What Is an ATV Winch Mount?

An all-terrain vehicle (ATV) is often fitted with a winch to aid in pulling the machine from a location where it has become stuck. An ATV winch mount is used to fasten a winch onto the ATV in a manner that will not damage the ATV. Commonly mounted onto the chassis of the vehicle, an ATV winch mount disperses the stress of the winch across a wide area of the chassis so that no single area receives too much stress. In some instances, an ATV winch mount provides both front and rear winch mounting to aid in any type of misfortune the vehicle becomes involved in.

Due to the nature of the ATV, many riders become stuck in deep mud, steep obstacles and snow. A winch allows the rider to fasten a cable to a solid structure to assist the machine in getting out of trouble by pulling as the rider applies throttle at the same time. The ATV winch mount provides a place for the winch to be mounted where factory engineers have determined it will give the optimum in performance. The positioning of the winch on the ATV winch mount is decided upon using angles and stress identifiers to determine the optimum pulling placement of the winch cable.

Manufactured of high-grade steel, an ATV winch mount is typically designed to attach to bolts that already exist on the machine's chassis. This prevents having to drill through the chassis and risk weakening the steel or damaging an unseen component within the framework. There are some mounts that are manufactured of stainless steel, however, most winch mounts are manufactured from high carbon steel and come with a powder coat finish. This involves applying the powdered paint to an electrically-charged mount and then baking the mount until the paint is melted and hardened onto the mount. This creates a much more durable finish as compared to regular painted finishes.

On a dual ATV winch mount, a portable winch can often be used on both the front and rear of an ATV. This makes a good choice for those ATV owners who participate in frequent trail rides with other ATV owners. The winch can be placed on either end to assist in pulling a stranded rider, depending on the location of the winching ATV. When used on an ATV that is a primary hunting vehicle, this portable mount makes it possible to use the ATV as the anchor point when winching a large animal up a steep incline, by allowing the hunter to position the machine in the best and most stable position.