Harbor Freight 61297 Badlands 2500 lb Winch Install on Polaris Sportsman 450 HO 

This winch solution is obviously designed and catered to a value customer. You can have the factory Polaris winch solution for around $300 as a dealer installed option. This video is to present the low cost option at under $100 all in with mounting bracket. There is some "sweat equity" in my particular solution but should be easily done by anyone with a basic drill and decent drill bits.

This video is great perfect step by step instructions

Exactly what I needed thank you very much for doing this. I have been trying to figure out how to do this for my Utility edition. Perfect timing my friend!

Perfect video. It literally answered every question I had before doing my install. Thanks for sharing!

nice job, ty for taking the time to record, edit and post this.

Great video Dan! I learned a lot. Thanks!

This video was very much needed thanks dude

Definitely buy a cable bumper warning ball. Mine got retracted to far in the roller guide. It was fun getting out. This I recommend for any winch.

Im glad everything didn't just bolt up as expected and I enjoyed the thought process shown to overcome the obsticles. Makes me feel better when Im installing or fixing something and wondering why the hell its not working as I pictured it in my head.. I just got a 2021 honda recon and ordered a hitch bracket and am thinking bout getting a winch for it also. Thanks for the video.

Thanks for sharing! Great video

Great video !!

Thanks I just ordered same winch didn’t no I needed that plate I have 14 570 great video

I like the video and the fact you didn't hide mistakes. It will help me put mine on when my 2021 gets here mid-December ... thanks. Love the kids' Spidey helmet lol.

Great video just bought a 2020 polaris sportsman 450 and trying to figure out how to put a winch on it, also i was the 69th like so there's that.

I have had it for years. I do recommend removing 10 feet of cable off. It messed up the pressure guide in the back from binding. I use it for my quadrunner snow plow. I just installed the synthetic cable. I removed 10 feet of it. No issues since.

Nice vid, the cable loop with ferule connector is designed not to go through the roller pins. If so, you would be compromising your ferule and loop. Good job.

They are a great winch !!!

Tip 1 : get a winch line stopper/ball for the end so your cable doesnt get wedged in the rollers if you bring it to far in. Tip 2 : get a tree strap...your cable will get all jacked up and possibly break if you wrap it around a tree like that. Tip 3 : Get rid of those crocs

If you upgrade to the synthetic rope from harbor freight, it comes with a new fairlead that mounts up to the original 2 mounting holes perfectly

I believe you actually did right by mounting the wench a little higher to the bracket. Else, you would have had issues with the front plastic cover. Good job!

That was a pain in the ass for me too

Nice video. Just be cautious about wrapping the winch cable around and attaching it to itself. This puts an incredible about of stress on the cable and will often kink and ruin it - a potentially very dangerous situation.

I put a badland 3,500 winch on my 2005 Polaris sportsman 400

Great job... but next time watch out for the poison oak lol.

You need a tree strap. The winch line will destroy the tree and the hook will damage your winch line.....just a suggestion

I put one on my four wheeler and the next day I. Tried to use it to pull a boar out the water when I pressed out on the remote the blue light started flashing

How were you able to mount it that way? I had to mount my bracket upside down making my winch inverted. Bracket was hitting the diff when I tried to put it in right side up. I have a 2019 sportsman.

The hook will fit through the rollers with a little finesse

i recommend upgrading the wire gauge, looks like 8 or 6 gauge that will fry under load. my 3000lbs winch draws 170amps 1 gauge wire did the trick

And can you change the diff oil without removing the winch?

You should never rap a cable around something. It will kink or fray. Protect your cable by carrying, tree saver strap and clevis or soft shackles.

Resist the temptation to buy this winch.

Should of had the mic in the same room why whisper

Watched the whole video to see how you wired it… and you skipped that part 😢

I dunno man why not just spend the money on a Polaris winch to avoid all the aggravation and customization.

NOT a RELAY but a CIRCUIT BREAKER! If you don't know the difference, then maybe you're not the guy who should be posting install videos. JUST SAYING! Also, the control box should have been mounted inside the front storage compartment. Yes, that means buying longer cables in your case, but a necessary step. Leaving the control box mounted on the front bumper is only asking for problems. But then again, I get the impression that you mounted this winch because of the COOL FACTOR and that you're not going to be doing any serious 4-wheeling or plowing snow in the future.

I have the same winch I just bought my mounting plate a warn mounting plate for my Kawasaki prairie 700 Ran into the same problem with the mounting holes on the feeder mechanism However I’m not gonna go through all that stupid bullshit I’m returning this winch and I’ll go find one that matches the bracket for my quad