|
By: Ray Barnard
Viper Winch "Got ‘R Done!"
Awesome!
Viper Winch 3000 |
I finally got the opportunity to try out the
Viper 3000 winch that was sent to me by Moto
Alliance for testing. I just couldn't seem "to
get the ball rolling" in my part of the woods
when I needed to.
Access to property where the winch could be
used was the primary reason that I had to put
off the testing. However, when I was afforded
the access opportunity, I couldn't have been
happier with a product.
After some difficulty on my part (it didn't
have anything to do with the winch) in trying to
mount the winch on my ATV (I already had a winch
on my bike), I opted to mount it on a friend's
old, but reliable, Honda ATV.
How did it perform you might ask?
Have you ever seen a "Cheshire Cat" grin?
You would have seen one on my friend as he
and I put the winch to task.
The only thing that limited this winch was
the lightweight ATV.
We moved some sizeable tree trunks with this
winch, and one of those tree trunks was a "doozy."
We tried a tree-saver strap, along with a
shackle and the snatch block, to pull the
aforementioned large log, and it could have
pulled the log with no problem. The only problem
we encountered with this setup, as I said
before, was the lightweight ATV and not having
an opportunity to wedge the ATV against a tree
or log for leverage.
Winching a large tree limb. |
This winch will pull with the best of them,
and the fiber cable proved to be as strong,
Viper says stronger, plus a lot easier to handle
than the steel cable that you see on most
winches. All you have to do is put the winch in
"free spool," pull the cable out, attach it to
what you want to move, re-engage the gear, and
this winch will move it.
This winch also just exudes quality.
Everything about it looks good, and the mounting
instructions were easy to follow.
The Viper Max has about everything a person
could want in a winch. The package includes the
winch, the wiring, a mounting plate, roller
fairlead, a handlebar mount switch, and a remote
switch with wiring. Also, there is a snatch
block that comes with it.
Purchase a shackle or two and a tree saver strap
and you've got it all.
If you go to Tractor Supply or an ATV
dealership to buy a snatch block, it will be in
the seventy dollar category, or almost a third
of what the Viper would cost in its entirety.
There were only two small things I wondered
about when my friends and I mounted this winch.
No rubber boots were supplied to cover the
wire connections when attached to the winch.
Also, I had a two-bolt set-up for mounting the
roller fairlead and was provided with one bolt
and three nuts with which to attach it. However,
in my community there is a fastener store that
can provide you with just about any type of nut,
bolt, screw or anything else you might need for
fastening or mounting just about anything you
would want to name. You can take an old bolt or
nut into the store, and they will match it.
Sometimes they can match the fastener exactly,
but at other times it might be a different
length or color, but will still suffice to put
one back in the mounting business.
With the obvious quality of the Viper unit, I
would have to wonder why anyone would pay twice
the price for another brand of winch when they
could have this one.
How about customer service?
Winching a large log. |
The Moto Alliance website stresses customer
satisfaction.
I, at this point in time, would have no
knowledge of this benefit, but as time goes by
and the winch is used for other things, I might
have a reason to find out.
Do I anticipate having to use customer
service?
No! As I said, this preliminary test of the
winch has proved to be a pleasure, and I just
can't foresee anything going wrong with it for
years. Only time will tell.
Check these winches out. If you don't have a
winch, it is a relatively inexpensive way to
obtain a quality unit. Even if your "other"
winch fails, this winch will be much lighter on
your pocketbook; and the quality is there.
An old Alka Seltzer commercial used to use
the line: "Try it, you'll like it!" and I am
sure you will.
|
