Winch Reviews

In a markeplace crowded with a host of winch manufacturers, what does the Champion Power Equipment Company add to the field? After all, they’re best known for their spark plugs, generators, and pressure washers, but winches? The answer is simply, price point.

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For ATVs they offer winch kits complete with mounting brackets and other accessories as well as winches alone. They have models rated for 2,000, 2,500, and 3,000 pounds of line pull. They are bigger and bulkier than their more expensive cousins. For Truck winches they have models rated for 5,000, 7,500, 8,000, 9,500, and 10,000 pounds of line pull. Again they offer winches only or winch kits with everything you need to get up and running. And as is the case with their ATV offerings, these winches are big and heavy. So where’s the downside?

One area that frequently differentiates cheaper products from their more expensive counterparts is warranty. All Champions winch models come with a limited 1 year warranty. In the Warn line, only their bottom end Value Series features a 1 year limited warranty. All other Warn models come with a limited lifetime warranty — a big difference. But a warranty is only as good as the company backing it up so check the off road forums to see if anybody out there has been burned by Champion’s not living up to their warranty.

One area where “you get what you pay for” holds true with Champion Power Equipment Winches is the type of motor they use — a permanent magnet motor. The advantage of this type of motor is that they don’t drain your battery as much or as quickly as the other type of motor used in winches — the series wound motor. Permanent Magnet Motors are also signicantly cheaper to produce, lowering the price of a Champion Winch. All Warn winches — even the Value Series — use the more expensive series wound motors. Why? Permanent Magnet Motors can overheat, and overheat quickly in heavy pull situations. They are subject to burnout when used by owners who are unaware of this disadvantage and fail to let the winch “take a break” during a long and heavy pull. In addition, Permanent Magnet Motors can weaken over time as the magnetic field loses its strength. Because of this, most experts agree that winches with Permanent Magnet Motors should only be used for lighter and less frequent applications.

In 2003 a bunch of off road enthusiasts got together and decided to get into the winch business. They came up with one of the great advertising tag lines of all time: YOU WANT IN. WE’LL GET YOU OUT. And so Gorilla Winch was born and they have become an industry leader due in large part to their stated mission of creating high quality products at the lowest prices on the Internet.

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But according to founder and president George Lee, along the way Gorilla’s customers began to ask for more. Impressed with the quality of the winches, they asked about other ATV accessories. And so the company has responded and is changing its name to Promark Offroad. Beginning in the fall of 2009, Promark will continue its full line of ATV, UTV, Truck, Jeep, and Boat Trailer winches as well as a full line of accessories like winch tools and covers, ATV/UTV snow plow attachments and tire chains, and bumpers and brush guards.

“Gorilla” winch evokes a magnificent image of an 800 pound Silverback hauling your ATV out of the mud. Truly a fitting name. Nevertheless, Company spokesperson John Ostman states “Our new name will more accurately describe who we are and what we do. We manufacture and supply professional quality offroad equipment to ATV, Truck, Jeep, and 4 x 4 enthusiasts worldwide.”

Gorilla Winches for ATVs and UTVs
In a rather interesting and unique marketing strategy, Gorilla (Promark) actually sells Warn Winches on its own website. Intended or not, when you see a Gorilla 1500lb XT Series ATV Winch for about $110 side by side with a Warn RT ATV Winch for $240, you are struck by the dramatic difference in price. Gorilla has three series of ATV/UTV Winches — the new XTR series featuring synthetic rope, the Trail Series, the XT Series, and the Outback Series. You’re sure to find an appropriately rated model among their 12 different offerings ranging from the 1,500lb line pull capacity XT all the way to the Outback Series 4500lb UTV Side by Side winch. All Gorilla ATV and UTV winches offer waterproof motors.

Gorilla Winches for Trucks and Jeeps
For self recovery applications Gorilla offers the Silverback Series and the Midnight Series in pulling capacities from 8,000lbs to 12,000lbs. They also offer a 15,000lb pull rating model. The Silverback Series and the Midnight Series are identical except for the color and the remote. The Midnight Series comes in black and includes a 12′ corded remote while the Silverback comes in — what else — silver but includes a wireless remote as well as the corded offering. The wireless remote and the nice color will cost you about $50 extra per model.

Gorilla Winches for Boat Trailers
Finally, Gorilla makes two different models of electric boat trailer winches, a 10,500lb model and a 15,000lb model. Both come with 40 feet of steel cable and feature 10 foot remote controls as well as backup hand cranks. Whether you’re new to the winch world or an old hand, bid a fond farewell to Gorilla and a warm welcome to Promark Offroad.

KFI Winches
Kappers Fabricating Inc. is a family owned business that started out making custom designed metal parts for industrial use. Metals employed included carbon steel, aluminum, Stainless Steel, and extruded metal. In 2002 they used their expertise in metal fabrication to produce an ATV Winch mount under the brand name “KFI.” Since then they have expanded their products to include ATV and UTV Winches as well as additional ATV accessories. While you can buy KFI winch mounts at Amazon and Ebay, their ATV winches are only available on their website. Generally, limiting a distribution system helps a manufacturer keep costs down and this certainly holds true for KFI. Their winches are very attractively priced and offer a low cost alternative to the much higher priced offerings from industry leaders like Warn and Ramsey.

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KFI ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) Winches
While KFI currently offers only 3 models of ATV Winches, reviews and off road forum posts would seem to indicate they are being well received. Their Model S2000 kit lists for only $149.00 on the KFI Website and comes with everything you need to get up and running, although if your ATV does not have a flat surface above the front bumper you might need a special mounting plate designed exclusively for your make and model of ATV. The S2000 comes with a fourteen foot corded remote for distance operation as well as a mini-rocker switch that can be mounted directly to your ATV’s handle bars to allow one finger operation.

The A2500 model and the A3000 model are identical to the S200 with the exception of the increased line pull capacity and, of course, the price. All three come with a 1 year limited warranty. Steel cable is standard with these models but KFI does offer synthetic rope as an accessory option.

KFI UTV (Utility Terrain Vehicle) Winches
KFI offers only one basic UTV Winch but there are two different model numbers based on the size of the mounting plate. The Model U4000 features a standard size plate while the Model U4000w comes with a wider plate.

KFI offers a full line of ATV accessories from wireless remotes, to Amsteel synthetic cable to snatch blocks, to tree saver straps. KFI uses high quality parts in much of their manufacturing. Many other low cost winch units use plastic clutch knobs while KFI’s unit is made of cast aluminum. No plastic switchgear in a KFI Winch — they use metal. KFI appears to be one of the best low cost alternative winches out there today.

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Many who consider adding a winch to their off road vehicles question whether they will use it enough to justify paying top dollar for a top of the line winch. Superwinch is one of many manufacturers who address this need by offering more price friendly offerings than those of industry leaders like Warn. As an example, you would pay about one hundred dollars more for a Warn 3000lb ATV winch than for a comparable Superwinch. Should you take the plunge and go for the best winch money can buy or will a lower quality offering meet your needs? To address that question, let’s look at one of the primary differences that influence the price of a winch: the motor itself.

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Top of the line winches like Warn use series wound motors while less costly offerings from companies like Superwinch use permanent magnet motors. What’s the difference and why should you care? Without getting into too many technical details of electric motor technology, what you need to know is that permanent magnet motors can overheat in heavy pull and long duration applications. If you’ve checked the Off Road forums you’ve probably found consumers complaining about motor burnout. Both types of motors will start with the same pulling capacity but the permanent magnet motor’s power will diminish as it heats up. Some off roaders are unaware of this disadvantage and fail to give the motor a rest during long and heavy pulls. If you are the impatient sort, a cheaper winch is probably not for you. However, if you are aware of the capabilities of winches like those offered by Superwinch and are willing to take the time to use them properly, they provide a cost effective alter
native.

Superwinch: Warranties

Another variable that differentiates winch models is warranty service. Most Superwinch models offer a Limited Lifetime Warranty on mechanical parts and a 0ne Year Warranty on electrical components. That’s better than a lot of the less expensive manufacturers but note the word “Limited” in the warranty description. Some Warn models offer a Lifetime Mechanical Warranty — no limitations.

Superwinch: Product Lines

Superwinch offers one of the most complete product lines of any mid-price manufacturer on the market. They offer heavy duty Hydraulic Winches and AC Winches for industrial use. For the off roader they have every kind of winch you can think of — 4 x 4, ATV, UTV, and Trailer. They also have a full line of accessories ranging from wireless and wired remotes, to pulley blocks, to synthetic rope, to portable winch mounts.

Their most innovative offering is the LT2000 “Winch In A Bag.” It’s hard to believe but yes, everything you need for light duty winching applications is right there in a canvas carrying case. If you think of it as an electric powered heavy duty “come along” you’ll get the idea. It comes with 50 feet of wire rope and an 8 foot remote control so you can operate the winch from a safe distance. If you are a multi-vehicle ATV family, it can be a great alternative to permanently mounted winches.

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If you’ve been looking around for a reasonably priced winch for the ATV you just bought you’ve surely come across the Viper Winch. Manufactured by MotoAlliance in Minnesota they have been around for about five years now and they appear to be growing in popularity. MotoAlliance limits its distribution network to keep costs down and passes the savings along to you. You can buy Viper Winches direct from the MotoAlliance Website or through Amazon or Ebay. If you search the Internet forums you’ll find a lot of praise for these lower cost alternatives to Warn and Ramsey Winches. But let the buyer beware here because Vipers, like almost all lower priced winches, use permanent magnet motors as opposed to the series wound motors found in Winches from Warn and most Ramsey models. While it is true that permanent magnet motors draw less amps at startup they also are prone to overheating with prolonged use and heavy pulls. Dig deep into those forum threads and you are sure to find users of winches with permanent magnet motors who have experienced burned out motors. If you need a winch for everyday use, not just the occasional “stuck in the mud” scenario, a winch with a series wound motor might be a better option. At the very least, be aware that most low and mid priced winches will need to be given a rest during long pulls.

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Viper Winches: The Classic Series
Viper Winches come in three different Series: The Classic, The Max, and The Elite. The low end Classic Series offers three models — the VX 2500, the VX 3000, and the VX4000. These come with basic mounts and all hardward needed to install them. To fit your vehicle you may need to add a special mounting kit. While the Classics come with 50 feet of steel cable you can upgrade to Viper’s Amsteel-Blue synthetic rope. The Elite Series includes Amsteel-Blue which is the only synthetic rope on the market today with its own warranty. The Classics are a little light on their warranty — 6 months for internal parts — and they do not include some nice “bells and whistles” like snatch blocks, winch covers, and rubber line stoppers that are standard in the Max and Elite Series, but they are very attractively priced. The VX2500 will set you back a measly 85 bucks!

Viper Winches: The Max Series
The Max Series offers a few more options in line pull capacity — adding a 3500lb, a 4500lb, and a 5000lb model. Cabled remotes, winch covers, snatch blocks, and rubber line stoppers and terminal boots are all included and the warranty is a bit more substantial at 1 year. As is the case with the Classic Series, the included mounts only work on flat surfaces so you may need to add a custom mount to fit your ATV.

Viper Winches: The Elite Series
One of the big advantages in this Series is the included Amsteel-Blue synthetic rope, available in your choice of colors: red, blue, or green. They come with wireless remotes and a healthier 2 year warranty. MotoAlliance has added what they call a “Whisper” greasing system to this Series that makes Elites extremely quiet. They have six different models here with two offering a special wide spool feature. If you’re in the market for a low priced winch, Vipers are definitely worth a look!

ATV winches and Side by Sides get you places no SUV can go and there’s always stuff there that needs pulling. Dead trees and dead deer, to name a few. Warn Winch offers a series of winches for both Extreme Terrain (ET) and Rugged Train (RT) with four models to choose from within each series. They also have a nifty SnoWinch for snowmobilers.

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