Installing a winch on the Niva

How to install a winch on a Niva

Installing a winch on a Niva is a series of simple operations. However, first you need to take into account that the standard bumper is too weak for this. This is an ordinary beam made of duralumin, which is mounted on brackets.

Therefore, in order for the structure to be durable, you need to remove the standard bumper and install a power bumper instead - one that will be able to withstand loads.

So, we install a reinforced bumper, and then proceed according to the following algorithm:

• Using a grinder, we cut out a platform for the winch from a piece of channel;
• on its lower part we drill holes for the winch, on the front wall - for the “jaws”;
• We weld the platform onto the power bumper;
• bolt the winch to the bottom of the platform;
• We screw the “jaws” onto the front wall and pass the cable through them;
• Next, all that remains is to find a place for the electrical unit and connect it to the car’s electrical network.

We install a winch on a Chevrolet Niva

On Chevy it is customary to use 1 of 3 methods. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, so the choice depends on the preferences of the Chevrolet owner and the operating conditions of the mechanism.

1. In the first case, reinforced brackets for the removable mechanism are installed on the Chevrolet. It is carried in the trunk and, if necessary, placed on the ground. However, this method is only good when the mechanism is installed on hard ground. If you plan to operate on swampy soil, ensuring efficiency will be very problematic.
2. A reinforced bumper is mounted on a Chevrolet, and the entire mechanism is mounted on it. It should be borne in mind that the appearance of the car slightly loses its attractiveness.
3. The mechanism is mounted in a standard Chevrolet bumper. The advantage of this method is that the winch will be practically invisible from the outside - the exterior of the car will remain the same. However, there is one caveat: this method involves using exclusively synthetic cable. Metal if unevenly wound can damage the radiator.

Installing a winch on a Chevrolet Niva

Installing a winch on a Chevrolet Niva

In principle, there are 3 ways to install a winch on a Chevrolet Niva :

• a bracket is installed under the removable sample, which will then have to be carried in the trunk; a winch is attached to it;
• the mechanism is mounted on a pre-built special power bumper;
• installing a winch inside the front bumper (stationary method).

The first method is the least preferable, since the removable mechanism can also be placed on hard ground. But attaching a sample weighing 30 kg to an SUV drowned in mud is very problematic. Because of this, it is almost impossible to carry out this procedure without diving into the mud.

To implement the second method, there are many reinforced bumpers of various designs with a strong attachment to the body. In this case, you can attach the winch yourself if the appearance of your car is not so important to you, and also if the winch is not used daily.

The third method can most often be implemented in a workshop that provides tuning services. The bracket is built into the standard front bumper of the Chevrolet Niva, and the winch is completely invisible. Finally, keep in mind that the winch requires the use of synthetic rope only, since metal analogues can wrap around one side of the reel, subsequently damaging the car's radiator. By installing a winch on your SUV, you will have access to any road conditions.

And finally, some interesting videos:

Instructions for using the RJO quick release winch:

Discuss and learn more on the forum!

Choosing a winch for Niva

When choosing a winch for the Niva, we pay attention to a lot of technical data and get lost in them. We do not take into account the hydraulic and mechanical type of winch, since these models are for real “gourmets”.

Winch traction forces: calculating power

• The total thrust of the mechanism should be 2.5 times greater than the total mass of the SUV (Niva). For example, the curb weight is 1860 kg, plus four passengers weighing 70 kg, plus luggage weighing 100 kg. If there is a tourist rack on the roof of the car, add another 50-70 kg of weight. Ultimately, the winch thrust should exceed 3700 - 4000 tons. Use a less powerful one if you are sure that the SUV will be used exclusively in urban conditions;
• On the Chevrolet Niva, they install a lightweight version of the winch due to the high risk of the front part of the car tilting due to its weight. Touring metal cables are still too heavy for the Chevrolet Niva. Recommended towing force 2800 kg;
• Equipment and technical characteristics: dust and moisture resistance, power of the power unit, operating speed, distance (gap) between the drum and the housing.

Which winch should I put on the Niva?

If you’ve already decided to seriously upgrade the Niva for off-road use, then you need to install a winch. Now we’ll figure out what to look for when choosing, what traction force and which brands will be preferable.

In general, everything is quite simple - the Niva is a lightweight car, and therefore there is no point in taking a powerful winch. As you can read on many fishing forums, a winch with a traction force of 6500-8000 pounds will be optimal. You can, of course, take it to 4500, but if you get serious, it may “die” and then only the tractor will save you))

Of course, measuring in pounds is not particularly clear for us Russians, and therefore I will also give the efforts in kilograms:

3000 - 1361 kg (swans for snowmobiles and quads) 4500 - 2040 kg 6000 - 2722 kg 6500 - 2950 8000 - 3629 9000 - 4082 12000 - 5443 15000 - 6800 kg

Well, in general it’s clear, you choose a winch based on the weight of the car, for the Niva they take from 6000 to 9000 lbs (nine, in my opinion, is too much, it will be heavier, which means the “face” of the car will be pulled down, which is not good There must be a balance in everything and 6500-8000 is optimal).

And if you think about it this way, you should choose to pay attention to:

1. Weight of the winch 2. Traction force 3. Current consumption - will the battery drain 4. Winding speed (there are options for 2-speed winches) 5. Installation option 6. Maintainability (price tag on spare parts and difficulty in finding them) - because you don’t need to change the brushes anyway have to.

Many people praise T-Max winches, model 6500. However... the old versions drained the battery a lot, and therefore it is better to look at the updated yellow model, it no longer drains the battery and pulls perfectly.

In addition to the T-Max, if you don’t climb often, you can take any Chinese one - you’ll be able to get out, and you’ll also save money. You can buy Chinasev for less than 10k rubles. And the force is from 6000 to 9000. Of course, you shouldn’t really rely on it, as for me - it’s better to take a normal, branded, well-known one, secure it properly and not be afraid that you can’t pull it out later. It’s better to spend money and do everything conscientiously, and not install pseudo winches purely in order to feel like a cool jeeper))

Winch installation location

It is better to install a winch on the Niva along with a new front bumper, but there are no restrictions. Experts recommend first checking the fasteners with actual holes on the machine body. Often, an inexperienced owner purchases an unsuitable model. Installation inside the bumper is impossible due to the size and weight of the winch, only on the outer perimeter.

The following models have proven themselves on the positive side: T-Max, Stokrat, Come Up, Superwinch, Warn, Powerwinch PW6000E. Long service life, good build quality, components, price-quality ratio.

For a Niva SUV, choose a winch with a weight of no more than 10 - 12 kg. Excess weight will cause the front of the car to roll: it will increase the load on the front suspension, chassis, and transmission. Rubber seals, bushings, and silent blocks will wear out faster, leading to unplanned expenses.

Installing a winch on a Chevrolet Niva with your own hands

Owners of off-road vehicles who practice driving over rough terrain know how having a winch can sometimes help out. Those who drive Niva and Niva Chevrolet cars often install a winch on the bumper.

Power bumper with winch for Niva 21214

It can help if:

• the car sat on bridges in mud or sand;
• you need to cross a river or other water obstacle;
• it is necessary to remove an obstacle lying on the road - a boulder or a fallen tree;
• The convoy goes through a difficult route with various obstacles.

Which winch should I put on the Niva, Niva Chevrolet?

• T-MAX ATW-6000: a lightweight version of the offroad winch, the ideal combination of price and quality. The weight of the equipment is only 16 kg, so there will be no overload of the front end. It is installed permanently - on the front bumper body. Motor power 2.0 l/s, cable reserve 18 meters, reeling speed 13 m/min;
• T-MAX 6500: a good solution for Niva 2121. Classic installation, weight with metal cable 29 kg, motor power 5.6 l/s, speed 12 m/min;
• HUNDRED SD 8.0 SSW: modification for real off-road. Installation permanently on the bumper, declared thrust 3700 kg, power 5.6 l/s, steel cable length 25 meters, reeling speed 11 m/min;
• Octopus 6000 “Niva”: for Niva and Chevrolet Niva. The installation is similar to previous modifications, weight 26 kg, power 1.7 l/force, thrust 2800 kg, winding speed 5.3 m/min.

To finally determine the type of winch for the Niva, select a modification: stationary or mobile (portable). Obviously, portable ones are not as strong as stationary ones, but they are also in demand along with other modifications.

Which winch should you choose for the Niva?

First, you need to decide on the type of winch - do you want to install a permanent winch, or use a portable one. We have a whole section of portable winches. We recommend looking at winches with a thrust of 4000lbs.

In case of stationary installation, in most cases the T-MAX ATW PRO 6000 winch is suitable. This compact and lightweight (only 12 kg) winch with good traction is ideal for off-road enthusiasts, hunters, fishermen and off-road tourism enthusiasts.

The 6500 winch is also a popular solution for installation on Niva and Chevy Niva - it is powerful and fast, but weighs more than 2 times more. We recommend this winch for athletes, as well as those who use a winch very often.

If you have a seriously prepared car, power bumpers are installed, large wheels with toothy tires and you take a heavy load on trips - your option is Stokrat 8.0, Master Winch 8500A or Runva 9.5 XS.

In any case, they don’t take money for asking. Call, ask questions, we will be happy to help you with your choice!

And finally - beautiful rides on Nivas and Chevy Nivas in the mountains of Karachay-Cherkessia

In the vastness of the CIS and Ukraine, the Niva has been and remains a fairly popular SUV. This is due, first of all, to the low price and availability of spare parts with the well-known design of the Togliatti machine. Therefore, one of the most popular topics for discussion on automobile forums is the topic “Winch for Niva.” Let's try to figure out which winch is best to choose, from which manufacturers and what related options to use. The review provides several examples that you can use as final options or build your own vision of the issue on their basis.

First of all, you should start from the characteristics of the car itself. The determining factor here is weight.

Depending on the modification, different Nivas can weigh:

• VAZ 2121 – 1150kg
• VAZ-21213 – 1210kg
• VAZ-2131 (five-door) – 1350kg
• VAZ-21236 – 1400kg (Niva Chevrolet) – 1400kg

In addition, additional equipment installed on SUVs will further increase this figure.

Taking into account the required optimal 2-2.5-fold power reserve, we receive a power requirement for the winch - it must have a pulling force from 2300 kg to 3600 kg and more. However, during the selection process, please note that the power indices often indicated in model names - for example, 8000 or 12000 - correspond to force in pounds (lbs). Traditionally, it is American manufacturers who set the tone in this area, and, as you know, they have a different, British system of weights and measures. Therefore, when reading the name of the winch model, you should multiply the digital power index by 0.454 - the weight of a pound in kilograms of the metric system.

Most car enthusiasts, as well as commentators in articles and forums, agree that it is not worth buying a winch with a traction capacity of less than 5000-6000 pounds (2.7 tons) for any of the Niva modifications. The cheapness of such a device is likely to quickly come out “sideways” in the very first serious tests in swamps, mud and off-road conditions. It is this threshold - 6000 pounds - that can be considered the starting point when selecting a winch.

As just such a minimum, we can recommend the POWERWINCH PW6000E 12V winch (pulling force 2722 kg, device weight 14.5 kg) made in Poland, as a device with an optimal price-quality ratio, and, moreover, quite reliable and durable. If you do not plan to install the winch permanently, but only use it from time to time, “to be on the safe side” during outings, you may be interested in a portable electric winch of the DRAGON WINCH 5000 DWP type (pulling force 2265 kg, device weight 24 kg) . It does not require any additional modifications to the vehicle, as it can be pulled out using the towing eyes.

What type of winch is needed for the field?

• Cost, equipment, material of cable, housing, other internal components;
• Availability of spare parts, consumables for repairs and maintenance. Service centers in your region, official representative offices. Obviously, buying equipment for which it is impossible to find consumables is irrational;
• Amount of current consumed;
• Speed ​​of layer-by-layer winding of the cable;
• Maintainability while hiking or traveling;
• Availability of additional equipment, remote control, cable length;
• Dust and moisture proof.

Winch for Niva

If you have decided to purchase a budget off-road vehicle, then the Niva will perhaps be the best option, as it will require moderate purchase and maintenance costs. This applies to both the car itself and spare parts. Due to its light weight, this advantage also applies to winches on the Niva.

The first step is to determine what tasks are set for the car, and under what conditions it is planned to operate. Provided that you plan to use the car mainly off-road, and even more so to take part in competitions, special attention should be paid to the choice of winch. Due to the low weight of the Niva compared to other SUVs, the price of such a winch will be less than the average cost in comparison with heavier cars.

The main criteria for choosing a winch for Niva (what to pay attention to)

This indicator can be called the most important, in view of the accuracy of the selection of the possible load. You cannot make a mistake here, since if you install a more powerful winch on a Niva, then in certain cases this can not only damage the winch, but also significantly damage the car as a whole. The use of units with lower traction force is possible under less extreme operating conditions.

The recommended pulling force for a Niva winch varies from 2975 kg (6510 lbs) to 3630 kg (8000 lbs).

Do not also forget about the weight, size and thickness of the cable. Excessive weight of the winch will significantly increase the load on the part of the car body where it is installed, which leads to continuous excessive fuel consumption and accelerated wear of the mounting platforms.

Speed ​​of winding the cable onto the drum

In harsh operating conditions (for example, precipitation: rain, snow, etc.), a high speed of winding the cable will significantly reduce the time to complete the task and pull the car out of an ambush much faster. This indicator is especially important in off-road competitions, and can sometimes play a leading role, leading the driver to victory.

In view of its purpose, a winch is one of the most vulnerable types of equipment for off-road vehicles, and when choosing a winch for the Niva, you should take into account the possibility of quickly finding spare parts, their availability, availability and pricing policy. As well as the cost of services from service centers, if it is not possible to repair the winch yourself.

In addition, it is important to take into account the on-board network. The power supply for the selected winch on the Niva should be 12 Volts.

Based on their experience, Niva owners recommend not saving money and purchasing the most powerful battery possible, or even better, installing two batteries. Since the standard generator does not have time to restore the battery charge when the winch is running, it is recommended to equip the car with a powerful generator of 100 - 120 A.

Winch cost

The cost of equipment directly depends on modifications and technical characteristics. In each case, check the cost with store managers.

Beware of fakes, do not buy accessories at spontaneous markets. Always ask for a product quality certificate. If you do not have the skills to install power equipment, seek help from specialist auto repair shops. Bezdor4x4 online store consultants are ready to answer questions 24/7.

Read more interesting articles about winches on our blog.