Best ATV Winch (Review) – Top Picks and Complete Guide

Imagine yourself feeling adventurous and wanting to take out your ATV out for a ride. You get on that ATV and ride away to the hilly side and across the jungles. You feel great as the wind breaks into your face and you almost feel unstoppable at that moment. Almost.

All of a sudden your ATV crashes into the mud and it is stuck.

In situations like these, you need a winch. More specifically you need an ATV winch. A winch is a machine that allows you to hook two objects together and with the help of the winch, you pull the lighter of the two objects.

So in our scenario, if you had a winch on your ATV you could have easily attached it to a nearby tree and pulled your ATV out of the mud.

But finding the proper winch is a difficult task and that’s why we have decided to impart our knowledge and compile a list of the best ATV winch.

Best Rated ATV Winch Choices 2020

There are many different kinds of winches in the market, each with their particular uses. So it is of utmost importance that you find out which one is most suited for ATVs.

Even when you find out the ATV winch, you will have to consider the kind of winch you need for your ATV as that can vary as well.

There are certain things you need to consider when buying ATV winch such as the weight of the winch as it has to be installed on your vehicle. The strength of the wire and the power of the motor are some of the things that need to be checked before making a purchase.

Best Winch for ATV Comparison Chart

Our Top 11 Picks for Best ATV Winches

1. Smittybilt 98412 XRC GEN2 | Cheap ATV Winch

A lot of people are not aware that there is a thing called ATV winch. People like that may have several doubts before purchasing a winch and mount it on to their ATVs until they actually suffer from an accident and are in dire need of one.

For people like that, it is wise to suggest to them a relatively cheaper winch. And that is where the Smittybilt 98412 XRC Gen2 comes in.

Aside from being cheap, this machine is perfect for durability and improved performance so people with doubts can consider it a one-time good investment.

With a motor of 6.6 horsepower, this beast can pull objects around 12000 lbs. It is one of the best off-road winches that you can mount on your ATV and travel the rough terrains.

It has a remote control switch that can operate from a distance of 3.7 m. The cable length is 94’ which is a decent length. The entire machine is waterproof so you don’t have to worry about taking it out during the rainy season.

The product comes with a very high quality hook that you should use when using the winch. Its high quality is quite visible when you are securing the load and see it in use with your own eyes.

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Bottom Line
You will be adding this particular winch on your ATV. This means that the added weight of the winch which is 89 lbs. may affect your overall riding performance. However, having the winch will help you out in many cases so the added weight wouldn’t feel like much of a burden once you get used to it.

2. The Champion Power Equipment 14560 | Best ATV Winch for the Money

For a lot of people, value for money becomes the main concern when they are purchasing anything. They want to think of their purchases as a good investment. To please those people the Champion 14560 is the perfect fit.

Not only is it a good value for money but it is quite a convenient product too. You can operate it from anywhere within a 50-foot radius using the wireless remote and antenna. It is designed in such a manner that the power automatically turns off when not in use for a specified period.

The Champion 14560 has got a motor with 1.6 horsepower and it is capable of pulling objects as heavy as 4500 lbs. The cable can move things at a speed of 4.5 feet per minute which is quite fast.

The dynamic braking system in this product means you can easily stop pulling whenever you want. This gives you full control of the winch.

It is an easy to mount machine that makes your life hassle-free while setting it up to your ATV. It has been designed to be quite durable and can survive the harsh conditions of the wild terrains.

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Bottom Line
While this is a brilliant product, there are issues when pulling from the sides. However, this problem isn’t a big concern especially when mounted on an ATV. Winches are mounted on the front of the ATV so all the pulling will be done from the middle so it will work just fine.

3. DC FLAT | Best ATV Winch For Plowing

There are many different kinds of ATV winches in the market. Each has its use based on pulling capabilities, motor power, and length of wire and so on.

Some people use their ATVs for different reasons as well. Some people use their ATVs for plowing purposes. And for them winches are important and thus DC Flat is here to fulfill their needs.

This particular winch has got an amphibious motor with a 6.6 horsepower, which is quite powerful. The 3 stages planetary gear system is one of the finest out there in the current market.

The DC Flat uses 12 volts to run the wireless remote which can be used to turn the winch on and off from a fairly decent distance. And the entire machine is waterproof so you can drive around your ATV during the wetter days.

The state of the art design of the winch allows it to run on 500 AMP of current. While you wouldn’t need a lot of pulling capability while plowing, the DC Flat can still pull up to an impressive 12000 lbs.

For setting up any winch on ATV you need to get the wiring done perfectly. DC Flat comes with its own wiring kit and instructions. It is heavily advised to use the wiring provided by the manufacturer for better and easier use.

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Bottom Line
Not all ATVs can accommodate this item. It is wise to take your ATV to the store and get a trial fitting before making a purchase. This way you won’t be wasting any money.

4. Super ATV Black Ops| Fast ATV Winch

Imagine you and your buddy take out your ATVs out for a spin. You are riding through rough terrains when all of a sudden your friend falls into a ditch and can’t get out. Right then you bring out the SuperATV Black Ops winch attached to your ATV and help out your friend with ease and get back on the road.

The Super ATV Black Ops can pull 3500 lbs. with no problem. The best feature is that it has a 50’ synthetic rope. Normally all winch has a steel cable which is alright but it can hurt your hands while in use. The synthetic rope is user -friendly, softer but it is just as strong as steel cable.

There is a water-resistant wireless remote and receiver that controls the winch and the brakes as well. This means even if your ATV is stuck in the mud, the machine will work just fine and get you out of trouble.

The motor uses 1.2 horsepowers and the entire set can be mounted on any ATVs quite easily. At only 30.2 pounds, it is one of the lighter winches in the market right now. This means you won’t be carrying additional weight on your ATV.

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Bottom Line
Most winch companies provide at least a set of mounting brackets so that you can almost immediately mount the winch on to your ATV. But despite not having any mounting brackets, it isn’t a big issue. Mounting brackets are cheap and widely available in any hardware store. You can pick them up from the same store you are buying the winch from.

5. Superwinch 1130220| Lightweight ATV Winch

The Superwinch 1130220 is one of the most versatile ATV winches out there. It is perfect for outdoor uses which is why you can easily fit it on an ATV and go out for drives in whatever the condition may be.

The winch is compact, highly durable and quiet as well. You could be using the winch and there won’t be any extra noises coming from the machine.

The machine was designed to utilize low amp. The permanent magnet motor is protected by a circuit breaker and contains a full metal 3-stage planetary gear.

Using a 1.2 horsepower, you can pull objects as heavy as 3000 lbs. It also contains 50 feet of highly durable 3/16’ wire rope to pull objects.

The Superwinch 1130220 is considered an intermediated level machine meaning people who have minimum experience with winches can easily operate it without much fuss.

At only 19.84 pounds, this is probably the lightest of the winches we are going to review in our list. The lighter weight means you can easily carry it around on your ATV.

It has got a line speed of 27 FPM when there is no load which goes to showcase how fast it can unwind. When there is a load of maximum capacity i.e. 3000 lbs. it has a line speed of 4 FPM. That number is also considered quite fast given you are pulling a heavy load.

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Bottom Line
Despite it being graded as an intermediate level machine, the item does not come with sufficient instruction manuals.

This is a problem when installing it on your ATV. However, most winches follow the same installing methods. So a quick YouTube search can help the user understand how to install or mount it on their ATV.

6. The Champion Power Equipment 13004 | Most All Round Winch

What do you call an ATV winch that has got almost everything you want? The Champion Power Equipment 13004!

This particular winch is arguably the most all-rounded in the current market right now. With a 1 horsepower permanent magnet motor, you can pull objects as heavy as 3000 lbs.

The machine contains a 49 feet highly durable and super-duty aircraft cable. It also comes with a latched clevis hook. The whole thing is designed with the efficient planetary gear as well as the dynamic braking system.

This dynamic braking system was designed to give the user full control of the winch. They can determine when to stop the winch and give you the stopping power for each work you do.

Alongside the product, you will be receiving a couple of other things. This includes a roller fairlead, a mounting channel for you to mount the winch on the ATV, a handlebar-mounted remote control to operate the winch.

The mounting channel used by the 13004 is the standard channels. This means people who are new to winch installments won’t have a difficult time installing the winch on their ATVs as long as they have worked with mounting channels before.

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Bottom Line
The only flaw with this great product is that it makes slightly more noise than other winches. This isn’t a big issue considering you will be using the product in the outdoors when the noise will not affect anyone.

Read Also: Best Come Along Winch review

7. WARN Red PullzAll 885000| Best Small ATV Winch

The phrase “looks can be deceiving” was probably made to describe products such as the Warn 885000. You’ll be forgiven for thinking that this particular winch cannot be used to pull anything let alone be mounted to an ATV and drag heavy objects.

This deceptive looking winch is a heavy duty lifting tool that uses 120 volt AC as the power source. It can pull around objects as heavy as 1000 pounds. The item has an electronic load regulator, an LED indicator and a nifty swivel hook for anchoring.

The LED indicator warns you if you are pulling something beyond the weight limit thereby ensuring your safety. It comes out with 15 feet of sturdy wire rope which does all the pulling and a robust, industrial standard front hook.

Standing at a mere 2 pounds, this portable winch can be mounted on your ATVs easily when needed or dismounted when the task is done. It is highly durable and very easy to use. When there is no load it has a line speed of 13.8 fpm.

This particular winch has been favored by the firefighters’ department because of its versatility. This goes to show that it is a trusted and high performing machine.

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Bottom Line
The PullzAll has got a load limitation of just 1000 pounds. Many other winches can pull 3-5 times more than that. However, those winches are quite heavy and cannot be carried around all the time. With the PullzAll you can use it on your ATV but at the same time carry it and use it for home improvement purposes.

8. Moto Alliance Viper Midnight | High Weight Capacity Winch

If you are looking for an ATV winch that has high capacity then look no further than the Moto Alliance Viper Midnight. This beast of a machine is just pure muscle when you consider the pulling capacity.

Using a 1.6 horsepower permanent magnet motor, the Viper Midnight can pull up to 4500 pounds of whatever it is that you put in front of it. This sort of pulling power makes it ideal for the winch to be used for industrial purposes. You can simply mount it on your ATV and let the machine do the heavy lifting.

The greatest part about this item is that it uses a 50 feet long black synthetic rope. Synthetic rope is much more user-friendly compared to the standard steel wire as it does not shred your hands.

The Viper Midnight contains Steel Planetary Gears and the whole thing is made of Stainless Steel Hardware. All these make it a fascinating piece of equipment to work with.

This particular ATV winch comes with a handlebar rocker switch, a clevis hook, and hardware installation instructions.

The entire thing weighs about 11.3 pounds. This is good as it won’t add much weight to your ATV when mounted. It is also highly compatible with a wide range of ATVs from different brands. This is quite helpful as your brand of ATV will not be an issue when installing the winch on to it.

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Bottom Line
Compared to all other ATV winches in the market, it has a plastic gearing. While this isn’t exactly a big issue, people may think it looks like a toy or it isn’t very durable when compared to metal durable. However, as long as the gear box works fine, the outward frame shouldn’t be much of a concern.

9. Bravex Electric Winch | Most Durable ATV Winch

When it comes to highly durable ATV winches then you don’t have to look further than the Bravex Electric. It is one of the best in the market right now when you consider how well it is designed to last high amounts of wear and tear.

Built with all-metal gearing, the machine just screams of durability as well as dependability. It also has a very efficient and reliable three-stage planetary gear train.

Using a 12-volt motor, this beast can pull weights up to 3500 pounds. It is also quite fast when you consider the lighting fast line speeds. But at the same time, the brake design has been made such that you have full control over the winching.

It is easy to install. Easy to use and comes with a waterproof wireless remote control. It also has one wired remote switch. You have to keep in mind that both the remotes won’t work at the same time.

The steel rope provided with this item is of the aviation industry level. This means it is strong, powerful and sturdy. If you are a professional who has a lot of heavy-duty work to be done then this winch is perfect for you.

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Bottom Line
Not being waterproof will prevent you from taking out your ATV during rainy days. However, it is unlikely that anybody would go out on a ride on their ATVs when it is raining anyway so this shouldn’t be a big issue. You can always work on it indoors or inside the garage.

10. OFFROAD Boar |Best Performing ATV Winch

Having winches mounted on your ATV does not necessarily mean you are trying to pull somebody out of a ditch on your rides. It could also mean that you are using your ATVs to do some construction work and need the winch to be stable.

One such winch that can be used to do construction work is the Offroad Boar. This particular machine was built for the outdoors and for doing all sorts of heavy lifting. It has got a three-stage planetary gear system that has been specially designed for ATVs.

It contains a synthetic rope that measures at 49 feet and 1/5 inch. As we know that synthetic rope is better than the standard steel ropes which can harm your hands if you touch them in use. There is also a heavy-duty latched hook that comes with the machine.

Using that synthetic rope you can pull objects as heavy as 4500 pounds which goes to show powerful this winch can be.

The machine comes with a high-quality wireless remote which tends to work from almost any distance from the winch. It is waterproof with IP67 grade.

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Bottom Line
Compared to other ATV winches this has a poor instruction manual. This in turn ends up making the entire installing process very difficult. However, if you are a professional then you will not need any help. But if you are a new user then it would be wise to get a professional help or even find tutorials online.

11. X Bull | Most Easy To Use ATV Winch

Winches are great equipment. They look small in stature with not much going on in their entire set up. But they are capable of lifting and pulling lots of heavy objects using nothing but the wire or rope they come with.

The X Bull ATV winch is one of the more efficient winches out there in the current market.

It uses 12 volts to operate the motor which in turn can pull objects as heavy as 4500 pounds. Using its electric synthetic ropes, the X Bull ATV Winch operates in a very smooth manner. There is very little noise when the machine is active.

It comes with a wireless remote which allows you to control the winch from anywhere within a specified distance. You will also get mounting brackets with this item so that you can easily place it on your ATV without additional fuss.

The synthetic cable is very effective when using the winch. This is because of it better than the traditional steel cables or wire. With the latter one, your hands would get shredded if you touched the wire when in use. However, you are harm-free with the synthetic cable.

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Bottom Line
Most other ATV winches are water-resistant. Since there is a wireless remote, you can operate it from a distant. You don’t have to get the remote all wet as you can simply use it from the dry surface. This means you don’t exactly need the water-resistant feature here.

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ATV Winch Buying Guide

Just like any other product, there are certain things, qualities, criteria that you need to check before buying any ATV winch.

Since there are already so many companies manufacturing winches for different purposes, you need to do a thorough check and find the one that is most suited for you. For this, we have come up with our ATV Winch Buying Guide.

Pulling Capability

This is probably the most important thing when it comes to buying a winch. The fundamental task of a winch is to pull objects from once place to another. You hook up object A and mount the winch on the ATV and the start pulling.

This is why pulling capability is so important. It gives you an idea as to how heavy an object you can pull or move with the machine that you are using.

The pulling capability can vary from a range of 2000 lbs. to 10000 lbs. Based on the kind of pulling you need, you can find the perfect ATV winch for you.

Length of Rope/Cable

The most obvious thing about pulling one object towards something else is that you will need a rope or cable in this case. Thus the length of the cable becomes very important for an item such as ATV winch.

The length of the cable will depend on the size of the winch itself. This is because a bigger winch can contain longer cable. At the same time, you need to make sure the quality of the cable is good so that it has enough strength to pull larger, heavier objects.

Some ATV winch comes out with synthetic ropes which are better than the standard steel cables. So look out for those winches.

Weight

Normally the weight of an object wouldn’t be much of an issue unless you are to physically carry the item. However, when it comes to winches, you do need to consider it. This is because your winch will be mounted on to your ATVs.

Your ATVs can very easily sustain the load of a winch. However, the extra load may bring some sort of comfort for regular ATV drivers. You may take some time getting used to driving around with such a load in front of your vehicle.

At the same time, too heavy a winch could disrupt your entire ATV ride. Thus it becomes crucial to select the winch that just right in terms of to be mounted on your ATV.

Water Resistance

This is the least important out of this list but it is important nevertheless. Your ATV winch will be used in the outdoors. You may face rain, get your ATV stuck in the mud or even in water bodies.

If such situations do occur, you will want your winch to be water-resistant so even when drenched or wet, it still operates and gets you out of trouble.

So the next time you go to purchase an ATV winch, keep these things in mind before making a decision.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS [FAQ]

1.   HOW TO INSTALL AN ATV WINCH?

Answer: Installing a winch onto an ATV is quite easy. In most cases, you will be provided with mounting brackets along with the winch. You will have to use those brackets and nail them to the front or back of your ATV. Once that’s nailed down, you just install or place the winch on the brackets and secure them tightly.

2.   HOW TO USE ATV WINCH?

Answer: Once you have secured and installed the winch on to your ATV you can start using it. There will be a hook with your winch. Use that to hook onto another object, let’s say another car. Once the car is secured, you turn on the winch machine and let the machine pull the car towards the ATV.

3.   HOW TO WIRE AN ATV WINCH?

Answer: Depending on the winch that you bought, there should be instruction manuals for you to wire winch on the ATV. The manufacturer should provide you with all the kits needed for wiring. Make sure all the wiring is done perfectly because you don’t want the wires to come in the way of a moving ATV.

4.   CAN I USE THE ATV WINCH ON OTHER VEHICLES?

Answer: In most cases, yes you can. You will, however, need to take off the mounting brackets from the ATV and attach them to the new vehicle and go through the whole wiring and installing process. However, keep in mind that some winches are made for ATVs only. So check that out before going for another vehicle.

5.   WHY DO THE ELECTRICAL CABLES GET HOT?

Answer: There could be multiple reasons for this. Your battery could be low or running out. There could be a loose connection with the battery. Run the ATV motor while the winch is turned on. This way your winch will get enough energy to run without overheating.

6.   WHICH ATV WINCH IS RIGHT FOR ME?

Answer: This particular answer is completely dependent on you. Based on your need and the type of work you are planning to do, you have to decide what winch you should buy. If it requires a lot of heavy lifting and pulling then go for something with higher motor power and pulling capability.

Final Thoughts

Buying an ATV Winch is going to be like a long term investment. You are going to be using it for the foreseeable future and thus you should make a very informed decision before making any purchases.

A good ATV Winch is going to make your life a lot easier. Using a proper winch will also make your experience a positive one.

We made an exhaustive effort to list down the best ATV Winch you can find in the current market. Based on our buyers-guide which focuses on certain factors such as pulling capability, length of rope and other stuff, you should be able to find the perfect fit for you.