All-terrain vehicles are very useful to be driven across various kinds of roads and landscapes. Sand, mountain, snow, a desert, and all the challenging landscapes. Many brands produce ATVs, and they are known for their feature of being able to go anywhere. Beach sides and desserts are the most common place we see these vehicles. They are known to be running on low-pressure tires, making it a safe vehicle and does not topple off.
ATVs are used not just for fun purposes but also for farming. There are extensions for the ATVs that can be used to get additional work out of them. The extensions can be a plow for farming purposes. You can use the plow to dig in some soil off the ground for you to be able to sow some seeds for the farming purpose. You can also add in wench to help you out or other vehicles stuck in the mud in the jungle trail. It can also be used when your snow-mobile is stuck in the snow and you want to pull yourself out. For all these purposes, there is a strong mount that you require, and all these extensions can fit on. Although it is almost invisible when you mount in the extensions, they form a very important part of such vehicles. Without them, you will not be able to mount in the required extensions.
In the article below we will be talking about 5 of the best winch mounts that are available in the market and which one of them is a safe and reliable one to buy. Remember, its merely our research to help you find the right one for your use.
Best Winch Mount Plates
As mentioned above, although the winch mounts can be a less appreciated extension of ATVs and UTVs it is important to understand the uses and features of them, which will help you decide which one to buy. Let us see which are those.
#1 Extreme Max ATV Winch Mount for Polaris Sportsman
Extreme Max comes with the winch mount for the ATV Polaris Sportsman that is strong and sturdy. Across these years, various Sportsman models have been released and the winch mount we are talking about is specifically made for a list of a few of them. The list of these ATVs can be found online where the product is listed. It is not just for Polaris but also for other brands of ATV. The installation of the winch mount is easy, and all the required instructions for it are provided in the package. It is built for ATVs that are 2000 – 3000 pounds of weight and have 4 holes with the standard mounting pattern.
The mount is made of 3/16” of thickness and has been the standard across similar products. It is powder-coated with black color, making it strong, sturdy, and durable. The built of the winch mount is very strong. A mere glance at it will give you the feel of it. It fits just behind the front bumper. It can also fit behind a double tube bumper. The kit also comes with the list of all the compatible vehicles for the winch mount. It works on the Glacier Plow also. The product comes with a limited warranty of 2-year.
Pros
- Fit for 2000 – 3000 pounds of the vehicle weight
- 3/16” thickness making it strong and durable
- Works with Glacier Plow
Cons
- Not an easy fit, requires bending for it to fit
- Wide fir makes the cable to rub
#2 ECOTRIC Winch Mount Plate Bracket
Ecotric winch mount is designed especially for RZR models across years. This is the ATV and the winch mount needs to be fitted behind the front bumper. The mount kit is designed for the standard winch bolt pattern that fits in all the specified RZR vehicles. There is also a wide winch pattern added but not advisable to be used as the cable will rub against the sides and hence will have higher chances of the cable to snap off. The pack contains one winch mount, hardware required and the instructions manual where the attachment details are provided.
The mounting kit is compatible with all the models of RZR from the year 2015 to 2018. The mount metal is thick about 3/16″, and strong enough for heavy-duty. The metal is made from the bead-blasted furnace and then powder coated to give a good finish. The company gives a very good service by responding to your queries within 24 hours. They would be happy to replace the product in case of color difference or any fitting or adaptation issues.
Pros
- Made of 3/16″ thickness which is built for heavy-duty
- Contains all the hardware required to fit the mount on the ATV
- Has the instructions manual to install the mount
- The company replaces the product if it is of a different color or different specifications
- Powder-coated to provide longer life
Cons
- Customers complained of not fitting for the specific models of RZR
#3 KFI Products 101285 Winch Mount for Honda Pioneer 1000
KFI brand has manufactured the winch mount for Honda Pioneer, which is strong and sturdy. Proper fitment is eminent for the mount to give a good long life. Are you worried about its quality? You can forget the worry. It is 100 percent made in the USA. They claim to be the best when compared to their competitors as it is made from the bead blast furnace. To add on to its quality feature, it is powder-coated black to make sure it is of supreme durability.
The mounting kit is designed for Honda’s Pioneer 1000 especially and fits in perfectly. With proper fitting, it will give the best results. All the fitting related hardware is provided with the package. No need to look for any hardware outside. Not just that, all the possible instructions to fit it to the ATV are provided in the manual along with the kit. This makes it easier for DIY fitting and making sure you need not spend anything additional on the fitting. It is warned in the description not to use the mount for the other similar ATVs as it is not a very sensible thing to do. The design might look similar but any small changes cause the winch mount to fail in its capability.
Pros
- Made in the USA hence no worry about the quality of the product
- It is made by bead blast furnace method which makes the mount a very strong one
- Thickness is 3/16” making it strong and sturdy
- All instructions to fit the mounting kit is available within the package
Cons
- Did not on some of the models where listed compatible
#4 Extreme Max 5600 – ATV Winch Mount for Polaris Ranger UTVs
Extreme Max has another model that is compatible with the mid-size Polaris Ranger UTVs. Most of the features of the mount are similar to the previous ones we have talked about. The fit chart and the list of all the vehicles are available online on the shopping website. It is also provided with the package. The installation is a very important task for the mount. As the durability of the mount is based on how well it fits on the bumper, it is also important how well the installation process takes place. Hence the installation instructions are provided in the manual, and it can easily be done as a DIY task.
The mount comes with the capacity to pull 2000-3000 pound vehicles. There are 4 holes provided that are as per the standard pattern for the mount. The mount is 3/16″ in thickness and is strong and sturdy. It is also durable because of the black powder coating on it. In some of the UTVs, there needs to be additional wiring extension required to complete the installation properly. The product comes with a limited 2-year warranty.
Pros
- Can withstand the weight of 2000 – 3000 pounds of weight
- 3/16” of thickness with black powder coating making it durable
- Installation is a DIY task
- Two-year limited warranty available
Cons
- Very close to the radiator making it a bit uncomfortable for the users
#5 KFI 101345 Winch Plow Mount
KFI has come up with another model with a different shape of the mount for wench compatible with a few vehicles. The list of the vehicle is available online and also on Amazon. Like the other mounts, even this one fits just behind the bumper and fits in well so that it does not snap. The fitting hardware is provided with the package, and you need not go looking for it separately once you buy it. This makes the fitting experience great and also self DIY one. This always gives a sense of satisfaction while fitting in the mount. All instructions for the fitting are also provided with the pack within the manual.
It is around similar thicknesses as the previous ones. It is around 3/16″ in thickness, making it a strong and durable product. It is made in the USA hence you need not worry about the quality of the product. It is also black powder-coated to ensure the durability of the mount.
Pros
- Made in the USA and hence quality uncompromised
- Thickness and durability maintained like the other mounts available
Cons
- Nothing that we could spot at this moment
Buying Guide to Choose Best Winch Mount Plate
You must be wondering what is the big deal about the winch mount. You just look ant one in the store and buy it. What difference does it make? Well, in this section, we will be talking about why we think it is important in choosing the right mount.
Compatibility
Most of the ATVs and UTVs are designed with some standard features that will make it easy for extensions to be added. However, as the mind evolves so does the creativity. Hence, we do have winch mounts that are differently designed and they are compatible only with specific vehicles. So, before you buy it to make sure you know the one you are buying is compatible with the vehicle you want to use it on. Getting a wrong one would result in you returning the mount or sometimes the seller would not accept the cancellation.
Quality/Durability
Quality is, of course, the most basic requirement in any product that is sold. Hence make sure to check all the qualities of the mount, like thickness, durability, the way it is manufactured, and so on. Do some digging as we have done in this article. This will help you make the right decision. The metal manufactured by the bead blast furnace would provide a high quality and durable product.
Hardware/Fitting
Fitting the mount onto the vehicle is a very important task. If the fitting is not up to the mark, you will soon have a damaged bumper. Hence read through the instructions provided in the package. Look for the brand that provides such manuals. This will help a lot during the installation of the mount and the winch.
Warranty and Service
Warranty is an important feature because the mount does a heavy-duty by taking in some pressure to get the task completed. Hence if there is damage to the product during the usage, you can get it replaced to a better one without any issues. Hence look for the product with high-quality service and warranty for a longer period.
Conclusion
At the end of the article, we would want to point out that the mounts that we have talked about are specifically for the ATVs and UTVs. For bigger vehicles, we have different mounts available. They are a different topic to talk about. We have given our best to give you the list of these mounts and also talk about their features. We hope this guide was good enough for you to make the right decision to buy the right one!