winchtips-blog

[winchtips-blog]

How do I choose, install and maintain a Viper winch

Viper winches are one of the most exciting winches available in the market. There are three series of viper winches provided by Motoalliance, Classic, Max, and Elite series. If you're new to the viper series and thinking about getting one or already own one, this article is for you. I will talk about which series you should choose, how to install the winch to your ATV or UTV and how to maintain the winch to its top-notch service.

Choose the series that suits your needs

As I mentioned already, you have three different choices to choose from the viper winch series. They come with some outstanding features as well as some limited resources. The classic series comes with six months of warranty for both the winch and the other electric components, and the Max series has an extended warranty of one year. The elite series goes even farther; it has two years of warranty for the winch and One year for the other Components.

However, the elite series doesn't come with the included 50' steel cable, which comes with the other two; it comes with Synthetic rope. You will have all the three winches fully waterproof and sealed tight. The remote switch is included only with Max series; it comes with an extra charge with the other two. The same applies to the winch cover. It's included with the Max and elite series, not the classic series. If you are confused, go through some viper winch review and get an idea of what others are saying about all these series.

Not only for viper winches, before buying any kind of winces you should go through some customer reviews. Suppose, if you are going to buy some portable capstan winch, then you should read some customer reviews on portable capstan winch also.

Viper Winch installation

If you've chosen which type of winch you are going with, it's time to install it in your car. You need to have either an ATV or UTV mountable kit for your vehicle to install the Viper Winch that has the four-bolt mounting pattern. The winch comes with a mounting plate that you can use as the fairlead mount as a part of a specific mount kit.

You have to modify it substantially to use on a UTV or ATV. With a few exceptions like Honda Rancher 420, you will mount the winch with the cable coming from the bottom side of the spool. For some exceptions, you may have to do it from above the spool of the winch. Moreover, you can find the detailed installing instruction with the mounting kit that comes with the winch package.

How to maintain your viper winch

Depending on which series of the viper winch you have installed in your car, maintenance tips would vary. If you have the Elite series installed in your vehicle, it comes with the synthetic rope, which requires different care from the steel cable. If you come across mud or water, or somehow the steel wire or the rope is wet, you must clean the winch line or the steel wire thoroughly and dry it whole. Keeping the cable clean and dry will help you get extended support from it.

Bottom line

If you find any sign of damage to the wire or the rope, make sure you repair it on time. If the tear is beyond repairable, change it immediately, because if you neglect a little damage on the cable, it will cost you big time when needed. If it's a steel cable, it may even cost your life by tearing in half when you put full tension on the wire.