Axel Alley (Martinez) 03-13-10
PROMARK OFFROAD Winch hits the Mark
By Don McNeilly
We installed a PROMARK OFFROAD 4500 LB winch on the new Polaris RZR4. The RZR4 is the largest side by side on the market to date so we wanted to fit it with a powerful winch just in case we ran into a situation where we needed some help in the outback. Fortunately we usually do run into a situation where we do need a winch when we are out testing new machines in extreme conditions.
When our new ProMark Outback 4500 lb winch arrived we couldn’t wait to get it out of the box and install it on our Polaris RZR4. The kit came well packed in a bright blue box packed very securely. The kit came with everything we needed to mount and wire the Promark Outback winch including all the color coated wiring, a contactor, roller fair lead with hook and even a rocker switch. We chose not to install the rocker switch because the kit also included an outstanding hand held rocker switch with a 10 foot cable. We also ordered a mounting plate specifically made for the RZR4 for an extra $49.99.
After reading over the instructions we got out the tools and went to work. It was pretty straight forward as far how to go about the instillation although we found it was easier to take a few extra parts off to make the install even smoother. Make sure you align all the bolts on the winch plate and make sure you have the winch line coming out of the bottom of the spool before you tighten everything down.
After securing the winch it was time to run the wires. We decided to take off the front skid plate and run the wires from the winch alongside the wires coming out of the dash down under the frame and up beside the battery box that is located under the driver’s seat. For added protection we put the cable wires inside heavy plastic tubing we just happened to have. A little dielectric grease helps feed the cables through the tubing. You do not have to do this step but we like to have added protection whenever possible. This ended up being a very secure way to run the wires and it is very simple to take off the skid plate. We also drilled a hole about 3 inches off the floor to mount the 10 foot rocker switch cable. The hardest thing to do was to slide the cable through what I call a hockey puck to protect it as it comes in contact with the fairlead, Once again some dielectric grease is very helpful. After hooking everything up we tested the winch and it worked the 1st time.
The winch looks great and is now ready to hit the trails to see how it performs.
Jeff Christ, one of our test riders and I headed out to one of our favorite rock crawling areas to see if we could find an area to work out the ProMark Outback 4500 lb winch. We have had an unusually wet year in the deserts of Arizona so as we head out we are running through the washes with water up to our floorboards. I was climbing over some boulders and just happened to get high centered. I had no traction what so ever. No problem, we just pulled out the winch cable hooked it to out strap around a rock and pulled the RSR4 over the rocks with ease. I guess the waterproof housing did its job quite well.
Off in search of bigger obstacles. We went up a trail known for some steep loose climbs. There was no way we could make it up the rock face under just the power of the machine. We hooked up the cable again to a strap and pulled the approx. 1500 pound machine up the rock face without any hesitation at all. This winch is amazing to be able to pull this much dead weight almost straight up a rock wall. I was very impressed with the smooth consistent pull even with the uneven wall. We tried the winch in several places and found no weakness at all. I especially like the 10 foot corded remote cable.
At a cost of $279.00 for the ProMark Offroad Outback 4500 pound winch and $49.99 for the custom winch plate we found this to be an excellent value for an outstanding product.
Five stars.
Read MoreBy Don McNeilly
We installed a PROMARK OFFROAD 4500 LB winch on the new Polaris RZR4. The RZR4 is the largest side by side on the market to date so we wanted to fit it with a powerful winch just in case we ran into a situation where we needed some help in the outback. Fortunately we usually do run into a situation where we do need a winch when we are out testing new machines in extreme conditions.
When our new ProMark Outback 4500 lb winch arrived we couldn’t wait to get it out of the box and install it on our Polaris RZR4. The kit came well packed in a bright blue box packed very securely. The kit came with everything we needed to mount and wire the Promark Outback winch including all the color coated wiring, a contactor, roller fair lead with hook and even a rocker switch. We chose not to install the rocker switch because the kit also included an outstanding hand held rocker switch with a 10 foot cable. We also ordered a mounting plate specifically made for the RZR4 for an extra $49.99.
After reading over the instructions we got out the tools and went to work. It was pretty straight forward as far how to go about the instillation although we found it was easier to take a few extra parts off to make the install even smoother. Make sure you align all the bolts on the winch plate and make sure you have the winch line coming out of the bottom of the spool before you tighten everything down.
After securing the winch it was time to run the wires. We decided to take off the front skid plate and run the wires from the winch alongside the wires coming out of the dash down under the frame and up beside the battery box that is located under the driver’s seat. For added protection we put the cable wires inside heavy plastic tubing we just happened to have. A little dielectric grease helps feed the cables through the tubing. You do not have to do this step but we like to have added protection whenever possible. This ended up being a very secure way to run the wires and it is very simple to take off the skid plate. We also drilled a hole about 3 inches off the floor to mount the 10 foot rocker switch cable. The hardest thing to do was to slide the cable through what I call a hockey puck to protect it as it comes in contact with the fairlead, Once again some dielectric grease is very helpful. After hooking everything up we tested the winch and it worked the 1st time.
The winch looks great and is now ready to hit the trails to see how it performs.
Jeff Christ, one of our test riders and I headed out to one of our favorite rock crawling areas to see if we could find an area to work out the ProMark Outback 4500 lb winch. We have had an unusually wet year in the deserts of Arizona so as we head out we are running through the washes with water up to our floorboards. I was climbing over some boulders and just happened to get high centered. I had no traction what so ever. No problem, we just pulled out the winch cable hooked it to out strap around a rock and pulled the RSR4 over the rocks with ease. I guess the waterproof housing did its job quite well.
Off in search of bigger obstacles. We went up a trail known for some steep loose climbs. There was no way we could make it up the rock face under just the power of the machine. We hooked up the cable again to a strap and pulled the approx. 1500 pound machine up the rock face without any hesitation at all. This winch is amazing to be able to pull this much dead weight almost straight up a rock wall. I was very impressed with the smooth consistent pull even with the uneven wall. We tried the winch in several places and found no weakness at all. I especially like the 10 foot corded remote cable.
At a cost of $279.00 for the ProMark Offroad Outback 4500 pound winch and $49.99 for the custom winch plate we found this to be an excellent value for an outstanding product.
Five stars.
