dirty little winch!

[xela456]

I'd really like to put a winch one my 250es a hand crank but i have a couple questions!
i have seen a few in photos mounted on the front rack which makes me wonder are the 4 bolts really enough to pull the machine out of the ditch? what winch would be best for this?
ALso
my front rack is thrashed from a rollover by a prior owner anyone have one for sale? i could find one on ebay but they are over priced usually!

tell me how you really feel lol

[dougspcs]

I love the mud!!! The thing I like about the 250es is the fact it goes thru a lot of it. If you get stuck, often time you can get out yourself. But in those cases when I get really stuck my brother and I can get it out together. I never mud bog alone..

If I ever got my ES so stuck that 2 guys couldn't get it out, I sure wouldn't want a winch pulling from the front rack with only 4 bolts holding it on..damage would likely occur.

Also I question how the weight of the winch sitting on the rack would change the balance of the steering..strap a cooler with a dozen beer onto the front rack you'll see what I mean..

Save your money for killer tires! That will make a bigger difference of how much you need a winch or not!

[xela456]

lol i had a feeling i would get an answer like that. i never thought of the way it would change the balance. i'm sure it would be an even bigger difference with an electric winch like i've seen in some photos. lol i guess i was looking for a little insurance! on another note since we've spoken in all my threads so far, i'm really thinking on getting those itp mud lites they seem to be the most touted tire out there. ever run those they sound fast and light as advertised.
also as i've said my front rack has been thrashed since i bought it so i really have never had the pleasure of strapping a cooler to it and heading down the trail, nor have i ever had the pleasure of having a stock removable headlight!

[dougspcs]

I have some ITP Mudlites on my 350x..they are decent. If you are into trail riding with a bit of mud thrown in you'll like them.

But if serious mud bogging is in your future, I'd look a bit meaner.

Consider the Bear Claws!!

[kebby28]

The bear claws are nice mud tires. I love them. They are heavy but that doesnt bother me.

I put a super winch 2000 on my 200es. Mounted it to the 4 holes on the front rack. Works great. I gently pulled myself over a stone wall, pulled my buddys 250es out of a mud hole by tossing him the cable, (niether of us had to stand in the mud and get our boots wet or use any energy :) ) I don't notice any imbalance. Its a handy tool to have out there, I have no complaints except I might get a nicer winch. Mine was only $80 and its kinda cheap...

[xela456]

well the solo nature of my riding leads me to generally avoid the serious mud bogging. i recently spent about 30 minutes getting myself out of a silt-trap on the bank of a near by creek and i dont know for sure if the largest pair of silverbacks i could buy would have gotten me any farther. what i needed was 3 wheel drive!
the mud was soupy causing quite the vacuum on my tires i had to use some reverse to break that and lift the trike up and throw logs and rocks beneath the rears. after that it was an allout push from up front while running the throttle. What a pain!!! you know how when you realize your stuck, your as stuck as you possibly could be!!!
the bear claws look good to me but they arent at rocky mountain in 26x12x12x only 26x11x12.
i realize what i would like is a fairly aggressive trail tire. and as you've suggested to me in the past i'm wanting to go with the 26x12x12's and in that size the mudlites seem to fit the bill, you brought up a good point with the executioners and i've read some pretty horrid reviews of them being sized below advertized and power robbingly heavy.
right now i run a 25x13x9 in 26x11x12 they have a duro buffalo which looks pretty good! and is pretty light also. but do you think 11 is a little too narrow?

[xela456]

The bear claws are nice mud tires. I love them. They are heavy but that doesnt bother me.

I put a super winch 2000 on my 200es. Mounted it to the 4 holes on the front rack. Works great. I gently pulled myself over a stone wall, pulled my buddys 250es out of a mud hole by tossing him the cable, (niether of us had to stand in the mud and get our boots wet or use any energy :) ) I don't notice any imbalance. Its a handy tool to have out there, I have no complaints except I might get a nicer winch. Mine was only $80 and its kinda cheap...

like i said i guess i'm mostly just looking to get that little bit of insurance since i mostly ride solo. if i can find a rack in decent shape i may reinforce it a bit. as for the steering imbalance if i find a winch for cheap and buy it i can just rig it up with wing nuts so i can store it on the rear rack until that situation comes along!

[barnett468]

Hello

Since not all of us ride with our brother or a friend I personally think you have a sound idea. Nothing like getting stuck and having to walk however far...

In addition to reinforcing the rack like you want I would also run grade 8 mounting hardware for the rack to body and rack to winch etc.

You could also just strap a come along and tie down to the rack and use that.

I think Kebby's post was useful.


Hope this info helps

[dougspcs]

well the solo nature of my riding leads me to generally avoid the serious mud bogging. i recently spent about 30 minutes getting myself out of a silt-trap on the bank of a near by creek and i dont know for sure if the largest pair of silverbacks i could buy would have gotten me any farther. what i needed was 3 wheel drive!
the mud was soupy causing quite the vacuum on my tires i had to use some reverse to break that and lift the trike up and throw logs and rocks beneath the rears. after that it was an allout push from up front while running the throttle. What a pain!!! you know how when you realize your stuck, your as stuck as you possibly could be!!!
the bear claws look good to me but they arent at rocky mountain in 26x12x12x only 26x11x12.
i realize what i would like is a fairly aggressive trail tire. and as you've suggested to me in the past i'm wanting to go with the 26x12x12's and in that size the mudlites seem to fit the bill, you brought up a good point with the executioners and i've read some pretty horrid reviews of them being sized below advertized and power robbingly heavy.
right now i run a 25x13x9 in 26x11x12 they have a duro buffalo which looks pretty good! and is pretty light also. but do you think 11 is a little too narrow?

My brother wanted the Executioners so I got him the 25x10x12. They do seem small, but that is compared to my over sized Mud Sharks. But they will still kick a lot of azz for him..

11" is fine!!

Get a riding buddy..I worry about a guy out in the bush thumping along by himself. Flip a trike and hurt yourself or get hopelessly stuck and you got problems..

I'm sure you're careful and as I do on the rare occasion I go for a spin alone I don't push the limits like I do with my brother, but still crap can happen when you're alone!!

Be safe!!

[tri again]

Being stuck AND hurt is a bad combo.

I like that idea of a comealong and hook it to the trailer hitch.
When I get stuck, I'm usually going forward so backing out may make sense.

[Larry T Moore]

I had an 86 Big Red and we mounted a little winch on the back...figured it was just as easy to get pulled back out as through...we had the winch mounted on a plate with a pin so it sat on the trailer hitch....made it easier to help friends out too

[xela456]

i really need my priorities in order lol anyone got a front rack for a 250es for sale?