Best ATV Winch (Synthetic Rope, Remote Control, and Heavy Duty)
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Contents
Installing an ATV winch on your four-wheeler is one of the best upgrades can make. In fact, having a winch for ATV owners has become so popular and in such high demand that quite a few quads now come pre-wired for installation.
Not only are winches good for getting you unstuck, but they’re also a great tool for many different jobs.
Whether you’re pulling firewood out of a bad spot, or you need to plow snow, using one of the best ATV winches instead of a cheap one can really make a difference.
Best ATV Winch (Top Quality)
Axon Warn Winch
The Warn brand is basically synonymous with winches. They are known for making some of the best winches for ATV, UTV, and other off-road vehicles.
The Warn Axon winch is quite literally the very best ATV winch on the market.. for some people. Why not all? The only reason it wouldn’t be the best pick for all is because it may be overkill. Other than that, yeah, it’s a very good winch for quads.
These are state-of-the-art, heavy-duty winches for ATVs for those who demand top performance, and they’re built for the elements. Warn puts a finishing powder coat on these to prevent corrosion and to provide a level of waterproofing.
In addition to the unmatched quality build, the design, and features are also good. This winch comes with a digital control that allows you to see load and temperature information, as well as provide you with improved performance and feedback.
Highlights
- 3,500 lb, 4,500 lb, 5,500 options
- Synthetic rope (with the “medium” option)
- The dash-mounted control switch (handlebar adapter as well)
- Durable, all-metal construction
- Waterproof sealing
- Smooth three-stage planetary gear train
- Load-holding mechanical brake
Specifications
Dimensions: 12.2 x 17.32 x 5.91 inches
Weight: 26.4 pounds
Material: Metal
Finish: Black powder coating
Positive Reviews
When it comes to quality, durability, and function, Warn clearly outshines the competition. That being said, these aren’t perfect… because what is? Here are the main pros (and cons) that I picked out for these winches:
- Easy to mount & setup
- Great for plowing snow
- Strong enough to pull quads out of the mud
- Smooth, quiet, and strong
- Heavy-duty (all-metal)
- Includes zinc-plated hook
- Dash or handlebar-mounted switch
Negative Reviews
- Does not come with a mounting bracket
- Wires may not be long enough (if not, Warn can send you the exact length needed)
- Have to buy the “medium” (5,500lb) winch to get the synthetic rope with it
- Expensive
Click here to view pricing and read reviews on Amazon.
Important: You may need to order a winch mount plate as well. Scroll down to the “winch mount kit” section below.
Best ATV Winch for the Money
VRX Warn Winch
The Warn VRX winches offer solid performance and reliability without being as expensive as the Axon Winches.
These VRX Warn four-wheeler winches are ideal for quads. In addition to their superior design, they offer the option of getting a steel rope or a synthetic rope, and they include a hawse fairlead, a hook, and a handlebar switch.
Highlights
- 2,500 lb, 3,500 lb, 4,500 lb options
- Synthetic rope (option)
- Handlebar rocker switch
- Durable, all-metal construction
- Waterproof sealing
- Smooth three-stage planetary gear train
- Load-holding mechanical brake
Specifications
Dimensions: 12.2 x 17.32 x 5.91 inches
Weight: 24.3 pounds
Material: Metal
Finish: Black powder coating
Positive Reviews
There’s no doubt that if you want the best winch on the market, this is a solid contender. Although I think it’s obvious which one I chose (this one), there are both pros and cons of these four-wheeler winches.
- Easy to mount & set up
- Great for plowing snow
- Strong enough to pull quads out of the mud
- Smooth, quiet, and strong
- Heavy-duty (all-metal)
- Includes zinc-plated hook
- Handlebar Switch
- Pre-wired for a remote control (get this one)
Negative Reviews
- Does not come with a mounting bracket
- Wires may not be long enough (if not, Warn can send you the exact length needed)
- Not the cheapest
Click here to view pricing and read reviews on Amazon.
Important: Same as above: you may need to order a winch mount plate. Scroll down to the “winch mount kit” section below.
Video
Here’s a short video from Warn. However, I must “warn” you, this video is a little hyped up. But that’s understandable considering who it’s from.
It’s still worth watching because it gives you a little more history about their winches and what’s new/improved for the VRX and Axon lineup.
ATV Winch Accessories
As with most products out there, you can find bad, good, and great accessories for ATV winches. Here are some of the best winch accessories you can buy for your quad.
ATV Synthetic Rope for Winch
If you choose from the two options above, you could get a synthetic rope included. However, if you don’t pick one of those options (or you pick the Axon model without a synthetic rope) and you would still like to get a synthetic rope for ATV winch, there are options.
While researching this for hours (literally!) I found that there are some cheap ropes and some expensive ropes. Oftentimes, the price of a product can tell you quickly whether it was well made or not. And while that does hold true here, these ALL-TOP ropes are a great choice AND they are affordable. If anything, it’s not a bad idea to have an extra rope in your quad’s front storage box, just in case you need it.
Specifications
Dimensions: 3/8in x 92ft, 1/2in x 92ft, 9/16in x 76ft
Rope strength: 2,500-3,500lbs
Hook strength: 3,500lbs
Material: Polyethylene, Alloy Steel
Color: Black
Click here to view pricing and read reviews on Amazon.
ATV Winch Mount Kit
Unfortunately, there really isn’t one great “universal” mounting plate or kit for ATVs. So if you think (or know) that you’ll need a plate, I recommend the following steps to figure out exactly which one you need.
- Go to the Warn website and enter your quad year, make, and model.
- Choose from the mounting kit options (probably just one)
- Copy (or just note) the part number
- Head over to Amazon and type “warn mounting kit *part number*” into the search box
- You should be able to purchase it here
Why from amazon.com and not directly from Warn’s website? They’re quite a bit cheaper on Amazon… even when buying from Warn’s Amazon store page. Win-win!
Winch Battery
Would you like the good news or the bad news? Good? Good.
- Finding a suitable ATV winch battery is doable and it’s fairly easy. = Good news.
- But you’re going to have to do a little work. = Bad news.
Luckily, it really is just “a little” work though. All you really need to do is go out and measure how big of a battery you can fit. Once you have that, I recommend going to Battery Stuff and checking out their options. Here’s a link to their (batterystuff.com) website with more info on which battery to get.
Also, you should definitely consider buying an ATV battery tender to keep your battery charged and healthy.
Wireless Winch Remote Control Kit
Are you looking for an ATV winch with remote, but don’t see one you like here? Do you remember that I wrote that basically, no product is perfect? Here’s a great example of how you can take an imperfect product (like one of the Warn quad winches above), and get them a lot closer.
Since most quality winches don’t come with a wireless remote control, here is a full kit on Amazon’s website from Champion. This wireless ATV winch remote control kit works on the Warn Winches, as well as other brands. Also, having a remote like this can make loading onto long ATV ramps much easier and safer.
Heavy Duty Winch Hook
While the two options above include nice hooks, some would like an upgraded hook. ALL-TOP makes some great aftermarket winch hooks that are heavy-duty enough for almost any job.
The ALL-TOP winch hooks come in two sizes, each with different strengths. The first option is 5/16 inches, and the second is 3/8 inches.
The 5/16″ ATV winch hook is ideal for 1,000lbs-5,500lbs winches, and the 3/8″ is more for 5,500lbs-15,000lbs winches.
Click here to view pricing and read reviews on Amazon for both options.
