Gorilla Winch Independent Product Reviews

In the fall of 2006 I got a chance to try out a 2500-lb. winch from www.gorillawinches.com. I was impressed with the power and performance this bargain priced winch produced. When Tom McCullough from Gorilla Winch contacted me recently and asked me to review his new waterproof winch, I jumped at the chance. The 2500-lb. winch was good, would the 3,000-lb. winch be better?

There is only one reason why one might want a waterproof winch. TO KEEP OUT WATER! I ride in the water when I find an inviting mud puddle. I also ride in the rain, though not by choice most of the time. Being in a northern climate, snow provides another opportunity for fun or work. Many people who put snowplows on their ATVs use a winch to raise and lower the plow. A waterproof winch would be an ideal choice for snow plowing.

The 3000-Ib. Gorilla Winch is 100% water proof great for any type of harsh riding.

The Gorilla 3,000-lb. waterproof winch comes packaged ready-to-install. The package includes the winch, roller fairlead, wiring harness, hook, directions and handlebar mounted sealed thumb switch. Like the 2500-lb. winch, the 3000-lb. waterproof winch includes a free spooling clutch. Installation instructions are included and are helpful in ensuring proper installation. Since I had already installed a 2500-lb. winch a few months prior to this one, I found installation of the new waterproof winch easy. The winch bolted right up to the mounting bracket that came on my Polaris ATV. Mounting brackets for other machines are optional and are available on the www.gorillawinches.com website. Many newer ATVs are already set up for winches so check your ATV before ordering.

To test the new Gorilla, I headed down the spillway behind my house to the river. The temperature hovered around 30 degrees Fahrenheit. My area has had lots of snow in the past couple of weeks and bitter temperatures. My initial idea was to crash some snow banks and pack up the winch with snow. The last few days turned mild and lots of rain melted most of the snow. Instead of playing in the snow I submerged the winch in one of feed streams, then ran out the 30-foot cable to pull myself out. Like the 2500-lb. winch, the 3000-lb. winch had no trouble pulling 1,000 lbs. of machine and me of the water. It is not the fastest winch on the market, but it is a powerful pulling machine.

A couple of days later, low temperatures froze the surface water, which gave me a change to play. This also gave me a chance to take my 3,000-pound Gorilla swimming. Plenty of ice and water had no effect on this beast.

Is the Gorilla 3000-lb. waterproof winch better than the 2500-lb. winch I had before? With 3,000 lbs of pulling power, a reasonable price tag and being waterproof to boot, it may very well be the best overall ATV winch you can buy.

For more information, prices and complete specifications go to www.gorillawinches.com

ATVSource

By Gary McBain

Get A Winch That Pulls Hards, A Gorilla Winch 2500lb ATV Winch

Gorilla Winch

If you scan ATV websites, forums and Ebay for very long you are likely to run across reference to one or more of the ATV winches being imported from China. One such winch that piqued my curiosity was one called the “Gorilla “.

A couple of phone calls led me to Tom McCullough, the company president of Outdoor2You. Tom explained that his company directly imports these winches from China to his company’s specifications. Tom feels that the winch is a high quality product which his company backs with a 6 month limited warranty against defective parts or assembly. He points to the 99.8% positive feedback on over 4,000 sales on Ebay as indication that this bargain priced winch provides very good service and value. Tom agreed to let me evaluate a Gorilla 2500 lb. winch with the encouragement that I really wring it out.

I received the winch a couple days later. The package contained the winch, wiring, transfer block, handlebar rocker switch, installation instructions and mounting hardware.

Gorilla winch being install on a Polaris X2.

After reading the directions I set out to mount the winch on my new 2006 Polaris X2. To mount a winch on the X2 the front plastic fascia that Polaris optimistically calls a “bumper” had to be removed as did the plastic storage box/rack. Eight bolts and eight screws later I was ready to mount the bracket and install the winch. The X2 already had a mounting plate so all I needed was the winch bracket and roller fairlead. It should be noted that mounting brackets and roller fairleads are available for specific ATV models and must be purchased separately or as a package.

My wife calls me the “Fix Two, Break One Handyman”. She insists that for every two things I fix around the house I break something else while doing it. I had never installed a winch before and it took me awhile to figure it out. In this case however, I was able mount the winch without damage or injury to the X2 or myself.

A check of the thumb switch on the left handlebar, indicated the winch had power and was ready to go. The winch powered out, powered in and a large knob on the winch allowed it to free spool the cable out.

Now the question was, how am I going to test it? I am a middle aged couch potato. I see a large mud hole and I ride around it. I see a treacherous incline and I avoid it. I have no desire to bury my brand new X2 in a mud bog or dangle it over a cliff to prove the value of a winch. With that in mind I devised a test that I thought would be indicative of the Gorilla’s capabilities.

The Up Hill Pull Test

I found a hill near my house with about a 30% grade. The test involved running the winch cable out as far as it would go and then attaching it to a rope/pull strap attached to a tree on the top. Research indicated that a long hard pull is particularly hard on a winch. Care should be taken to let the winch cool if it gets too hot.

The first uphill pull was with the winch cable fully extended at 30 feet. The cable hook was attached to a pull strap wrapped around the tree. The X2 was running and in neutral with me aboard as I hit the handlebar mounted toggle switch. The Gorilla pulled me and the ATV slowly but steadily up the hill. The winch was warm but not hot and indicated no strain.

With that pull successful I decided to raise the odds. I lowered the X2 back down the hill using the reverse on the switch. I then put the ATV in park with the brakes locked. With me on board the winch dragged me and the X2 up the hill. The tires tore up the grass as they were dragged up the hill but the winch had no problem. It was warmer to the touch than before but was not hot.

I don’t know how much static weight the winch was pulling. The ATV and I weigh over 1,000 lbs combined and were being pulled up a 30% grade with the wheels locked. Add the fact that the cable was attached low on the tree and nearly compressed the front end of the ATV as it pulled us up the hill and I would say the draw on the winch was considerable.

Real World Test

Up hill pull test.

The real test of a winch is in the real world. I had a chance to take the X2 out on the trails recently. One of the trails was blocked by a foot thick fallen tree. I got the front tires up and over but then high centered the bike on the tree. I rocked it back and forth but was unable to free it. I then remembered the winch and short time later freed myself with little effort.

Another trail took me down by a beaver pond. Beavers had cut a path across the trail by dragging logs. The cut had eroded due to the rain and water flow and was about three feet wide and a couple feet deep. I slowly approached and was able to get my front tire through and up the other side. The long wheelbase of the X2 dropped the rear wheels into the cut and high centered me again. It was an easy pull out for the winch but saved me considerable exertion.

A word about specifications and prices. Gorilla Winches are available in sizes from 2,000lbs up to 5, 000lbs for ATVs and larger size utility vehicles. At the time of this writing, the 2,500 lb winch I tested was running around $100 plus shipping for the winch and machine specific mounting bracket on Ebay. Certainly a bargain. Prices and specifications will vary according to the size of the winch.

There is an old adage that goes, “What do you do with an 800lb pet gorilla?” The answer of course is “anything he wants.” My 2500lb Gorilla Winch on the other hand, did everything I wanted it to do. I am confident that it will pull me and my ATV out of anything that I might run across. It certainly makes me more confident to have the means to free myself should I get stuck somewhere. If you are unable or unwilling to buy a winch because of the high cost of the name brand, you might want to consider getting your own pet Gorilla.

ATVFRONTIER.COM

Gorilla 3000lb. Pro-Series Winch - Part 1

Gorilla Winch Review: Part 1

Product Reviewed: Gorilla 3000lb. Pro-Series Winch (Installed on a Polaris Sportsman 500)
Reviewed by: Lewis Roberts (Lewy of ATVFRONTIER.com)

It has taken a few years of riding in the mountains of Colorado to finally convince me that having a winch on at least one of our ATV’s while off-roading the back country of the Rocky Mountains could prove to be a great benefit. While it is obvious that if you’re going too purposely ride through the worst mud holes or water areas sooner or later you’re going to get stuck and perhaps in such a way that being pulled out by another ATV is not an option. Personally I avoided these situations and so did most of the folks I ride with. Three years ago while riding the “Timberline Trail” in Taylor Park Colorado with my wife and son I finally realized that for the well being of all of us I should get a winch. The Timberline Trail is a notoriously narrow high mountain, rough, narrow, off-cambered, rutted, rocky, shelf trail switching back, up and down just above the timber between 10,000 and 11,000’ elevation. Access to the trail is by OHV only. My son 22 at the time was riding our 01 Polaris 400 Explorer. In a relatively mild section of the shelf trail his right rear tire strikes a large embedded stone on the high side of the trail pitching his ATV to the left and off the shelf throwing the ATV into a sideways roll down the slope. Fortunately for my son he bailed off and the ATV never made contact with him. I heard him yell and looked back to see the Explorer rolling over and over at least three times coming to rest on its side. The skid plate for the frame was against a tree about 30’ down from the shelf. The slope was so steep you needed to climb up using all fours. The ground conditions were soft mostly humus, mosses, light ground cover. Damage to the quad was remarkably light. The three of us could not even move the quad to right it let alone get it back up to the shelf trail. Luckily for us a large group of motorcycle riders (California Enduro Riders Club) were coming our way down the trail and the 10 of us managed to get the ATV right and back up to the trail. I was convinced then that a winch is a must have accessory.

I have received through ATV Frontier a winch from Gorilla Winches for purpose of product evaluation. I have installed this winch on our 2005 Polaris Sportsman 500 HO. For comparison purposes, I currently have a Warn 2000lb. winch mounted on my 2004 Sportsman 700 EFI.

The waterproof feature of this winch intrigued me and I felt it worthy of an evaluation. The winch sells for $183.99 and comes with a roller fairlead, adjustable handlebar mounted rocker switch, a universal mounting plate, and metric bolts. Available for an additional cost of $49.95 is a custom mounting plate for our Polaris Sportsman 500 and was included.

The specifications for the winch can be found HERE (along with a convenient comparison chart to the equivalent Warn brand winch).

PART 1: (Installation)
I read through the operations manual and the mounting instructions that came with the special Polaris mount. Everything seemed straight forward so I began the installation by removing the front cover above the center of the front bumper. The mounting instructions tell me to use the supplied “self-tapping bolts” to secure the winch/ mounting plate to the holes in the frame. Polaris has pre-punched holes for winch mounts and also has pre-wired. The bolts supplied however were not “self-tapping“ but rather 8mm flange head standard bolts. I either had to drill and tap the frame for these bolts or drill out the punched holes and use nuts/bolts. I opted for the latter. Attaching the winch to the mounting plate with the supplied 1’ hex bolts presented another small problem and that was that the bolts were about a 1/16th of an inch too long. They actually protruded through the winch frame and pushed the plastic cover up with a noticeable dent in the plastic. These two small glitches can be easily remedied (editors note: Gorilla found that a few early models of the 3000lb pro-series winch that were sent out for review had the incorrect bolts. This has been addressed and all winches now ship with the correct, self-tapping bolts)

Installing the winch/mounting plate as a unit into the front cab compartment was a squeeze to say the least. But with the aid of a flat bar and a little grinding on the front bumper plastic the unit went in. The Polaris front cover is not used once the winch is in place. The rest of the installation was a cinch. I mounted the contactor to the frame in the rear of the quad just above the gear case. There were two holes in the frame that were spaced apart just right for the mounting slots in the contactor so no drilling was required. I also used 5/16X 1 ½” bolt, nuts w/lock washers instead of the supplied 3mm bolts.

Contactor location (click to enlarge photo)

Hopefully this will prove to be a satisfactory location. The supplied zip ties for securing the wiring were weak and broke while tightening. I used some of my own instead with no problem. The rocker switch seems to be a nice unit with a fully adjustable mounting bracket. The switch itself is small and does not take up much room. I mounted it to the left side under the bar.

The hot wire to the switch I connected to the accessory outlet on the inside of the headlight/speedometer shell. With everything wired and installed it was ready for the test. The rocker switch worked great. Forward and reverse works fine and so does the free-wheel. I was a little bit concerned at first that possibly the location of the free wheel knob would make it hard to get a hand on it as it is recessed into the front cab, but it proved to be fine for me. If I had thick gloves on I probably would have to remove them to operate the free wheel knob.

Rocker switch location (click to enlarge photo)

The winch looks great when mounted. The quality of the mount is excellent. I like the large holes designed into the front plate to allow air to pass through the winch motor and on into the radiator. Through the installation stage of this review, I have been very impressed with quality of the Gorilla Winch.

Installed Gorilla Winch. Note freewheel knob is on the left side (click to enlarge photo)

This concludes Part 1 of our Gorilla Winch review. We have successfully installed the winch onto our Sportsman 500.

ATVnation.com 2007 Gorilla Winch Product Review.

If you are in the market for a new winch, and don’t want to fork out all the cash for a new name brand winch, then you might want to check out the line of Gorilla Winches (www.gorillawinches.com). They now have the Water Proof series, the Professional Series, the Outback series, and the Vehicle Recovery Systems.
After submerging my old Warn A2000 in countless mud holes, creeks, ponds, etc. and taking it apart to clean it out several times, it just gave out. Being on rides with a group and you are the only one without a winch and relying on others to have to winch up hills, turn around, then winch you up is a little inconvenient for everyone.
I purchased the LDW3500 which is the Outback Series , rated for 3500#. It has all metal internal components, a mechanical and dynamic brake, 1.3hp motor, 153:1 gear ratio, and a 7/32”x50’ wire rope. The kit also includes wires, handlebar mounted rocker switch, and a roller fairlead. I did not buy the ATV specific mounting plate, but on hindsight I wish I had spent the extra money for it. When I ordered it, a DHL tracking number came through to my email, and even though DHL wasn’t very speedy at updating its progress, they were speedy at delivering it in about 3 days.

What the winch didn’t come with: protective rubber boots for the leads at the winch, a remote switch, or very high quality bolts for mounting.

I figured I could use my Warn mounting plate…I couldn’t without modification. The mounting holes didn’t match up. The Warn fastens on the four corners, while the Gorilla mounts with two bolts directly under the cable drum.

The instructions said to not remove the universal mounting plate from the winch which was attached on the corners with Allen head screws, but I found that I could and after drilling holes in my Warn mounting plate I could put metric thread bolts through both plates for added stability. I used SAE Grade 8 bolts for the two middle bolts and the metrics were all Grade 8.8 (which is just a little less than a SAE Grade 5). The instructions also say to not mount the roller fairlead to the universal plate which is attached to the winch, but to mount it on the ATV Specific plate. I didn’t have the specific plate mentioned, and mounted the fairlead on the front of the universal plate…which on my quad I had to drill a couple of holes just a little lower than the pre-drilled ones due to clearance with my front guard. If I had the specific mount plate, it would have cleared with no problems. Basically if I had spent the extra money for the plate, all of the above problems that I had wouldn’t have existed, so they aren’t problems with the winch, just advising you to go ahead and buy the mounting plate specific to your ATV (unless you like spending countless extra hours drilling, lining things up, drilling again….)

The handlebar mounted rocker switch was easy to install. Following instructions I wrapped black tape around my handlebar where I mounted it to keep it from slipping, then positioned it, tightened up the screws and ran the wires.

I mounted the contactor in the only place that it could really fit, which was on the inside of the factory storage box underneath the rear fender – the only problem I had with this was that the cables provided weren’t long enough. I had to purchase some at the local auto parts store and splice them together. I also had to purchase some smaller gauge wire for the hot lead for the rocker switch which I connected to the contactor where the positive battery cable goes instead of a switched ignition source. Personal preference can be your guide on that – it depends on if you want the winch to work when the ignition isn’t on or only when the key is turned on.

After routing all my wires, I looked at the instructions on which wire to put where on the contactor (which didn’t exactly match the picture in the book), and did just as they said, but when I hooked the leads to my battery, I got a couple of arcs, and a very bad smell coming from either my battery or the contactor. I didn’t leave anything hooked up for long…double checked my wiring against the instructions, and I had done it just like they said. I contacted Gorilla Winches the next day via email telling them what happened, and without question they sent me another contactor. While I was on their website, I noticed a PDF of installation instructions, so I downloaded it and found that the contactor I had received had a different wiring setup. After waiting for another 3 days for DHL, they delivered my contactor (again, I was provided with a tracking number, but DHL didn’t update their system very well.) This time I used the instructions that I had found on their website, and everything worked…almost. The IN was OUT and the OUT was IN. There are a couple of simple solutions for this. I could reverse the two switch wires to the rocker switch, reverse the leads at the winch, or reverse the winch cables at the contactor. I chose to reverse them at the contactor….again, personal preference. DO NOT reverse your battery cables to the contactor (unless you like sparks, foul smells, the possibility of frying your contactor or quads electrical system, or even catching it on fire!)

The hook that was provided with the winch was a little hard to get through the end of the cable, they put some sort of protector in there, but I was able to get it in with a gentle smack of the hammer.

I took the quad and winch out after getting everything hooked up, tightened and cable tied to the frame, free spooled all of the wire out, and put tension on it to stretch it by hooking to a 4” steel pipe corner post of a fence. You could use a tree if you would like. I really liked how easy the knob on the winch turns from engage to free spool (with no tension on it of course.) Then I put the parking brake on at the brake lever, left the quad in reverse and running, then started to pull myself toward the fence with the winch. I never heard it strain as it dragged all 550+ lbs of the quad with me (250lbs) on top toward the fence. I did this for about 10-12 feet then got off so I could spool the cable back onto the drum with tension, but also guide it to avoid stacking the cable.

The GOOD: quality of the winch seems good and the power of the winch so far is great. Customer service, even though I haven’t spoken with them directly via phone is great. There is a 6 month NO HASSLE warranty on the winch. The NOT SO GOOD: not enough length of wire included with the kit, no rubber boots for the winch leads, instructions may or may not be correct with the contactor shipped (check the manufacturers or seller’s website for updates before connecting anything!)

My final thoughts of this winch are this. For the price I paid (which was around $140 from eBay – that included shipping from MN to TX) I got a good deal. I should have bought the specific mounting plate for this winch which costs around $50 more. It would have saved me a lot of headache. The good seems to definitely outweigh the not so good points of this winch and it is well worth the money spent if you need a winch but don’t want to spend about twice as much for a name brand.

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