches on the Ranchers. I have seen and heard of cases where a few people have found it to be a tight squeeze, but, with the KFI mount, it has ended up working very well. How well it will work on your non-Honda is difficult to say. Also, if you are a little mechanically inclined, it's generally possible to mount most any atv winch on any atv. You might have to drill a hole or two in a different place, but it's usually possible. I also recommend to anyone that you take the front plastic off any atv when you mount the winch. It just makes the job easier and faster.
Kent
 
#21 ·
I called the Honda dealer today since I have a good friend who works in the parts department. We talked about me wanting to install a winch on my 2013 Rancher. He told me any winch will work as long as the bolt pattern on the winch is patterned after the Warn bolt pattern for the mount. The mount has to be especially for the Honda Rancher my year model and they make the bolt pattern the same as Warn. He did say even if it didn't fit exactly it is a simple fix of drilling a hole or two.....just my 2 cents worth on what I learned today.
 
#22 ·
Dyna, You and the guy in the Honda parts dept are absolutely correct. Most any winch can be mounted with the correct mounting holes. If you have a mount that doesn't fit quite right, or the way you would like it to, the best thing to do is to get out your drill and redrill the mounting holes if necessary. From things that guys have said on this forum, it appears as though the KFI mount for the Rancher is the best mount out of the box. It is also one of the least expensive, and you can get it from Amazon.com.
 
#24 ·
DogRunner, I wouldn't say that Colorado has trouble with their trails. When I say I am out working on the trails in our area, it's because the Forest Service and I are really dedicated to making the trails good for everyone. Ironically, making them 'good' doesn't necessarily mean that they are all smooth paths through the forests. We actually work to create areas that are more challenging than others, some areas involve quite steep climbs, incredible views, winding through tight trails, crossing streams, and so on. When we work on trails, we do things such as removing tree limbs that might smack you in the face as you go down the trail. We construct bridges over streams where the areas are pristine and protected. We make sure that people stay on the trail so that the areas around the trails won't be damaged and so that wildlife will be protected and not harrassed. If water is running down a trail, we divert it and drain it off the trail. Otherwise, erosion occurs, the environment is damaged, and it exposes large rocks and roots and makes riding rough.
All said and done, all the work we do is for your (the public's) enjoyment and use. :)
 
#25 ·
Dyna the terra series winch will work great for you.
 
#26 ·
Kentco, all the wife and I ride are trails, we mostly ride at Camp Claiborne. It was a military base in the 1940's. You can see videos on YouTube . I even put one on there, it's called Camp Claiborne ,Woodworth Loop. Anyway, we like to ride there but it's heavily wooded with bad roots. It's so bad I had to revert back to my stock tires because the aftermarket ones were to hard and rough riding. I'm not into the mudding, just trails....
 
#29 ·
I too have had many issues with warn product ...they are not worth the money .. stay clear ...ive had good luck with mile marker winches and superwinch I bought two warns and had nothing but problems they didn't want to stand by there product at all..one quit working after one use and it was a very light duty job .the other lasted about a month .. I will never spend my cash on there junk ever again ..my buddy put a harbor freight winch on his old timberwolve that has lasted longer then my warn ...that's bad ...
 
#31 ·
I have the Warn XT-25 and it's mediocre at best. Free spool does not work any more. The little "tin" plate that disengages the winch always jams up. My brother has a Promark 3000# winch and it works flawless and the $ is right too. $189 with mounting plate.
 
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