well im buying a VIPER MAX winch with synthetic rope, but which one? i live in Colorado and my stucks are 95% in snow, with occasional mud, so which size? 4500 lb, 4000lb, or 3500 lb, i would like to save as much as possible since i have a ton of other stuff to buy !

With a snatch block and some extra line you can double the pull. The 3500 is easier on the battery.

I bought a 3500 lbs Gorilla Winch, I was a little apprehensive but it was half the price of a Warn so I figured I’d give it a try. It’s been six months and I’ve been real pleases with it so far. Lot of mud here in New England and it gets the job done.

If you order from the company directly they'll include a rescue kit and a lifetime warranty.


Gorilla Winch - Warn Winches 3500lb - 4000lb ATV UTV winch with all the components!

I have the 3500 viper max. It works great. First trip out to the sand dunes, and my friend buried my rzr. We used another guys grizzly as an anchor and the which had no problems pulling the rzr out (it did bend the front bumper on the grizzly a bit). If you order one, call Moto Alliance direct. They are really easy to deal with and quite helpful on the phone. 866-527-7637

Jason

Always buy more winch than you think you need. I just installed a ViperMax 4500 on my new RZR, didn't want to wait maybe four months till the elite series ones came out. MotoAlliance had it to me here in CO in two days.

Where are you at in CO? I could possibly give you some lessons learned on the install.

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Roger Petrella
Franktown, CO

im in Arvada, im pretty crafty at working on this stuff, but any tips would be GREAT ! how is your RZR holding up here in CO?

We've only had it two weeks. We've only ridden it around ours & the neighbor's property a few times, but everyone that's ridden in it loved it. The wife and I are going to do a couple of the trails off Tiger Run Road near Breckenridge tomorrow.

If you are ordering from Moto Alliance, tell them you are a member of the PRC Forum which they are one of the sponsors. They will give you a 5% discount. I got the 4500 with the red rope and the wireless remote. There is no difference in the ropes other than the color. I got red as it would be more visible when winching and it matches the color of our RZR (the faster red one). I found a way to wire the contactor for the wireless unit that allows you to use the wireless remote, the wired remote plug-in, and the mountable rocker switch. When you do this, you end up with an extra wired remote and a spare contactor.

There are some real issues in getting the mounting brackets installed. You definitely need two people as one has to reach in from each side. If I were to do another, I'd get rid of the lock washers and nuts they supply and buy nylok locking nuts. It would make things much easier in the tight space you have to work in.

The wiring is also not as shown in the instructions and also doesn't match the color codes on the motor and contactor box. I had lots of sparks trying to connect the battery cables until I figured this out. The winch also ran backwards from the switch position.

Let me know when you get yours and I'll give you a hand with the installation if you want. It may be a bit of a drive for you, but I have an open garage with all the tools and equipment to modify the contactor and do the installation.

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Roger Petrella
Franktown, CO

ahh, Tiger Run, i know that area very well ! i bet there is still quite a bit of snow up there too to try your winch out. i did a epic loop there about two years ago on my atvs, we did red cone, over to radical hill, back over to tiger run, back up to the divide and back down webster pass, that was a very long day and we were on fumes when we got back to the trailers near 285 !
i really appreciate the offer to help with the install but i will probably pass since you are pretty far away and if im going that far from my house ill probably go riding in the mountains first !

im still waiting for my RZR too, it should be in any day hopefully !

ill have to hook up with you guys sometime and ride with ya !

I want to get a winch and from what I've read people are happy with the Viper units.

Roger....any install pics? I have no clue how the wiring is hooked up on this stuff.

How hard is it to install?

I have the ViperMax 3500 with a normal cable. I would recommend getting a synthetic rope. Mine has been tangled once from not winding it back in with enough pressure on it and now has a kink in it. If it happens again I am getting the synthetic. Hopefully it doesn't happen when I need it most like it did last time!

Other than that it has plenty of power and I know I have got my monies worth out of it so far. I want to get a bigger battery now though. You have to keep the revs up or else the battery warning starts to flash. Does this happen to anyone else?

As for the install. 1 1/2 hours or so. I put the electric box under the front hood.

Good luck!

It has been a while since I have been shopping for a winch, but I do have this warning for everyone. I once bought a Venom winch. It was less than half of the price of a Warn. I cannot complain about the company or the winch. The company was very easy to deal with. But, the block that powers the winch from the battery is not a very quality piece of material. It burned out on me after 2 uses. I never needed it so I left it alone. A friend bought my rhino a few months ago and talked to the company and they sent him another block. He has already burnt that block up. A crafty person could probably build a better block with a fuse type system built into it. But, what the factory is sending out the block is the fuse. I have learned this lesson the hard way several times over in my short life, you get what you pay for.

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Hmmm. Never seen that break before?

I've had several wire rope winches. Loved them....right up until the day I used my first synthetic rope! WOW! I will never own another kink-gettin', splinter-havin', corrosion-gettin', cable winch again. THe rope is strong as sheeeite! Get the winch kit and a snatch block with the 3500# unit. It will lift the rzr off the ground and hang it by a tree.

Nick

Nick..thats the exact setup I am going to get.

Need to hook up and ride next time I'm down your way. We go to Brian head to mnt bike a few times a year.

Later!

Sounds good!