[Steel]

Is it hard to install a Warren winch using their mounted plate on a 2010 4x4 Rancher(PS and ES model)? Do you have to do electrical work for the install

 

[Pain]

Not sure about the actual mount, but you will have to do electrical. Assuming it's like most winches, then you will need to mount a rocker switch on the handlebar [perhaps it has a wireless dongle, not sure] wired back to a control box, and run the high-current wiring straight to the battery and then up to the winch. Not hard, but will take some time depending on your experience with such things.

 

[Helmut]

Like Pain said, it depends on how experienced you are at doing that type of work. Same thing for the mount.

 

[mmm635]

Is it hard to install a Warren winch using their mounted plate on a 2010 4x4 Rancher(PS and ES model)? Do you have to do electrical work for the install

I just installed a winch on my 2001 and 2004 Ranchers, which I am pretty sure is very similar in setup to yours outside of tolerances, and it was pretty easy. I would recommend a warn mount and then just choose a winch that suits your needs. I have Promark/Gorilla 3000lbs. winch that has not been put through the paces yet, so I will not push that until I can verify how good it is. All reports I have read seem to indicate it is pretty damn good for the money compared to the warn that it replaced on the same vehicle. Otherwise, I would suggest a warn. Both are well made and have good instructions which will make the process so much easier as compared to others. That said, I will post some feedback on the performance of this winch as time moves on.

I am pretty experienced with electrical, but it is still a pretty easy procedure for most. I can honestly say that it is more tedious in order to do everything correctly than it is complex. You definitely do not want your winch to quit due to some cheezy, half-ass connection when you need your winch most out in the middle of nowhere.

If you decide to install a winch with plate, then make sure you take your plastics off and route the wiring along the factory wiring. Follow all lines and make sure they do not get pinched anywhere, especially around the seat. One thing that I noticed about the new Honda's at the dealership with pre-installed winches, is that they were mounting the control box up front not far behind the headlights (Of course, this is probably dealer specific). This is not the proper location for the box - it should be located close to the battery in the rear and protected as much as possible. Not sure about your model as to whether it has a trunk, but I installed my control box in the rear trunk on my Rancher. I drilled a hole from the battery compartment through to the trunk for wiring access and mounted the controller on the side wall. This keeps it somewhat protected and does not get splashed all the time, and will never see much water unless my Rancher is submerged. Just keep that in mind if you do an install.

I also mounted a wired controller socket on the opposite side of my accessory socket - see picture below. The wiring for this also tied into the handlebar rocker switch. Both of these were spliced into the accessory socket wiring. I opted for switched power for my winch. I have kids that tend to jump on my Rancher and play with the buttons, so I did not want it live when the ignition is off. It depends which way you want to go with the switching. If yo opt for power full-time, then you can make a direct connection to the battery for both making sure to use a fuse in line.

 

[Helmut]

That's some good advice.^^^^^^

 

[Pain]

I recommend NOT having the winch hot all the time. It's easy to hit the button while riding without knowing it and you can twist the cable up or possibly burn up the winch motor. Even if you wire it so it's hot from the battery without the key being on, I'd still put a safety switch somewhere so you can't accidentally engage the winch.

When I bought my machine the safety switch was in the tool box under the tail light. I put an dropped equipment rack on the back that covers up that tool box, so I just turned the safety switch on before I installed the rack. I then found out how easy it was to hit that rocker switch on the handlebars without knowing it, so I went back and installed a second safety switch under the seat so I could access it without removing the rack.