Winch Accessories

Winches provide self-recovery capability, but a winch alone isn’t going to cut it. Like any rescue mission, it’s a team effort. This means your UTV winch needs proper mounting, fairleads protecting cables and machines, snatch blocks multiplying pulling power, tree savers preventing environmental damage, and other accessories to get the job done effectively and consistently. Side by Side Source carries a complete range of winch accessories, from mounting plates and bumper positioning winches properly to roller fairleads reducing cable friction, snatch blocks that double your pulling force, and complete accessory kits with everything needed for safe, effective winching.

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Buyer's Guide for UTV Winch Accessories: Helping You Shop!

UTV Winch Mounting Solutions

Proper winch mounting is definitely the key to successful recovery. This is not an area to compromise even an inch, which is why we offer the best winch mounting plates in the industry. Winch mounting plates (steel or aluminum plates bolting to frame members with integrated winch mounting patterns) provide the interface between winches and machines. Quality mounts use 3/16"-1/4" thick steel or equivalent aluminum, distribute loads across multiple frame mounting points, and position winches appropriately for cable routing to fairleads.

Front bumpers with integrated winch mounts serve dual purposes: impact protection plus winch mounting. They're popular on sport and recreational machines where dedicated winch plates might look industrial. Verify bumpers position winches properly, as some some decorative bumpers place winches too low or at awkward angles compromising functionality. If you’re intending to winch from the rear, then you’ll want one that mounts in the bed. This will allow you to back out of a sticky situation and/or run a winch at all if you have limited space in the front.

Know Your UTV Winch Fairleads: Roller vs. Hawse

Fairleads guide winch cables/ropes from drum to anchor points, protecting both cables and machine mounting points from abrasion. Roller fairleads use multiple small rollers allowing cables to pass through with minimal friction. They're mandatory for steel cables, as steel's stiffness requires low-friction routing preventing binding and kinking.

Hawse fairleads should only be used with synthetic ropes. They're lighter, and easier to maintain. Synthetic rope is mandatory with hawse fairleads; steel cable will destroy both fairlead and itself through friction.

If you’re running a steel cable, use roller fairleads. If running synthetic rope, either works. Roller provides slightly better performance, hawse is lighter and simpler. Some fairleads include towing loops or D-ring mounts adding recovery point functionality to fairlead mounting locations.

UTV Snatch Blocks and Force Multiplication

Snatch blocks (pulleys designed for recovery use) are essential winch accessories enabling multiple recovery techniques. Attaching a snatch block to your anchor point and running cable through it lets you pull from different angles than straight line from winch to stuck machine.

Attaching the snatch block to your stuck vehicle and running cable back to anchor point creates a 2:1 mechanical advantage. The winch pulls twice as effectively at half the speed. This lets smaller winches handle heavier loads or helps any winch power through extreme stuck situations.

Your snatch block’s capacity must be rated higher than winch pulling capacity. So, if your winch pulls 3500 pounds, use snatch blocks rated at 4000+ pounds minimum for safety margin. Side plates must prevent the cable from jumping out during use while allowing easy cable insertion.

3 Top Selling Winch Accessory Brands

KFI Products manufactures comprehensive winch mounting solutions and accessories designed for UTV applications with quality construction.
Extreme Metal Products produces heavy-duty brush guards and bumpers with integrated winch mounting for popular UTV models.
Moose Utility offers practical winch mounting and accessory solutions at accessible pricing with adequate quality for recreational use.

5 Top Selling Winch Accessory Products

Yamaha Viking/Wolverine X2/X4 winch installation comes with this Winch Mount by KFI Products, designed for specific Yamaha model fitment.
Force multiplication capability arrives with this Snatch Block by KFI, enabling advanced recovery techniques and doubling effective winch capacity.
Honda Pioneer 500/520 front protection with winch mounting comes with this Front Brush Guard with Winch Mount by Extreme Metal Products, combining impact protection and winch capability.
Polaris RZR 4/S 1000 cable management comes with this Pro Series Roller Fairlead with Towing Loop by ATV Tek, featuring integrated towing point functionality.
Yamaha Viking/Wolverine/YXZ rear winching capability arrives with this UTV Cargo Bed Winch Mount by Moose, enabling bed-mounted winch installations.

Side-by-Side Winch Accessory FAQs

What’s the minimum setup I need to run a winch?

The bare bones is as follows:

Proper mounting (secure plate or winch-rated bumper)
Fairlead
Tree saver
Work gloves

Can I use my winch's hook to attach directly to trees or vehicles?

You should never hook a line back onto itself, as this can cause cable failure and is dangerous.

What does winch maintenance look like?

After using your winch accessories (or at least once a year), inspect them carefully for signs of damage. Take your roller fairlead apart and have a look at the rollers. If anything whatsoever is damaged, replace it!