| ATV Winches Review
Megan Vickers
Assistant Editor
Photo courtesy of Warn Winches
Whether riding in the mud, through the marshes, or on rough, rocky terrain, by bolting-on a winch to their ATV or UTV, enthusiasts can feel comfortable knowing they will be able to get out of a tough spot. We’ve contacted a number of today’s leading winch companies to learn more about their latest products and how each can help riders pull themselves out of those sticky situations.
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Sales representative Kevin Lind reported the latest winch from
American Manufacturing is the 2,500 lb. Eagle winch. This inexpensive winch features free spooling, 40 ft. of 3/16 inch cable and an easy switch hook up, Lind explained. A lot of the newer winches in today’s market are manufactured to be waterproof, he noted, adding, American Manufacturing’s winch sales are the same as they were this time last year. When trying to sell these winches, Lind advised, dealers should make sure their customers know what they are buying and the store needs to know the price point of their customer’s interest.
American Manufacturing
1 Enterprise Ave.
Isanti, MN 55040
www.eagleplows.com |
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Cycle Country Accessories’ latest winch is their 2,500 lb. winch, which offers freewheeling and includes a handlebar switch and remote as well as a roller hawse, described Director of Marketing Brad
Danbom. “It seems people want a nice compact unit with a lot of power – bigger is better,” he explained. The company’s winch sales are about the same compared to the prior year, Danbom told us. He concluded by saying, “Our winches are great bolt-on accessories. We also offer a complete line of winch mounts.”
Cycle Country Accessories
P.O. Box 257
Spencer, IA 51301
www.cyclecountry.com |
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“Mile Marker’s VMX 2.5 ATV winching system boasts expedition grade strength and revolutionary innovation in its bantam size package,” stated Chief Marketing Officer Drew
Aho. The VMX 2.5 is a variable speed winch, which enables precision line retrieval for ultimate control and safety, Aho explained. He added, “A heat-treated steel gear train, IP65 waterproof motor sealing and MOSFET electronics combine to create a 2,500 lb. recovery system to be considered necessary in your quest for adventure.”
Mile Marker
2121 Blount Road
Pompano Beach, FL 33069
www.milemarker.com |
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Tucker Rocky’s Glen Urquhart told us their latest winch is the
QuadBoss 1,700 lb. winch. “Our 1,700 lb. winch is value priced at $259.99 retail and delivers performance comparable to much higher priced winches,” he explained. Urquhart added, “It features a 3 stage planetary gear train, mechanical disc brake and a freewheeling clutch.” He said he has noticed that more of the OEs are recognizing the popularity of winches and that many of them are now offering new models that are pre-wired for a winch. “Our sales are up, primarily due to our price point,” divulged
Urquhart. He concluded by advising shops to display the winch on both a shelf in the parts department as well as on a few of the new units on the sales floor.
QuadBoss – Tucker Rocky
4900 Alliance Gateway Frwy.
Ft. Worth, TX76177
www.quadboss.com |
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“We are currently launching our new ATV winch series: the ATV2500, ATV3000 and UTV4000,” stated
Superwinch Marketing Manager Mark Hart. He explained that all of these winches are compact, symmetrical with the drum in the center and all follow the currently established four hole bolt mounting patterns to make installation easier. These winches also reportedly offer sealed components for all weather performance, both dynamic and mechanical full load holding brakes that assure a firm hold, plus a no-nonsense lifetime warranty. “Consumers are becoming more price sensitive and are seeing a variety of applications for their winches as they see wider applications for their ATVs and
UTVs,” Hart explained. He continued, “We were challenged to reduce costs without sacrificing performance so dealers could make better margins and compete with the big guys. That’s what this new [winch series] accomplishes.” Dealer/retailers need to understand how to safely operate and use a winch so they can sell them with greater confidence, Hart said, and Superwinch is in the beginning stages of reaching this training goal, by placing an increased emphasis on education for the dealer.
Superwinch
45 Danco Road
Putnam, CT 06260
www.superwinch.com |
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The Warn XT30 has a pulling capacity of 3,000 lbs. and comes with the company’s new Wireless Control System, noted spokesperson Andy
Lilienthal. “It also features an all-metal, three-stage planetary gear train, full sealing, standard synthetic rope, ergonomically designed clutch control dial, reduced amp draw, a patent-pending disc brake and more,” he explained. Steve Green, product manager for the Warn powersports division, said he has noticed “a very strong demand for our new
RT/XT winch lineup despite reduced new ATV sales. UTV winch sales continue to grow significantly.” The new lineup has helped sales increase over last year’s, divulged Green, as well as the fact that people are upgrading from their old Warn and competitor winches. “Sell the best, sell Warn. Warn offers a full lineup with a model suited to every type of ATV user,” Green said. He added, “Quality, reliability and durability matter – your customer’s winch must work when they need it to – it’s not just about price – you get what you pay for, low reliability with competitors versus Warn, the industry leader.”
Warn Industries
12900 S.E. Capps Road
Clackamas, OR 97015
www.warn.com |
Knowledge is the key to selling winches. Keeping informed of the features of each winch and how much weight each item can handle is the best way to ensure your customers’ winch works when they need it to. We hope this month’s report on winches was beneficial and remind you to take a look at our segment on ATV loading ramps, elsewhere in this issue. |
