I am new to the site but have been lurking for awhile.After countless hours of research and shopping between the Ranger,Mule 610, and RTV 500 I finaly decided.I puchased a new RTV 500 Camo on Saturday.Now I am in the process of buying all the add on goodies.I have a toppicked out and a buddy of mine is going to help in fabbing up a new 1/4" Lexan windshield.Where can I find a winch mounting kit for the Viper winch?I see the factory warn kit on the Kubota website but thats all I've been able to locate for the 500.I put about 1 hr on it but was pleasantly surprised on how it performed.I will use it for riding around the woods in SW Mississippi where I deer hunt.Glad to be here and anxious to hear what yall recommend for the machine.Thanks in advance.....Pete</p>
New RTV 500 owner
- Thread starter PWalker
- Start date
Welcome PWalker! Congrats on your new toy. Everyone here will help you with advice on accessories.... just wait and see. I don't know the layout of a 500 but I would think a dry box would be nice under the hood. I keep a rain poncho in mine along with extra tools . I went with the plastic roof from Kubota because of the sturdy construction and channels to direct water off . If I had had the metal one, It would be full of dings because of limbs and me standing on it to trim such limbs. Have fun with it. Bordercollie</p>
Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new RTV!!!</p>
I don't have a 500 but don't believe you need a winch mounting kit. Look inside the cubby-hole where the winch mounts. There should be some holes already in place. If so, that's the standard bolt pattern for a Warn or Ramsey winch. If Viper uses the same bolt pattern it should fit in there without any additional bracketing.</p>
On the windshield, I too made one out of Lexan. Last I looked, the price of Lexan is so high that it's almost the same price as getting an OEM glass windhsield (which is a better option IMHO). If you do go with Lexan, be careful if you need to bend it. There's directions on the internet to tell you about the proper way to bend it (without it cracking or distorting).</p>
I don't have a 500 but don't believe you need a winch mounting kit. Look inside the cubby-hole where the winch mounts. There should be some holes already in place. If so, that's the standard bolt pattern for a Warn or Ramsey winch. If Viper uses the same bolt pattern it should fit in there without any additional bracketing.</p>
On the windshield, I too made one out of Lexan. Last I looked, the price of Lexan is so high that it's almost the same price as getting an OEM glass windhsield (which is a better option IMHO). If you do go with Lexan, be careful if you need to bend it. There's directions on the internet to tell you about the proper way to bend it (without it cracking or distorting).</p>
Thanks for the warm welcome.I didn't really look at the area under the hood latch for winch mounting holes.I just figured it needed a mounting bracket.I dont have it right now to look as its in Mississippi where I hunt and I am here in La. A friend of mine built a top for his Ranger out of diamond plate and it looks really nice but I can bring myself to weld brackets on to my brand new machine.he has the Viper classic and raves about it so I guess thats route I will pursue.</p>
Something else I just thought of.</p>
O-Clamps for DJ lighting systems work very well for attaching anything to your ROPS. I used them to mount my windshield and other things.</p>
Here's a link.</p>
http://www.fullcompass.com/product/300884.html</p>
O-Clamps for DJ lighting systems work very well for attaching anything to your ROPS. I used them to mount my windshield and other things.</p>
Here's a link.</p>
http://www.fullcompass.com/product/300884.html</p>
I talked to the folks at MotoAlliance today (Viper Winches very nice folks) and they stated that the viper has the same mounting holes as the Warn Winches.I hope that I can just bolt it to the plate out front and go from there.The rep at Viper said the holes are 3" front to back and 4 7/8" side x side.I cant wait to go up to the camp and see if mine will fit.They have some great prices for thos winches;$140.00 for the complete kit for a 3500 lb UTV winch.Definitely something that I will look into further.</p>
It should bolt right in. I installed a Warn RT 25. It came with a metal plate for the roller fairlead to mount to that sits underneath the winch. Four bolts up through the shelf on the RTV and she's in. I ran my wiring through the tunnel underneath the rubber floor. It made a really neat install. I've already used it once to get myself unstuck. CKruse</p>
I mounted it to the underside of the plastic trough under the seat. I'll try to take a picture or two tomorrow and show you what I did. It doesn't sound too secure, but it's the perfect place for the contactor: close to the battery, high and dry, and isolated from too much vibration. I'll geta picture or two to show the location. There is nothing in the shop manual suggesting a location, so my neighbor and I looked it all over and came up with that location. I think you will like what you see. I also installed a rocker switch in the dash in one of the empty slots that is a simple on/off switch for a sprayer trailer we will be using on the food plots. I'll try to remember to take a picture of where I mounted the rocker switch for the winch, too. CKruse</p>