How I installed a front-rear pull winch on the Predator.

Howdy All,

For years you folks have heard me sing the praises of a simple, CHEAP, tool called a "Rope Puller" it has gotten me and others out some nasty situations. However I am getting older, fatter, lazier. A while back while riding with a bunch of sidecazrist of various makes and models during the ride one of the sidecars went over the side of a very steep hillside and slide quit a ways down getting hung up in some small trees which was a very good thing as they stopped the rig from going a LONG way down the slope.

Jay from DMC was in the group, he had a winch mounted on his Beemer rig, between the winch and the Rope Puller we made quick work of the recovery. I had been thinking of mounting a winch on my rig for years but could never come up a way to do it on a stock Ural as there isn't enough room between the bike and the sidecar to mount it in what I feel is a proper manner. Seeing how well the winch worked on Jay's rig gave me the incentive to see if I could mount a winch on my rig.

As the Predator does NOT have a stock full size sidecar on it, after some hours of looking at things from every angle I could, I came up with a plan. Click this link to be taken to the build thread, LOTS of photos detailing every step of the operation. I haven't got it wired yet but the front and rear receiver mounts are finished and its turned out quite well if I do have to say so myself. I hope the photos will give some guidance to others who may be contemplating such a modification.

Click this link.

http://www.sovietsteeds.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=25810

Couple of photos of the finished build. This copied from Soviet Steeds.

Howdy All,

Its done, all the fabrication is FINISHED all thats left to do it wire it up and its ready to go.
From the front.


From the rear.



Now I have to decide if I'll tackle the wiring on my own or enlist help from someone, the whole rig should be rewired the way it is now its all cobbled up part stock wiring, part custom and a lot of what the heck is this wire for. Now that the darn thing is mounted I want to try it out.

Great Idea !!!

Morning Dave!

Nice job & nice welds like always.

I like the idea of moving that rear strut back, too.

After the wiring gets completed, post up some action shots!

Howdy Roger,

Thanks for your kind words, back when I had to work for a living one of my marketable skills was as a certified welder. Moving the darn rear strut back gives you so much more room for foot placement, makes off road riding a lot easier, having the floor board keeps your foot from missing the foot peg when doing the left legged dance whilst trying to keep the rig on the ground in off camber situations.

I still haven't decided if I am just going to stick with the stock battery location or mount a larger battery someplace else; I have never been very good at keeping the sacred smoke with any wires I have touched so I am in the process of looking for someone local to rewire the whole darn rig and do it properly. Action videos will be provided once its wired up and operational.

I've thought about it but never did it. Nice job Dave...

Howdy Melrone,

The only downside to this is now I'll be tempted to do even more stupid stuff, oh well...............

Howdy Poacher Bob,

Thanks for the ,

Howdy NorthWestRider,

Like I said I have contemplating doing this for YEARS, but he episode with the hack going over the side of a steep slope a short while back convinced me to go ahead and see if I could figure out a way to do it on my rig. The way a stock Ural is built I just could never see how this could be done, on my rig it proved to be possible.

Yeah, electricity is a mystery. You can't see it & it'll really screw things up with just a little help by members of the mystified masses like you & me, Dave. Wuzupwitdat??!!

Mr. Cob mounted a winch?

I guess the Mayans were right . . . the world IS coming to an end. :eek1

Howdy DRONE,

Yup we had better take that ride we have been talking about before I get this winch wired, after that all bets are off as to how stupid it may get. :eek1

With Cob on the job, it seems a foregone conclusion, it will function properly. Which begs the question Mr Cob, what is/was your line of work and education, if you don't mind?

Howdy YOUNZ,

Before I was declared unemployable by the VA, I earned my daily bread as a Machinist, Welder, Metal Fabricator. I am very well versed in the metal working trades, I am down right DANGEROUS when I attempt to be an electrician, deal with computers or right now trying to figure out my very first cell phone, an iPhone5.

As to education, K-12, two year VoTech, many years as an apprentice in the metal trades before becoming a Journeyman Machinist and Certified welder, in an effort to keep me employed the VA sent me to collage where I received a Degree in Manufacturing Technology two weeks before their decision to take me out of the work force.

I know what I am doing, just can't function in a normal work setting any more, my memory is completely shot, I can be doing something that I have done for years and my mind will go completely blank and its like I have no idea of what the heck is going on. I can't concentrate, I don't deal well with others so being gainfully employed is something I haven't been able to do for years. I can work at my own pace, walk away when I need to, but its getting harder all the time.

Hey Cob looks cool. Looking forward to seeing how the high mount works for you.
Get 'er stuck reeel good and start winchin'.

Howdy Claude,

Will do when I get it wired.

Sounds kinda like this Ralph Gerkins blooper a few years ago. Good place for the tree in this case :eek1

The only thing diferent I looking into was putting mounts on the front & rear so I only needed one winch that could br hooked up when needed..Nothern tool sells ATV winches so I haven't ruled that out yet...

Thank you for your candor, I know of what you speak.

Howdy Melrone,

I am only using ONE winch, I explained all this in the build thread that I posted on Soviet Steeds, the winch can be switched from front to rear and used as needed, its normal carry position will be in the rear where it is protected and its weigh will contribute to traction.