# Just finished installing my new viper max 4000



## JHR (Jan 29, 2010)

I ordered it from Xtreme in West Monroe and got a great deal on it. It came with everything i needed including a snatch block and a winch cover. I installed it last night and am very happy with it so far. It wasnt hard at all to install as long as u follow the directions. I forgot to run my battery wires through the little tunnels in the frame under the seat 3but thats all i messed up on. I cant wait to see it in action. It comes with a 1 year internal warranty. Im sure ill get to try it out an Mud Nats tomorrow. My cousin has a viper max 3000 on his 9" lifted can-am maxx and has no problem pulling it out. So i would say to anyone interested in getting a new winch...."Buy a Viper".


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## Polaris425 (Dec 16, 2004)

They seem to be really good products.


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## No Plugs (Mar 1, 2010)

I know my riding buddy swears by his Viper 3000 on his lifted 700 grizz with 29.5" laws. He says it doesnt even feel like its straining when he is stuck.


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## walker (Apr 5, 2009)

when the ol warn pukes i will be getting me a viper winch


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## JHR (Jan 29, 2010)




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## Metal Man (Dec 17, 2008)

I put a Viper on my buddies brute for him. I was surprised at the quality of the winch for the price he paid. So far its been a good one but i will say the solenoid they sent with it was a total piece of crap!! It filled up with water and quit working in no time. I had to take it apart and total clean and redo the inside of it. Siliconed it up and it works fine now. I'm not sure if they have a better solenoid for it now or not but if its the same old cheap one you will need to water proof it or get a better one.

The winch its self has been a good one.


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## phreebsd (Dec 16, 2004)

If u are talking about the contactor, they now have oil filled units. That solves the problem where water makes it inside and a little rust begins to seize up the moving parts inside.


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## Metal Man (Dec 17, 2008)

Good deal. The one 2shoes had ,had more then a little water in it. It was a total piece of ****!!!

Looks like they have adressed the problem.:bigok:


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## rripper21 (Sep 15, 2009)

i recently took my brute swimming with my viper max...brute kept running and was floating...but my viper winch let me down. i have the "new" contactor but apparently it too is not waterproof. moto-alliance is sending me a new contactor...i'm going to try silicon'-ing it up...and perhaps try to mount it somewhere other than under the seat just behind the battery as their instructions suggested. let me know if ya'll have any good ideas on mounting locations for an 05 brute 650. thanks. PS: i had to pull it out by hand since the winch let me know down!


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## drtj (May 3, 2009)

does it have the same mount pattern as a warn or wam i gonna need a new mounting bracket also?


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## hondarecoveryman (Feb 28, 2009)

Should be the same , 3'' front-to-rear ,X 5'' side-to-side


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## badazzbrute (Apr 11, 2010)

I bought a venom winch, from what I understand it is the same thing as a viper. I took a good look at the contactor and it is completely sealed. I have had it completely under water, with no prob what so ever. The one I bought was a 4500 lb model and a couple weekends ago, I had to dead man to a rzr and use it with my buddies 3k viper to pull a stuck Z71 out of a hole. Met this guy and immediately picked on him for being rescued by a couple brutes.....:rockn:


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## rripper21 (Sep 15, 2009)

i have had two different vipers max 3000's over the past year...had major problems after first summer of mudding...then going in a MN winter...the winch would freeze up since there was some water in it. 

my advice: the viper winch does not come sealed and greased well enough from the factory. when i got my new one from moto-a, i took the whole gear spool off and took it apart. i added extra greese to all the parts and seals. when i had the gear box back together, before i put the end cap back ,i poured a couple ounces of gear oil in-amongst the gears and grease while winch standing on end. it has worked great this year so far.

as for the contactor, do not mount on brute force where moto-a's directions say (on horiz frame rail behind battery). if you mount it there, it will take all the mud and water you pound through. not to mention it was too close to the exhaust and was partially melted. i have since mounted the new contactor under the front hood where it gets much less water, and almost zero mud. has worked great since. 

with a little preventative maintenance, i believe discount winches like viper can stand up to both Minnesota mud and sub-zero temps. good luck.


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## Rack High (Feb 23, 2010)

I have a Viper Max 4000 on the way...I'll be sealing the solenoid and motor housing with silicone and using marine grease on all the gears and rotor shaft before it ever gets to the mounting plate. I'll try and make it last as long as possible.


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## phreebsd (Dec 16, 2004)

rack high - i sealed my contactor with silicone. if you want it to be right forever do this..

use plasti-dip. once you hook everything up on the contactor, dip the whole thing. it'll last you forever and will never be a problem. you can DIP or spray on. You can also do whatever colors as they have a make yer own color line as well. (if u wanted a stylish contactor... haha)




















you'll also find those winches are now packed with the proper amount of the proper grease (and now in the proper areas.. like now the little star piece in the freespool is lubricated proper. the seals between the pulley and the housing are top notch. they are also greased.)and are sealed a whole lot better than before. 
There's some paper seals between 2 of 3 of the segments.


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## Rack High (Feb 23, 2010)

phreebsd said:


> rack high - i sealed my contactor with silicone. if you want it to be right forever do this..
> 
> use plasti-dip. once you hook everything up on the contactor, dip the whole thing. it'll last you forever and will never be a problem. you can DIP or spray on. You can also do whatever colors as they have a make yer own color line as well. (if u wanted a stylish contactor... haha)
> 
> ...


Awsome advice Phree...I'm new at the ATV winch game and trying to do all the preventive maintenance possible. Thank you much and I'll be using Plasti Dip!!:rockn:


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## phreebsd (Dec 16, 2004)

if you seal it all the way you'll never need another contactor 
them things are kinda costly now. $35+


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## capt duck (Jan 6, 2010)

phreebsd said:


> rack high - i sealed my contactor with silicone. if you want it to be right forever do this..
> 
> use plasti-dip. once you hook everything up on the contactor, dip the whole thing. it'll last you forever and will never be a problem. you can DIP or spray on. You can also do whatever colors as they have a make yer own color line as well. (if u wanted a stylish contactor... haha)
> 
> ...


 
This os god stuff. I used it on my 12 volt compressor that i have mounted in my engine bay on my jeep. Had it for over a year and no problems. Turns on everytime i need it...


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## cheapthrills (Apr 7, 2009)

I have to bang my viper solenoid on a regular basis to get it to kick in , I should have waterproofed it.


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## Rack High (Feb 23, 2010)

cheapthrills said:


> I have to bang my viper solenoid on a regular basis to get it to kick in , I should have waterproofed it.


 
That's irritating as all get out Cheap! I'm sure sealing a new one will make it at least waterproof. These solenoids take very high ampacities and I'm sure that's a failing point with them. If you can eliminate water infiltration, that's half the battle.


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## racinjason (Dec 15, 2009)

how much was the 4k if you dont mind me asking.


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## phreebsd (Dec 16, 2004)

Rack High said:


> That's irritating as all get out Cheap! I'm sure sealing a new one will make it at least waterproof. These solenoids take very high ampacities and I'm sure that's a failing point with them. If you can eliminate water infiltration, that's half the battle.


motoalliance contactors are now filled with mineral oil to keep water out. 



racinjason said:


> how much was the 4k if you dont mind me asking.


$229.99 complete kit. plate included.


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## Rack High (Feb 23, 2010)

phreebsd said:


> motoalliance contactors are now filled with mineral oil to keep water out.
> 
> 
> 
> $229.99 complete kit. plate included.


 
Actually $209.99 complete kit (mounting plate included) this past Monday.


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## phreebsd (Dec 16, 2004)

that's a good deal. im really wanting to pickup a 5000 and be done with it.


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## Rack High (Feb 23, 2010)

phreebsd said:


> that's a good deal. im really wanting to pickup a 5000 and be done with it.


Never having a winch mounted up before, I'm a little worried about going too big and the added weight. I do some deep water riding often so I guess I'll have to modify my technique to keep the front end up. Maybe lower the rear tire pressures to offset the added weight up front. Seems like every mod you do creates a whole new set of "rules".


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## phreebsd (Dec 16, 2004)

that brute aint gonna notice a thing on there front. especally in the water!

these brutes water wheelie naturally


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## xtreme02gt (Dec 14, 2010)

Rack High said:


> Actually $209.99 complete kit (mounting plate included) this past Monday.


 
From where?

Also, what is better? Steel cable or Synthetic Line?


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## camobruteforce (Jul 17, 2010)

got my viper max 5000 for 224 shipped with mounting kit


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## WoodDuck (Jul 18, 2010)

xtreme02gt said:


> From where?
> 
> Also, what is better? Steel cable or Synthetic Line?


I wish I had gotten the synthetic line with my Viper! The steel twists, kinks, rusts, is hard on the hands, and is difficult to get wound back onto the spool evenly. I didn't have any experience with atv winches when I bought mine, now I can SPEAK from experience- I would get the synthetic! I am ordering a synthetic to replace my steel one, but would have been money ahead to just buy the winch with the synthetic already installed.......


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## Rack High (Feb 23, 2010)

xtreme02gt said:


> From where?
> 
> Also, what is better? Steel cable or Synthetic Line?


 
Xtreme, go to EBAY under winches and you'll find Motoalliance's online deals. That's how I got mine. The unit still ships from Motoalliance.


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## phreebsd (Dec 16, 2004)

camobruteforce said:


> got my viper max 5000 for 224 shipped with mounting kit


now that's what im talkin about.


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## brutematt750 (Aug 24, 2010)

Synthetic line ftw. I've got it on mine and the ol lady's has wire, drives me nuts after using mine I won't even use her winch unless I absolutely have to. Synthetic line worth even dollar


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## camobruteforce (Jul 17, 2010)

ill stick to my cable man. NEver had a problem with cable as long as you take care of it. Main thing is carry a strap or small piece of chain if you dont have another bike to hook to. If you wrap a cable around say a tree and hook the hook back to the cable, then you will have nasty burs!!! Just take care of it and you will be fine and keep a pair of gloves in your ammo box for handling!!!!!!


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## bruterider27 (Apr 29, 2010)

But what happens if one does go out sealed like that


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## 2010Bruterider (Jun 20, 2010)

Then it's time to take out the old razor knife and start trimming it off. It should just peel off.


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## 2010 blue brute (Oct 28, 2010)

Has anyone tried water wheeling with a Max 4000? I just got mine in and the shipping weight was 40lbs but that was with mounting bracket and everything. The warn says it weighs 14 lbs and I know the viper max is easy over that.


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