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Review on ๐Ÿ๏ธ Enhance Your Polaris Sportsman ATV with Extreme Max 5600.3160 Winch Mount! by Jeff Jackson

Revainrating 2 out of 5

Extreme Max Winch Mount

Bought for my 17 Polaris Sportsman 570 to install a Badlands (Hbr Frt) 3500# winch. My installation experience has been mixed, so here are my observations. Seems solid and reasonably stiff, although the bracket is thinner than the mounting plate that came with the winch. I didn't use a winch mounting plate; there is no place for it (am I missing something?). There are only four screw holes on the winch for ground mounting, the other two on the lower front can be used for other applications. Fairlead comes standard and is aligned directly to the front of the mount. Pros: The mounting holes match up well. Either the mount itself is too wide or the hole in the frame is narrow, but I had to pry the hole in the quad frame a bit to push it in and tickle it with a 1# hammer. Overall good as there is absolutely no play or wobble. The build and finish is top notch as long as the nuts remain intact. I'm hoping it's strong enough to handle the torque generated when winching and I'm sure until I see otherwise I wouldn't have installed it. Cons: Instructions: Although this was a mount for my bike, the instructions don't mention my handlebars, so I was initially worried they sent me the wrong block or ordered it wrong. Regardless of your quad, instructions, pictures, everything about it was basically useless. It is good that the installation is common sense. I set up the winch to hang instead of sitting in the bracket. So if I did it wrong, the instructions didn't give an exact clue because the bracket appears both ways. This looked like it would fit better, but if I had messed it up I would be grateful if someone could comment on this as this is not a procedure I want to repeat. Speaking of repeating the process, I think it is a HUGE omission by Extreme Max that after installing this bracket there is no access to the front diff filler plug. So if I check/change the oil in the front differential, the winch and bracket assembly will need to be removed and reinstalled. Remember to do a step drill (bit) on the back and make an access hole. Anyone else have any ideas? Conclusion: overall great fit and workmanship. Strong. skintight The instructions are completely ineffective, no help. You will need a port through the rear panel to access this front diff connector. Update: Downgraded to two stars. My comment about accessing the front diff filler plug is not true. No room for an access port, the node would still have to be removed to access the connector, but I'm open to other solutions that others might find. I removed and installed the bracket and winch upright instead of upside down (two more hours due to being tight I had to spread the frame mounting plates to install them). This caused the back of the mounting bracket to make hard contact with the lower wheel radiator tank. The only option is to use the winch upside down without resting on the base plate, which is unacceptable to me, or use a different mount.

Pros
  • Lots of positive vibes
Cons
  • No power