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New Product Review - Warn Provantage Winch

Written By: 
Staff

vendor.2013.warn.provantage3500winch.JPGAnyone who has ever tried a Polaris Ranger 800 can tell you it’s a fantastic machine.  We’ve even named it Side x Side of the year in its class several times.  Accessories can make an already great vehicle even better, however, and to complement the working capabilities of our trusty Ranger 800, we decided it was time to add a front winch.  

A winch can be a handy tool for work around the farm or yard, but when far out in the woods, like we often are when trail riding or hunting, a winch can quickly become a rescue machine.  It can save you from a night out in the cold or a walk home in the dark.  WARN has winches of every size and ability for everything from military vehicles to our ATVs, and they certainly had one ready for our trusty Ranger 800.  A quick call to the WARN toll free number and a conversation with a knowledgeable rep. had their recommended PROVANTAGE winch on the way, and a couple days later we were ready for our Saturday morning installation project.

The Provantage 3500 

The ProVantage 3500 winch was specifically designed for the loads of a UTV like our Polaris Ranger 800.  All the ProVantage winches come with a permanent magnet motor, a smooth, reliable three-stage planetary gear train and metal gear housing, an easy-to-use clutch control dial, excellent seals to keep the grit and water out, and a patented roller disc brake for excellent control while winching.  All parts are coated or plated for corrosion protection, including the hooks.  They also come with a limited lifetime warranty on winch mechanical parts and a three year warranty on electrical parts.  vendor.2013.warn.provantage3500winch.pulling.tree.JPG

Our new Warn winch arrived in perfect shape and we opened the box to find the parts and a set of instructions.  We began by removing the front bumper from our Ranger 800 which made it much easier to fit the winch in place.  We also removed the plastic, center mounted, winch hole cover plate from our bumper since it would no longer be needed.  When installing the mounting bolts, it’s best to only hand tighten them at first to make sure everything is aligned correctly, and then fully tighten down when everything is in the perfect position.  Reinstall the bumper after all the hardware is in place.

Installing the Warn winch is easy enough but it also needs a power source.  We are sticklers for making the job look as professional as possible, and that means routing the wires neatly.  Again, Warn supplies a helpful wiring diagram.  The key to installing the winch is carefully laying out the wires so they are not in the way of moving parts or exposed to anything that could cause damage.  On the Ranger 800, we were able to hide the wires very well, using plenty of zip ties to keep everything in place.  

We really like the winch location.  It’s mounted at just the right height for most conditions, and we won’t have to fish it out of the mud when we need it.vendor.2013.warn.provantage3500winch.hook.JPG

Installation Hints & Tips

We needed only a few common tools to install our ProVantage 3500 winch such as metric sockets and zip ties to hold everything in place, but an extra set of hands makes the job much easier.  Have a buddy help you out.  Total installation time was a little over two hours.  Our only real complaint with the kit is the instructions.  The pictures and pages look as if they were produced in the 70’s and considering how well the winch is designed, WARN needs a better set of instructions and pictures to match.  The instructions don’t match the quality of the product, and better instructions would make the job easier.   

Field Tested

We were very pleased with this product.  The Warn winch is precision built, there are no sharp edges or burrs, and it’s super tough.  All holes are already in place, it’s plated for corrosion protection and it looks GREAT!  The Warn ProVantage 3500 winch is definitely a handy tool and we’re glad to have one on our Ranger 800.vendor.2013.warn.provantage3500winch.install.JPG

Warn Provantage Winch  – The Bottom Line

Did it arrive in good shape?YES

Good instructions on how to install or use? NEEDS BETTER INSTRUCTIONS

Any special tools required for installation? METRIC SOCKETS

How long did it take to install? 2-1/2 Hours

Any tips or tricks you have for install? HAVE A BUDDY HELP

How well does it work? EXCELLENT

Durability? EXCELLENT

Does it seem like a quality product? YES

Does it offer good value for the money? YES

Other? REMOTE CONTROL WORKS WELL

WARN www.warn.com

800-543-9276

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