When you think of the word winch, many people immediately think of Warn. It’s a name that has simply become synonymous with off roading and winching. Warn has a new line of winches out that they brand as Warn XT Extreme Terrain ATV winches and they are quickly making a name for themselves as being a contender in the ATV winch market. The Warn XT winches are targeted at the rider who wants equipment that might cost slightly more, but doesn’t apologize for anything. High quality synthetic rope, sealed cases and more are just a few of the features that Warn includes in the XT series. Let’s take a closer look. 

As I mentioned, the “XT” is short for Extreme Terrain which kind of already gives you some idea of what this ATV winch is all about. If you are the ATV rider that typically finds themselves further from civilization than most and who actively takes the roughest path just to see what happens, then the Warn XT series ATV winch is made for you. Some of the nice features that I referred to above are a 40′ length of synthetic rope as opposed to traditional steel cable. If you’ve never used synthetic rope then you are in for a treat, it’s lighter and sooo much easier to handle than steel cable.

The 1500lb capacity is provided by a 3 stage planetary gear system that operates nice and smoothly and is sealed to keep the weather out. This will ensure durability and minimize downtime but it also means your winch will be ready when you need it. The only downside to this winch vs the 2500 is that it does not have the new wireless controls but rather a handlebar mounted rocker switch to operate the winch. Not a big deal but I dig the wireless convenience that the XT25 larger winches offer.

The last feature worth discussing is one found on all of the Warn XT series ATV winches and that is Warn’s patent-pending disc brake system that gives you excellent control on slopes and makes winching up or down slopes much easier. All around a very nice winch.

Who Should Buy the Warn XT15 ATV Winch

The Warn XT15 is perfect for small and light ATVs and riders that want the best equipment they can buy. The 1500lb pull rating will get small quads out of most messes but understand that if you ride with bigger quads that you may or may not be able to winch THEM out of a mess if they are big and heavy and really stuck. This may or may not be a deal breaker for you but it’s something you should be aware of in advance.

If a 1500 lb pull capacity works for you, then you can save yourself some dough buying this Warn XT15 ATV winch and use the savings to buy something else for your Quad.