Whether you're in a truck or riding an ATV, going off-road comes with a unique set of challenges. Probably the most common challenge is getting stuck, and it's pretty easy to get stuck if you're going off-road in an area with mud. ATV winches are recovery tools that can save your next off-road or hunting excursion. Enthuze offers several UTV & ATV winches for sale, but it's important to know what you need before you buy.

What is a UTV or ATV Winch?

An electric winch for a UTV or ATV is a piece of equipment with an electric motor that uses steel or synthetic cable to tow or haul. Different winches are rated for different weights. For example, you won't need a winch weighted for a lot if you just want to haul firewood. But most people get winches for their trucks or ATVs to help them get unstuck in an off-road situation. In that case, the winch needs to be weighted enough for the vehicle it's attached to.

How Does an ATV or UTV Winch Work?

The essential components of a winch include the cable wire, a drum, a motor, and a gear train. The cable wire is wrapped around the drum and the electric motor makes winding the cable in or out simple.

To use a winch, you unspool the cable wire and attach it to something. By activating the electric motor, the cable wire is pulled back towards the vehicle and the item being towed comes with it.

Synthetic or Steel Cable?

The cable wire is obviously the most visible part of your winch doing all the work. When you go to buy a UTV or ATV winch kit, you'll see the choice between synthetic and steel cable wire. Both types have unique pros and cons and neither is definitively better than the other.

Steel cable is constructed with aircraft-grade steel, which makes it more durable and less likely to need maintenance. It can take a lot of heat, which makes it a good fit for faster winches. However, steel cable does take some wear, and if it snaps while under load, the steel splinters can cause injuries and damage.

Synthetic cable is both lighter and stronger than steel cable for pulling. It's also much safer if it snaps. However, it requires more maintenance and can't take a lot of heat, so it's a better choice for slower winches.

Synthetic cable is also more likely to be damaged with use in rough terrain. It's still the better choice for most frequent winch users, but steel is a better choice for an emergency winch that needs to move something heavy quickly.

Gear Choices

To go with the cable choices, there are also different gear trains on winches. A planetary gear train has multiple gears and can pull faster. This type of gear train is better with steel cables as the extra heat can damage a synthetic cable. A worm gear train has only two gears and is more ideal for synthetic cable as it pulls slower and makes less heat.

What Size Winch for an ATV or UTV?

The next thing to look for is what weight a winch is rated for. The following are some basic examples of ATV sizes and winch weights:

• 2,000 pounds for ATVs under 300cc
• 2,500 pounds for 300cc and up
• 3,500 pounds for the largest sizes of ATV
• 4,500 pounds for side-by-side UTVs

The other thing to consider is if you've added any aftermarket accessories to your ATV or UTV that could make it heavier. It's commonly said that you can never have too much winch.

However, if weight is a concern on your ATV, you won't want to buy a winch that pulls way more than you need and weigh down your ATV. The other consideration is cost. Winches rated for higher weights are going to cost more.

How To Install a Winch on an ATV or UTV

You can buy any Enthuze winch and get it installed at any Action Trucks location. Winches cause a lot of strain on your ATV’s frame, so it's important to get them installed correctly. You'll need a proper winch mount and some modifications may need to be made for it to work.

How to Wire an ATV or UTV Winch

Another area where you might be better off with a professional installer is wiring. A fairly new ATV should have a strong electrical system to operate the winch. If you have an older ATV, you might need to look at your battery and make sure it can handle the extra load. Your winch will come with instructions on how to properly wire it to your ATV.

Enthuze Winches

Enthuze offers several different ATV and UTV winches for sale. The smallest one is rated at 2,000 pounds and comes with steel cable. For the next size up of 2,500, you can get either a steel cable version or a synthetic one.

Winches with synthetic cable typically cost more. The highest weight available for an ATV winch is 5,500 pounds and can be bought with either steel or synthetic cable. Our larger winches with synthetic rope come with a permanent magnet motor that stays cooler during long pulls, which is ideal for synthetic cable.

ATV and UTV winches by Enthuze are thoroughly tried and tested for the highest quality—just like all our truck accessories before they are stamped with the Enthuze name. When you choose our ATV and UTV winches, you can count on top quality and value.

You can find our ATV winches on our Enthuze web site or at Action Car and Truck Accessories and various other retailers. Enthuze products can also be custom installed at any of the Action locations throughout Canada.