KFI 4000LBS WINCH
Model U4000w
First off I would like to ask do you ever get in the mud? Do you ever climb hills? or Do you ever ride alone? If you answered yes to either of these questions then my suggestion to you is to invest in a good quality winch, because when your 20 miles from no where and knee deep in mud you will wish you had took my advise. It doesn't matter if you ride atv's, utv's, or drive an old truck if you are an offroader the time will come when this winch will be your best friend.
When buying a winch I suggest buying a winch rated at more line pull than you think you will ever need. With that said never buy a 1500lbs winch for a 1500lbs machine because it would be a total waste of money. Winches are rated at a strait line pull not a lifting pull and you know as well as I do when you are stuck way down in a mud hole the winch is going to have to pull you up and out. I recommend saving your money till you can afford a good winch at least a 4000lbs rated line pull with a wide spool for a UTV. I do not recommend a 3000lbs winch on a UTV, will a 3000lbs winch work? I cannot say maybe it will maybe it won't depending on the situation. But this is one of the cases where bigger is better because if you are pulling 1500lbs of weight with a 3000lbs winch you are putting more strain on the winch and it will get hotter than a 4000lbs winch pulling the same load.
I recommend a wide spool winch not because of the amount of winch cable total but for the amount of winch cable it will hold per layer on the spool. Reason being A winch is rated at the first layer of cable so as you add cable and layers, it changes the gearing of the winch making it weaker and strain harder. The big benefit of the wide spool is the added cable per layer keeps you at max pulling strength for a longer period of time. I don't know if you are familiar with gearing but you can think of it like changing the front sprocket on a sport bike, the more teeth the larger the sprocket giving you more speed but less low end torque, as you add layers of cable to a winch it does the same thing.
After a great deal of research I found KFI (Kappers Fabricating Inc) had recently come out with this wide spool 4000lbs winch with 52 foot of cable designed for the larger UTV's. They also have the same winch with a smaller spool and 38 foot of cable designed for the smaller UTV's and several other winches to choose from if you have an ATV and do not need a winch of this size. One of the best things about this winch is the people from KFI, they are awesome to work with as well as they ride the trails just like you and I so they know how important it is for the winch to work when needed.
Another excellent feature of this winch is it features quality cast aluminum and durable steel components, Water Resistant seals to keep the elements out, a wide 4-hole mounting design and a heavy duty all metal turn clutch not to mention it is backed by a KFI 1-Year Limited Warranty.
I received my new winch today and I must say I am very impressed with its quality and solid construction. Shortly after receiving my new winch I went to work inspecting all the components that came with my kit. This package came with the Rhino specific mounting hardware which is also a new design by KFI, it is designed to work with their two inch receiver hitch for the front, which is currently in the R&D process. My kit also included a cast aluminum Heavy Duty electric contactor, a hand-held 14' corded remote, a mini-rocker switch, a cable hook stopper, all necessary wiring, and all mounting hardware. After installation, following the enclosed instructions and wiring diagram, it was time to test my new KFI 4000lbs winch and make sure everything worked. First I started my rhino (so it would be charging) then I spooled the line in and out about 5 feet a couple times under minimal load, then I did the same again with the weight of the rhino behind it and finding everything to function properly it is time to hit the trails.
After several days of field testing under several severe conditions (including mud, water, and steep inclines) I must say this winch is very impressive and for the price it is very hard to beat. If you are in the market to buy a winch for your Side x Side I feel this winch is an excellent choice. If you need a winch for you ATV, KFI can help you with that also they make several different winches for ATV's and SxS's.
After nearly a year of trouble free service the steel cable on my (u4000w) winch was showing a little wear from normal use and neglect so I went back to KFI for their synthetic rope upgrade. Their upgrade consists of 50 ft long & 1/4" diameter Amsteel blue rope which is rated at 7700lbs, made in the USA, Includes sliding 5' protective sheath to protect against rough or sharp surfaces, and an aluminum hawse with mounting hardware. The main reason for this upgrade is the synthetic rope has very little stretch which means if it breaks it will basically drop strait to the ground, unlike a steel cable which will act as a whip if it breaks under heavy load... Although this is not the only benefit of synthetic rope, With synthetic rope you no longer have to worry about kinks, curls, rust or splinters. Synthetic rope is light weight and floats which means in water or mud it is easier to find. This is an easy swap that takes minimal time, but keep in mind when upgrading from a steel cable you must free the spool of any burrs that the steel cable may have created..
If you are running steel cable on your winch (no matter the Brand of winch) I highly recommend you look into synthetic rope it is an excellent investment/upgrade...
