Adding a winch to your vehicle improves its capabilities. Since a winch is an electrical tool, will leaving it on your vehicle in the rain damage it?
Most recreational winches can get wet without breaking. However, winches are only waterproof to a certain depth. Avoid submerging the entire winch in water to prevent corrosion, electrical malfunctions, and loss of lubrication. Hydraulic, aka waterproof, winches can be fully submerged.
If you have a winch on your truck or are thinking of adding one, you will need to follow proper maintenance and usage to keep it in working order. Keep reading to learn more about using a winch and when it can get wet.
Winches are an excellent accessory for any truck or ATV. This tool is especially important when you are driving in muddy conditions where the vehicle may get stuck. If you have a winch equipped on your vehicle, getting unstuck will be a breeze. You can also use a winch to move logs or other large objects out of your path.
Let’s take a look at how waterproof different winch components are.
Electrical ComponentsI found the best deals on Winches Here from 4WheelParts and also some good deals on Winches Here from Amazon
The main concern is the electrical components of the winch. In most cases, the winch will run off the car battery. In these cases, the battery stays dry underneath the vehicle hood.
The same is true for most ATV batteries. If your winch doesn’t connect to the car battery, consider placing its power pack into a water-tight container and installing it higher up, away from the ground.
Placing both the battery and the solenoid pack under a protective cover will shield it from any rainfall. While both items are slightly waterproof, it’s best to avoid any contact with water.
If you plan on taking your truck or ATV through rivers, streams, or puddles, you may need to take extra precautions. Place both components in water-tight containers.
If either piece is submerged in water or has a lot splashed on it, they could short circuit or blow fuses. Protect your electrical components by avoiding these situations or installing the necessary protective features.
While the electrical components are important, they aren’t the only piece of the winch that could get damaged by water exposure.
Because you will use the winch to pull heavyweights, the metallic cable/rope needs to move smoothly through the winch mechanics. In most cases, this requires significant lubrication on the drum gear and the drive axle.
Every time you submerge your winch underwater or drive through a large puddle, the water washes away some of that lubrication. Not only will water wash away some of the lubrication, but it will begin to corrode the metal pieces of the winch.
Let’s look at a winch example and what kind of service it needs when exposed to water.
The Warn VRX 45 POWERSPORT winch costs around $500 and can move up to 4,500 pounds. Warn offers a lifetime mechanical warranty and a three-year electrical component warranty.
According to the product description, the Warn VRX 45 Power Sport winch has complete waterproof sealing.
After reading this, you might think, “Perfect! Let’s go cross that river!” However, you may want to think again.
When you take a look at the winch specifications, you’ll notice that this water sealing is rated IP68. But what does this mean? IP stands for Ingress Protection.
The IP rating determines how well the sealing prevents water (or other objects) from getting inside the mechanical components of your winch. This rating is also used for many smart devices. The two numbers that follow the letters “IP” explain two different ratings. (source)
The first number explains how resistant the sealing is to dust. The maximum number that could be used here is 6. In other words, the Warn VRX 45 Power Sport winch is “dust tight.”
The second number relates to how waterproof/water-resistant the winch is. In this case, the number 8 means that the winch won’t sustain water damage when submerged in water up to 1.5 meters (4 feet, 11 inches) deep for 30 minutes.
Anything deeper or longer than that, and the winch will need servicing.
Always check the waterproof rating on your winch before exposing it to too much water.
Warn Industries explains that even if the winch isn’t waterproof, it can still get wet.
This includes driving through puddles or quick stream crossings. These winches should be entirely submerged in water on a regular basis.
Other winches may use terminology such as “sealed for life.” However, they don’t tell you how long the life of the winch is. One mechanic we spoke with explained that the life of the winch is often represented by warranties.
For the Warn VRX 45 Power Sport, that’s three years for the electrical components and a lifetime warranty for the mechanical parts. In this case, consider the “life of the winch” to be four years or so.
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There are several options you could use to prevent water from corroding your truck or ATV winch.
First of all, if you use a smaller-sized winch that is easily removable, you could detach it from the vehicle when not in use. Store the winch in a dry area such as the garage or a shed. This will minimize water exposure from dew and rainfall, extending the life of the winch.
However, if your winch is too large to reinstall every time you want to take the vehicle out, consider parking the entire vehicle in a dry area such as a garage or carport.
If you don’t have access to any of these structures, cover the winch with a tarp.
While minimizing the exposure to water will help extend the life of the winch, there will be situations where water exposure is unavoidable.
In these cases, you should use a product such as CRC Lectra Shield Long Term Liquid Corrosion Inhibitor to prevent corrosion. This product coats the moving parts of your winch in a waxy film that blocks moisture. According to the product description, CRC Lectra Shield protects your mechanical components for up to two years!
This type of preventative care is especially important if you live on the coast or where they use road salt. These salty conditions create the perfect environment for rust and corrosion.
While most winches are water-resistant, there are entirely waterproof winches.
Hydraulic winches operate differently than your typical winch does. Rather than drawing power from the vehicle battery, a hydraulic winch uses hydraulic power.
This power is produced from the vehicle’s power steering fluid. Without any electronic components, there’s no risk of short-circuiting a hydraulic winch when exposing it to water. However, the vehicle must be turned on for the winch to work. (source)
Not only are they more capable, but hydraulic winches are much more expensive. The Mile Marker H9000 winch costs approximately $1,400. That’s nearly triple the cost of the Warn VRX winch.
But this winch gets even more expensive.
Because hydraulic winches use the power steering fluid, you’ll need a valve kit. If you don’t have a valve kit already, this adds another $570 to your total. In other words, you’re paying nearly $2,000 for a winch that can lift twice the weight of a standard winch.
For these reasons, it may be more cost-effective to purchase the standard winch and then take the necessary steps to protect it from getting wet.
However, if you plan on doing some heavy lifting around a body of water, the hydraulic winch may be the best option. This may include loading a heavy boat onto your trailer. The Mile Marker Hydraulic winch can be used underwater and is made from corrosion-resistant materials.
This winch has 100 feet of steel aircraft cable. With that strong of material, you should never have to worry about the cable snapping. The Mile Marker H9000 winch weighs 93 pounds. While you could remove and store the winch when not in use, its weight makes this more difficult than it’s worth.
Although this winch can be used underwater, the product description lists that it is only water-resistant. This could be cause for concern for some customers. Unfortunately, the depth rating for this winch is unknown.
While winches are built to be durable, without proper maintenance their condition will degrade. Keep your winch working longer by following some helpful maintenance hacks.
1. Use It FrequentlyThe worst thing you could do for your winch is leave it sitting for long periods of time. When the parts sit for long enough, they could start corroding as moisture sits on the metallic parts. Another issue is that the lubrication begins to settle.
Make sure your winch moves at least once a month. If you don’t use it to recover a vehicle or move an object, manually pull out the cable and wrap it back up. This will spread out the lubrication and remove any settled moisture.
This is also a good chance to check for corrosion and apply any preventative products.
If the cable looks damaged, replace it.
If your winch uses synthetic line, Warn suggests washing it with soapy water at least once a month or so. That said, even a steel winch cable should be cleaned off occasionally. Use a soapy rag to clean the cable after every use.
2. Apply Lubricant as NeededSome winches don’t need to be lubricated for their entire lifetime. However, this only applies if the winch is used under proper standards.
A waterproof winch that occasionally gets submerged in shallow water should be fine without extra lubrication. Meanwhile, a non-waterproof winch that gets exposed to water (more intense than light rain) may need more lubricant applied.
Once a month, open up the winch and inspect the gears. Do they look like they have enough lubrication? If so, close up the winch. If not, add more lubrication.
A product such as CRC Chain and Wire Rope Lubricating Spray should do the trick. Not only will this lubricant grease up the gears, but it will resist water too! In other words, this is the perfect product for your winch.
Your winch goes through a lot. For this reason, bolts and fasteners may loosen up every so often. Avoid losing your winch in these situations by checking that the bolts are tightened properly every so often. Warn suggests (source) doing this every 90 days.
Other routine maintenance may include tightening wire connections and replacing or covering exposed wires.
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The potent mixture of adrenaline, determination and pride has been getting mankind into trouble for decades. WARN has always been at the head of the class when it comes to bailing them out, and now we’ve left the rest of the class way behind with a completely re-imagined and re-engineered line of powersports winches.
Backed by over 70 years of off-road know-how, the new AXON and VRX winches have rewritten the rules for high performance winches, with game changing technologies and the bomb-proof reliability only WARN can offer.
All WARN ATV winches and UTV winches are designed to be the most durable, and state-of-the-art products available for your vehicle. They’re all IP68 waterproof, made with premium components, can be had with strong yet lightweight synthetic rope or durable steel rope, and are built to perform.
But how do you choose which one is right for you? We have a few guidelines to follow:
ATV: 2,500 lb. to 3,500 lb capacity (1134 kg to 1588 kg)
Two-Seat UTV: 3,500 lb. to 4,500 lb. capacity (1588 kg to 2041 kg)
Four-Seat UTV: 4,500 lb. to 5,500 lb. capacity (2041 kg to 2495 kg)
So whether you opt for our workhorse VRX winches or our state-of-the-art digital AXON winches, you’ll get the right product for your powersports vehicle, no matter what you ride.
AXON
VRX
Steel rope is extremely durable, abrasion resistant, and is good for utility applications where the line may contact objects like stumps, rocks, and other things that rub against the rope. Steel rope is heavier and less flexible than synthetic line and is less expensive than synthetic rope.
Synthetic rope is strong, lightweight, easy to handle, and it’ll even float on water making it great for vehicle recovery. Synthetic rope is more prone to damage by abrasion, and requires the use of the included abrasion sleeve when the rope comes into contact with an object. However, Synthetic is more expensive than steel but it’s a great choice for those who are looking to keep weight down and push the limits with their vehicle.
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The AXON and VRX will bring new levels of technology, durability, and performance to the powersports winch market.....
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The High Lifter Mud Nationals is one of the biggest powersports events out there, and it all starts March 22 at the Mud Creek Off-Road Park...
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The 4-wheel drive UTV vehicle has thrived for many years on the farming and industrial side of the utility market, hence the name.
A winch is a must have for off-road riding. It allows you to pull a stuck ATV out of mud, water or deep ruts. Many models of CFMOTO ATVs and ATVs have a winch from the factory, for others it needs to be purchased separately. In this article, we will tell you how the winch works, what to look for when choosing, and also give useful tips on how to use it.
ATV winch is a drum with a cable. An electric motor is located on one side of the drum, and a gearbox on the other. Rotation from the electric motor to the gearbox transmits a shaft that passes inside the drum. The gears of the planetary mechanism are located in the gearbox.
Reducer reduces speed and increases traction. The rotation from the gearbox is transmitted to the drum, which winds the cable, creating traction and gradually pulling out the stuck equipment.
One of the key parameters to consider when choosing a winch is traction. It determines the maximum weight of the load that can be torn off the surface. With each skein of the drum, the winch force decreases.
Thrust is measured in pounds (labeled on winches as lbs), 1 lb = 0.45 kg. The force depends on a number of features: the diameter of the drum, the number of wound turns, the power of the electric motor, as well as the gear ratio of the gearbox.
It is not always necessary to choose the most powerful and fastest winch: the more powerful the mechanism, the more difficult it is to handle. Beginners can harm equipment and even their health - it is not uncommon for a broken cable or a broken hook to cause injury.
Matches the cubic capacity of the ATV:
Steel - cheap and easy. Requires work with gloves, not repairable. May cause injury if mishandled.
Synthetic - requires maintenance but is easy to use. It does not "shoot", and if the cable is damaged or torn, it can be braided on the spot.
Most experts believe that material choice should be based on personal preference: some riders lean towards steel over time, others towards synthetics.
The winch is installed on a special platform on the ATV frame. If there is no platform, you need to buy it and install it according to the instructions. The site has standard anchor points that fit classic winches up to 3,500 feet of pull.
When choosing a winch, pay attention to the width of the drum:
With certain skills, you can modify the fasteners and install almost any winch - the main thing is not to make the fasteners “to break” and not to strengthen weak points. If the ATV is under warranty, it is advisable not to touch the frame and buy a regular winch.
Installing the winch is easy, but the connection will have to be tricky.
To lay the wiring, it is advisable to remove the plastic from the ATV. The winch must be connected to the control unit and battery. It is recommended to keep the power cable as short as possible to avoid current loss. All wires must be hidden in the corrugation so that they do not come into contact with the frame and are protected from moisture.
If you have any questions or would like further advice on purchasing, installing, operating and maintaining an ATV or ATV winch, please contact your nearest authorized CFMOTO dealer.
Dealers CFMOTO
The arrival of a new series of winches from a renowned manufacturer like Ironman is hard to ignore. Naturally, I could not stand aside with my review of the Monster Winch 9500, published a few days earlier. It remains only to delve into the acquaintance with the new device and ... disassemble it.
The first question of the person who saw the new winch was cynical in jeepers: “And how is it inside? Did you understand?" Then I could not find what to answer and said about the possibility of such an outcome, I did not sleep for a couple of days, calling on the spirits to give me strength for surgical intervention in a work of art.
The gearbox gasket will need to be replaced during operation.
The main question that kept me awake was whether the Monster Winch really has the waterproofing that Ironman talks about and for which it was necessary to install a breather on the winch body and complete the device with a long hose to bring it higher.
There are no questions about the quality of the winch parts.
Well, having barely opened the gearbox cover, I found there a truly huge amount of grease, resembling graphite in appearance, and most importantly, a gasket that prevents this grease from flowing out or diluting it with penetrating water.
The freewheel also has a double rubber seal and will definitely not cause water to get inside.
The rubber gasket should last long enough.
In the belly of the housing on the gearbox side, everything is sedate and noble. I can’t evaluate the quality of the metal, but I couldn’t find anything that the eye could find fault with either.
Having removed the cover from the side of the electric motor, we find a thick silicone gasket that reliably blocks the access of water from this side as well. The gasket turned out to be slightly dented on one side, apparently the lid does not fit perfectly, but the thickness of the silicone heals this ailment perfectly.
When the winch is completely sealed, the breather outlet is a very good decision.
Sliding the body of the electric motor, we also find a rubberized gasket on the side of the drum, which in general gives a very good picture of the actual waterproofing of the winch body. Now it’s clear why a breather was needed, because when “bathing” a heated device in cold water, there will certainly be a difference in pressure and air will somehow have to get back and forth.
On the side of the electric motor cover there is a thick silicone gasket with which you should be extremely careful not to damage it.
Having reached the control unit, the first thing you notice is the luxurious waterproofing of the power cable entries.
The rubber gasket clamps around the cable for a 100% seal. Under the connector for connecting the remote control and the wireless mode activator there is a pad made of soft material, which is also the basis for attaching the cover. Here, too, water cannot penetrate.
Soft gasket under the control panel cable connector.
Further disappointment. The housing of the control unit is not hermetic. There is no seal along the seam of the case cover and, moreover, two holes of unknown purpose were found on the bottom.
It turns out that even the products of famous brands have to be finished for themselves, and if you need complete tightness of the block, you will have to coat the seam of the block body with sealant and close up two technological holes on the back wall. Thankfully it only takes a couple of minutes.
The sealing of power cable entry is top notch.
To seal the housing, the seam of the cover will have to be coated with sealant.
Everything is decent inside. One large solenoid is hidden in a sealed case, as well as a small waterproof box with remote control electronics and an antenna output. As a conclusion, either for beauty or for additional insulation, the screws of the cover of the control unit housing are closed with rubber plugs.
If you look closely, you can see an incomprehensible hole in the upper corner. There are two such holes in the body.
The remote control electrical box is completely sealed.
If I rate the quality of assembly and waterproofing of the new Ironman Monster Winch 9500 winch, then I would limit myself to 9.5 points out of 10 and all because the control unit does not have sufficient tightness, in comparison with the winch itself, for example.
But I can’t throw it off anymore due to the very simple elimination of this single remark.
Rubber plugs are more of a decorative function.
It remains to check how this new winch from Ironman will perform in operation, and I will let you do that.
