# best winch for the buck



## rockettsntexas (Oct 9, 2010)

Hey guys Im looking in to buying a winch for my wifes brute and I was wondering what do yall think is the best winch for the money.I have a warn 2500 on my brute and Ive had alot of problems out of it.Ive heard about the viper winches but I just wanted some feedback from yall,thanks.


----------



## mini bogger (Sep 14, 2010)

my viper winch has suffered through 3 months of mud and water and hasn't let me down! of course, I never need to use it to pull myself out :rockn:


----------



## NRABRUTE (Jun 1, 2010)

I have a 5000lb Viper winch on my Brute, it works great. And it's less then half the $$ of a Warn..


----------



## edtman (Jul 4, 2009)

$79 2500lb Champion... Got 3 yrs. out of it til the switch was shot. now I have 2 $79 winches.


----------



## depthfinder (Mar 1, 2011)

My 2500lb warn has never gave me any problem.And ive used to winch myself up walls.You might wanna contact warn and see what they can do for you.Maybe they can replace yours for free.They have great customer serivce.If not i guess get a viper iv heard good things about them.Or if you want cheaper get a come along and some winch rope.Good luck


----------



## drtj (May 3, 2009)

dont get a Warn. I bought one brand new & 15 months later it quit working. Called Warn & all they said was sorry:angryfire:


----------



## Rack High (Feb 23, 2010)

Moto Alliance (Viper) are some great people to work with. Their customer service is second to none and they really stand behind their products. Some of the best pricing on the market for what you get.


----------



## Coolwizard (Feb 28, 2009)

I've got a viper max 4000lb with steel cable. Got it from Motoalliance (site sponsor). It was sitting on my door step in 2 days. I think I only paid $209? It included the mounting plate. I used it to winch some good size fallen trees out of my road this winter, so far it has been excellent. I need to purchase another for my other Brute soon.


----------



## Timmi (Dec 8, 2010)

*I have had three Warn winches*

Never had a problem with them. a 2500 and a snatch block will serve you well.



depthfinder said:


> My 2500lb warn has never gave me any problem.And ive used to winch myself up walls.You might wanna contact warn and see what they can do for you.Maybe they can replace yours for free.They have great customer serivce.If not i guess get a viper iv heard good things about them.Or if you want cheaper get a come along and some winch rope.Good luck


----------



## brutemike (Mar 23, 2010)

I had warn2.5ci and they are junk had to take it apart atleast 1 or 2 a year to clean it and fix the junk inside it. GET A VIPER


----------



## Derag2 (Feb 27, 2011)

I have a warn 3.0ce and have had no problems what so ever with it.......


----------



## Timmi (Dec 8, 2010)

I have been told the only difference between the 2500 and the 3000 is the cables, 6g to 4g. Is that true? I have seen atv's with 4000 lb winches on them. I have been able to pull rzrs uphill with my Warn 2500, and with pulleys, even more pulling power is applied. I am guessing some of the other brands do not have the power of the Warn. How does your 3000 compare to a 2500?
Thanks, Tim


Derag2 said:


> I have a warn 3.0ce and have had no problems what so ever with it.......


----------



## Rack High (Feb 23, 2010)

Timmi said:


> I have been told the only difference between the 2500 and the 3000 is the cables, 6g to 4g. Is that true? I have seen atv's with 4000 lb winches on them. I have been able to pull rzrs uphill with my Warn 2500, and with pulleys, even more pulling power is applied. I am guessing some of the other brands do not have the power of the Warn. How does your 3000 compare to a 2500?
> Thanks, Tim


Timmi, we that bought 4000# winches did so because you can never have enough pulling power when you really stick a big bike with big tires. It isn't that the Warn's have more power, the Viper I bought was a very good buy at the time. I would have even gone to the 5000# unit had it been on sale when I was ready to buy. Using a snatch block will double your pulling power and I've seen some stuck quads that stopped 2500# winches dead in their tracks.


----------



## Coolwizard (Feb 28, 2009)

Whatever brand you go with, get more winch than you think you will need. Think of it as extra security.


----------



## Timmi (Dec 8, 2010)

Hey, thanks for the reply! Yea, I have seen bikes stuck so badly, not even 4000 or 5000 lb winches could pull them out.That's when we double up. I was just curious about the trend for more power and how much drain that was on a battery. My winch was on the bike when I bought it, so I haven't gotten another since it's working well.


Rack High said:


> Timmi, we that bought 4000# winches did so because you can never have enough pulling power when you really stick a big bike with big tires. It isn't that the Warn's have more power, the Viper I bought was a very good buy at the time. I would have even gone to the 5000# unit had it been on sale when I was ready to buy. Using a snatch block will double your pulling power and I've seen some stuck quads that stopped 2500# winches dead in their tracks.


----------



## speedman (Nov 3, 2010)

true how much strain is on the battery when pulling yourself or someone else out? of course the bvike is on


----------



## Rack High (Feb 23, 2010)

Speedman...think of a winch as any other DC motor unit. I never commence a pull for more than 15-20 seconds (as long as the item I'm trying to extract is moving). I then check the motor by feel to see how hot it's getting. If cool to the touch, I'll step her up to 30 seconds, stop for 20 or 30 seconds then repeat the process. Most winches shouldn't be energized for more than 30-45 seconds at a time without a cool down (the beginning of the extraction is the hardest time on the winch). If whatever you're trying to extract doesn't move at all when the slack disappears, turn the winch off or you'll probably burn it up. 




speedman said:


> true how much strain is on the battery when pulling yourself or someone else out? of course the bvike is on


----------



## hp488 (Sep 23, 2009)

I have had my warn for almost 3 years on my brute with no problems at all. I think it is what you like and have had good experience with that will point you in the right direction.


----------



## Waddaman (Oct 3, 2010)

My dad has ran Warn's all his life, Mostly because there are no other brands up here. There was a warn on my bike when I bought it. I bought my brute last September and fixed it that month. I used it once in the winter, and it hasn't been underwater since it was completely cleaned and regreased. I try'd it this weekend because the season has started again, and it worked for about a second and it died again. Need a whole need set of brushes because they literally are disintegrated. Safe to say I will never buy another. (That was just my experience, my dad's had PLENTY)


----------



## skid (Jun 18, 2009)

Hey Waddaman, check out the canadian winch called a runva. Myself and a couple friends have one, IMO there top notch.


----------



## Bootlegger (Dec 18, 2008)

Xtreme or Venom 2500lbs. Best ones I have ever owned.

http://xtremewinch.com/


----------



## All i ride is Kawi (Dec 12, 2010)

Are they better than warn I got a promark 3000 lb xtr series I used it for plowing then I got stuck in some thick black mud winched out pretty easy then maybe a month I went to use it again and it didn't work like you hear the winch spin a bit for a quick second then stop and then you will hear the contractor whine so im not sure what's wrong with it


----------



## Roboquad (Sep 8, 2009)

I have a warn 2500 sits in the tool box with rusted out magnet connectors. the parts are $100 to fix. I have a viper now and works great. I think warn never intended for their winch to run under water, that's whey they have holes drilled in the side. Oh and as far as upgrading from a 2500 to a 3000 if you go up on your wire size it does change call warn they will also tell you this. But only for the 2500 winch.


----------



## BigBruteSteve (Sep 19, 2010)

hey bootlegger how good is that winch??? can u recommend it for the mud/water??? im ready to buy one right now...just wanna make sure im making a good buy


----------



## BigBruteSteve (Sep 19, 2010)

well i bought it...it better be good..for 189..cant beat the price...it better be good


----------

