Hi guys, I recently purchased a John Deere 550G Long Track. I'd like to eventually put a winch on it. I see there is a cover at the back of the machine, I guess the pto shaft in behind that. is there anything else I need to know to add a winch, is it pretty straight forward or is it a big job maybe I shouldn't tackle? Bolting it up to the back of the machine seems the easy part but running and the hooking up the controls-I have no idea about that. what brand or winch part # should I look for? do they interchange with Cat, etc or do I need one that came off a 450/550/650G only? also what would I be looking to spend on a used winch? I've seen one on e-bay, looks kinda beat up, but other that that I have no idea where to even look for a good used one. thanks!!
Deere uses the winch bolted to the back of the machine as you are thinking of doing but the pto shaft through the function pump is an option. A lot of machines without a winch are ordered with a pto through shaft. There is a plastic cover on the back of the pump that threads off. The cable runs up into the cab through the right side of the machine and mounted beside where the auxiliary lever is. The cable operates a manual spool to operate park, brake off, free spool and power in and out.