There are several different kinds of ATV winch mounts on the market today, including universal, custom, and hitch receiver mounts. Which type of winch mount is the best? That depends on several different factors: how much you want to customize your mount, how you plan to use your winch, and how much you want to spend.
The first type of mount plate is universal. It’s made to fit “pretty good” on just about any ATV make and model. If you’re expecting a perfect fit, you might get it and you might not.
The most important factor to consider when you’re looking for a universal mount plate is the bolt pattern. Most ATV winches use a 2 or 4-bolt pattern. Measure the distance between the bolts to make sure the mount will fit your winch.
You can drill extra holes if you need to, but the more holes you drill, the weaker the plate will be, so measure twice and then drill. If you like doing custom work and you’re looking for a cheap winch mount, a universal ATV mount is the way to go.
If you’re looking for a custom fit, model-specific winch mounts are more up your alley. Each ATV model is designed a bit differently, and the mounting space for the winch varies in size and shape.
Custom winch plates are specifically tailored to fit a specific quad model. They’re a bit more expensive, but the payoff is that they take little to no modification, which makes for a quick and easy installation.
If you want the ability to move your winch from front to rear, you may want to consider a hitch receiver mount. It’s cheaper to buy one winch and a hitch mount than to buy two winches, and with quick connect wiring, it’s easy to move the winch from front to rear and back again.
If you get stuck in a situation where you can’t pull out from the front, you can always move the winch to the back. With the right setup, you can even move it from one ATV to another. You can also take it off altogether when you don’t need it.
Each type of winch mount has its advantages and disadvantages. You decide which mount will work best for your ATV.
