You’ve got the ATV, the trailer and the accessories, but you forgot all about an ATV winch. Why do you want to put a winch on your quad? Consider this. ATVing can be loads of fun, especially if you are fortunate enough to find lots of mud or loose sand to play in. But what do you do if you or someone gets stuck? How are you going to get out when pushing, pulling and cursing at your ATV doesn’t do the trick?
That’s where an ATV winch comes in handy and is an accessory that you won’t want to do without. Having an ATV winch attached to the rear end of your machine will come in handy some day, you can guarantee it. Can a winch pull you out of a quagmire? You bet! A winch can pull up to three thousand pounds, which is more than you can say for two or three guys huffing and puffing knee deep in mud trying to do the same thing.
How does an ATV winch work? It pulls power off your quad battery, which provides electricity to turn the drum your cable is wrapped around. Pretty simple, really, but a powerful tool when it comes to insuring safety and loads of fun on your ATVing excursions.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to attach an ATV winch to the back of your machine, but can carry it in a compartment on your quad for easy storage, Just remember that if you get stuck, you will have to anchor your winch to an object sturdy enough to resist the pull while trying to extricate another quad out of the mud, sand or water you find yourself stuck in. If your anchor doesn’t hold, you won’t be going anywhere.
Once you have your ATV winch attached to something solid, disengage the clutch and begin pulling your cable from the drum. This is also called spooling, and is much like pulling fishing wire out of the reel on your favorite fishing rod.
Never wrap your winch cable around something and then attach the cable hook to that because the cable may be damaged. Once you’ve attached the hook to the stuck quad, engage the clutch on the winch and then stand back, as a snapped cable can cause severe injuries.
Restart the ATV, make sure your brakes are locked, wheels are blocked and then slowly allow the cable to pull out the stranded machine. Keep your engine revved at about medium speed, as using an ATV winch pulls a lot of juice from the battery and you don’t want to stall. A way to avoid this danger is to install a more powerful battery than comes from the manufacturer.
An ATV winch is a powerful and necessary accessory to your ATVing equipment, but many people don’t bother with purchasing one, which makes for many ruined trips, especially in wintertime. Do yourself, and your friends, a favor and make sure that a winch is on the top of necessary items to carry on or in your quad.
