How long did it take until you decided you needed a winch? Maybe you were thinking about it as you grabbed the keys, or maybe it hit you as soon as you got high-centered on a rock. Either way, having a winch is like carrying a pocketknife for your vehicle – it won’t always be necessary, but it’s nice to have just in case. Anvil Off-Road, a newer brand from the Holley family, is here to help you put on a new winch on a UTV with this recent video.
Using a 2011 Polaris RZR 800S, Holley’s Ray Frescas walks us through the process. After undoing the negative battery terminal, he goes after the front clip and removes the grille. The winch plate that came with the winch doesn’t fit, so a fabricated solution is made. Ray secures the plates to the frame with thread sealant, and then mounts the winch to the plates.
Using fabricated winch plates, Ray installs the Anvil winch onto the RZR.
With the winch done, Ray puts on the fairlead and feeds the winch rope through it. That takes care of the winch proper, but now it’s onto the wiring. Ray has to figure out where to put the solenoid, which is dictated by the length of cables. Fortunately, he has more than enough to work with. He attaches the terminals to the winch and then works his way toward the battery, located under the driver’s seat.
The fairlead mounts onto the RZR with four bolts.
Holes in the battery box allow for the solenoid cables, solenoid box, and switch cable to find a home. A locking connector for the switch makes it harder for the switch to become disconnected from simply driving over harsh terrain.
Ray works the cables underneath the RZR, dropping the belly pan to allow access. A drilled-out hole in the battery box will allow the cables to reach the battery, while smaller holes will allow for mounting points for the solenoid. Ray connects the cables to the solenoid, and the solenoid in turn connects to the battery. Now, it’s time for the switch.
Ray decides to put the switch near the steering wheel, offering easy access to the driver. He drills one more hole into the battery box and feeds the switch’s cable through. Here, we see the special locking connector made for the switch, designed to stay together even during harsh off-road driving. Back at the steering wheel, Ray inserts the switch’s mounting bracket, which has been bent 90 degrees to fit into the small space. He then installs the switch, wires up the negative battery terminal, installs the cable hook, and that completes the job.
The winch gets put to good use out in the woods.
Testing in the woods shows the winch is more than capable. Ray finds an incline that the RZR can’t get up, and puts the Anvil winch to good use. We see Ray using the wireless remote as the winch tugs the RZR slowly up; even with Ray inside, adding weight to the RZR, the Anvil winch has no trouble.
Winches aren’t just for dedicated 4x4s like Jeeps or trucks – UTVs can use them just as much, if not more so. Installing one, as we’ve seen, is even easier, thanks to the smaller form factor and compact nature of a UTV. If you’re curious now, go check out more of Anvil’s products on its website and Facebook page.
