Plows & Winches – RV Trader Accessories Store

A winch is the most useful piece of insurance you can put on an ATV or UTV - and in winter, it doubles as the mechanism that makes plow operation possible. Whether you're recovering from a mud hole on the trail, pulling logs off a fire road, or using your machine to plow a driveway or property, getting the right winch matched to your machine and the job changes what you can actually do with it.

This collection carries over 700 in-stock winches, plow actuators, cables, ropes, mounts, and accessories from KFI, Viper, SuperATV, Bronco, and Elektric Offroad - covering ATV, UTV, and SXS applications across the most popular makes and models. Every vehicle-specific kit includes a mount designed for your machine, so the installation is a bolt-on rather than a fabrication job.

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Winches: Brands and What They're Built For

KFI Winches

KFI (Kolpin Fuels & Industries) is one of the most widely used ATV and UTV winch brands in the market, and the largest single brand in this collection with over 370 products. KFI winches use cast aluminum and durable steel construction, water-resistant seals, and a standard 4-hole mounting pattern that fits their model-specific mount plates.

The KFI lineup in this collection spans the full range of working applications:

ATV Series (2,500-3,000 lb) - Designed for standard ATVs doing recovery, trail riding, and light utility work. All-metal 3-stage planetary gear drive, 12V DC permanent magnet motor, handlebar-mounted mini-rocker control switch. The 2,500 lb rating is the most common size for recreational ATV use and ATV snow plowing.

UTV Series (3,500-4,500 lb) - Scaled up for heavier UTVs and side-by-sides. Same planetary gear architecture with increased rated pull, available in standard and wide-body mount configurations for UTVs with wider frame spacing. Includes both a handlebar-mounted rocker switch and a 14-foot corded hand-held remote.

Assault Series (2,500-5,000 lb) - KFI's performance winch line, available in both steel cable and synthetic rope options up to 3,500 lbs, and synthetic rope only at 5,000 lbs. The Assault Series combo kits pair the winch with a vehicle-specific mount in a single purchase, the cleanest way to set up a winch on a supported machine.

All KFI winches include a roller fairlead, heavy-duty electric contactor for electrical system protection, and detailed installation instructions. A vehicle-specific mount must be purchased separately unless you're buying a combo kit.

Viper Winches

Viper covers the 3,000-6,000 lb segment with over 315 vehicle-specific combo kits in this collection - each pairing the winch body with the correct mount for a specific make, model, and year. Viper Midnight Series winches feature composite housing, all-steel planetary gears, stainless steel hardware, and a mechanical load-holding automatic brake that is specifically recommended for plow use. The automatic brake prevents the plow from creeping down during operation - a practical detail that matters when the winch is holding a plow in the angled position repeatedly over hours of work.

Viper combos available in both steel cable and synthetic Dyneema rope. Both include a roller or aluminum hawse fairlead (matched to the line type), contactor and wiring, rocker handlebar switch, clevis hook, and all mounting hardware. Viper backs every winch with a 1-year warranty.

Vehicle coverage in the Viper lineup includes Polaris Ranger (400 through 1000), Can-Am Maverick and Maverick Max, Kawasaki Teryx KRX 1000, Honda Talon, John Deere Gator XUV series, Arctic Cat 400/500/650, and Suzuki King Quad 400, among others.

SuperATV, Bronco, and Elektric Offroad

SuperATV carries winch accessories and replacement components suited for high-performance UTV builds where the winch is part of a broader front end or bumper upgrade.

Bronco covers 14 products across winch accessories and plow components - appropriate for riders building out a complete front-end plow system who need compatible accessory hardware.

Elektric Offroad brings a specific and premium focus: lightweight billet aluminum front winch bumpers for the Polaris RZR Pro R and Turbo R (2022-2024), available in clear and black anodized finishes. The Volt Series and standard billet options provide a purpose-built front mount and bumper integrated for a clean factory-finish winch installation on one of the most popular high-performance sport UTVs.

Steel Cable vs. Synthetic Rope: What to Choose

Every winch in this collection offers a choice between steel cable and synthetic rope (Dyneema). The right choice depends on how you use the machine.

Steel cable is the traditional option and remains well-suited for utility and plow applications where the line will repeatedly contact edges, rocks, or abrasive surfaces. Steel is more resistant to abrasion damage and doesn't absorb water, which matters in wet or frozen conditions. It's also less expensive. The trade-off: steel cable stores significant tension energy under load - if it fails, the snap-back is violent and potentially dangerous. Steel cable requires a roller fairlead and should be inspected regularly for fraying or kinking. Never handle a loaded steel cable without gloves.

Synthetic rope (Dyneema) is lighter, significantly easier to handle, and stores far less energy under tension than steel - if it fails, it typically falls rather than snapping back. Synthetic is safer to handle in a recovery situation, easier to spool evenly on the drum, and doesn't develop the sharp broken strands ("fishhooks") that make steel hazardous to handle. It requires an aluminum hawse fairlead rather than a roller fairlead. Synthetic is the right choice for most recreational and trail use.

For plow-specific use: steel cable handles repeated contact with mounting hardware and frozen surfaces without degradation. Many experienced plow operators run a short synthetic line for the plow control connection and keep longer steel cable on the drum for recovery.

ATV and UTV Snow Plows and Actuators

Do You Need a Winch for an ATV Snow Plow?

Most ATV and UTV plow systems are winch-operated - the winch controls blade lift, angle, and down-pressure through a cable connection. A winch-operated plow uses your existing winch with a short cable routed to the plow blade, making the plow system compatible with any machine that already has a winch installed.

Electrically actuated plow systems are the alternative. Rather than using the winch cable to lift and angle the blade, an electric linear actuator extends and retracts to control blade position. Actuator-operated systems offer more precise blade control, can be operated independently of the winch, and are common on higher-end UTV plow setups.

KFI Plow Actuators

KFI Pro 2.0 and standard actuator kits in this collection are the electric actuator systems for UTV plow control:

KFI Pro 2.0 UTV Plow Actuator (ACT203) - The standard electric linear actuator for KFI's plow blade lineup. Controls blade lift via electric motor rather than the winch, allowing the winch to remain available for recovery while the plow is in operation.

KFI Actuator Kit with Hardware for UTV Machines with Tracks - Configured specifically for track-equipped UTVs, where the plow mount geometry and actuator routing differ from wheeled machine configurations.

What Size Winch for an ATV Snow Plow?

For a standard ATV pulling a 48"-60" plow blade, a 2,500 lb winch is adequate for winch-operated plow lift and angle control. The winch in a plow application is doing far less work than a recovery pull - it's lifting and holding a plow blade, not extracting a stuck machine from mud. The Viper's automatic brake is specifically valuable here because it holds the blade in position without the winch motor staying energized.

For larger UTV plow setups on machines over 700cc with 60"+ blades, a 3,000-4,500 lb winch provides the additional holding power needed and offers a safety margin for occasional recovery use while the plow is mounted.

Plow Mounts, Winch Mounts, and Accessories

Plow mounts - Front push tubes and frame connections that attach the plow blade to the machine. Vehicle-specific plow mounts ensure the blade centers correctly in front of the machine and transfers push load to the frame rather than the front bumper.

Winch mounts - Model-specific plates that position the winch on the front of the machine with correct fairlead alignment. Using a universal mount plate on a machine with a specific-fit option available creates alignment issues and a less clean installation.

Cables and ropes - Replacement and extension winch lines in steel and synthetic, in the correct diameter and length for ATV and UTV winch drums.

Winch accessories - Fairleads (roller and aluminum hawse), wireless remote upgrade kits for KFI winches with contractor-style wiring, extended wiring harnesses for 4-seat machines where the battery is in the rear, and mounting hardware.

FAQ

Do you need a winch for an ATV snow plow? Most ATV plow systems are winch-operated - the winch cable lifts and angles the blade. If your ATV doesn't have a winch, you'll need to install one before most plow systems will work. A 2,500 lb winch is adequate for plow lift control on a standard ATV with a 48"-60" blade. If you want independent plow control without using the winch cable, the KFI electric actuator kits are the alternative.

What size winch do I need for an ATV snow plow? A 2,500 lb rated winch covers the plow lift and angle work on most ATV-sized machines. The winch rating in plow use refers to holding and positioning load, not recovery load - a 2,500 lb winch is more than sufficient to lift a 60-80 lb plow blade repeatedly. Size up to 3,500-4,500 lb if you also want the winch available for mud recovery while the plow is mounted.

What is the difference between a winch combo kit and a standalone winch? A combo kit bundles the winch with a vehicle-specific mount plate and includes all hardware needed to bolt the assembly to your exact make and model. A standalone winch includes a universal mount plate that requires a separately purchased model-specific mount. Combo kits are the cleaner and faster approach when your machine is supported.

Should I choose steel cable or synthetic rope? Synthetic rope is safer and more practical for most recreational and trail riding use - it's lighter, easier to handle, and drops rather than snapping back if it fails under load. Steel cable is more resistant to abrasion and is better suited for utility work, plow applications with repeated contact with hardware, and icy or wet conditions where synthetic can freeze. Both are available in the winch kits in this collection.

How do I hook up a winch to a plow on an ATV? On a winch-operated plow system, a short control cable runs from the winch's hook to the plow lift arm or angle pin. When the winch reels in, the blade lifts or angles; when it pays out, the blade drops. The specific routing depends on your plow mount system's design - KFI plow kits include instruction for routing the cable connection. For actuator-operated systems, the actuator replaces the cable and connects electrically to the machine's wiring rather than to the winch.

What vehicles are covered by the winch combos in this collection? Viper combo kits in this collection cover Polaris Ranger (400, 425, 500, 570, 1000, Brutus), Polaris RZR (XP, Turbo), Can-Am Maverick and Maverick Max, Kawasaki Teryx KRX 1000, Honda Talon 1000R, John Deere Gator XUV (550, 835, 855, 865 series), Arctic Cat (400, 500, 650), and Suzuki King Quad 400. KFI combo kits extend further into Polaris, Honda, and John Deere fitments. Use the fitment filter above to find kits confirmed for your specific year and model.

Ready to gear up your machine? Browse the full Plows & Winches collection above and use the vehicle fitment filter to find combo kits matched to your ATV or UTV. For complete powersports gear, explore the ATV parts and accessories and UTV parts and accessories collections - and the Rugged Radio communication kits if you're setting up a full trail or work machine.

Hauling your machine to the trail or worksite? Search toy haulers on RVTrader.com to find a rig that fits your setup.