[vgoodson91]

I'm in the process of re-building my 97' Sportsman 500 right now, and once it's all back together I am planning on adding a winch and custom bumper to the front. I'm either going to buy a winch mount and build my bumper off of that or I am going to completely fab an integrated winch bumper. My dilemma is that I have never seen how a winch mounts to the front of one of these older sportsman so I don't even know where to begin. The pictures I have found on the internet all seem to be universal photos and I cant look at them and figure out how the mount actually attaches to the bike. Anyone who has a winch mounted on their old sportsman 500 please post pictures of your winch mount and what brand it is and how it attaches to the atv. I know that different brands have different ways of mounting so I would like to see several different styles so I can decide which I like best.

 

[Gresh24]

Here is a winch mount:

ATV Winch Mount Polaris 99 07 Sportsman 500 6x6 100430 | eBay

Many bumpers also come with winch mounts on them. All the bumpers and mounts mount on the front bracket around the radiator.

Here's another one:

Polaris by Warn Mfg Front Bumper 96 03 Polaris Sportsman 500 All Gen IV Chassis | eBay

I have the double tube bumper from Polaris and it has a winch mount on it. Like this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NIB-NOS-Pol...d=100052&prg=1187&rk=2&rkt=4&sd=231146240618&

 

[Clinebo]

When I first added a winch to my 500 the mount was a cheapo 'made in China' piece that started to bend in front. I bought the Warn mount which is beefier, and it had the bumper. The mount bolts to the outside of the radiator support. The bumper bolts to the outside of the mount. If I have to change rope I can unbolt the front bolts on either side and drop it down out of the way.