How to stiffen up front suspension for plowing

[DRH1175]

I have a 97 honda foreman and when I raise the blade my front end bottoms out. Is there a way I can stiffen up the front end so it doesn't bottom out as much?

[Dave S]

There should be some adjustment to adjust the preload. The spanner wrenches provided don't always work the best so I've had to resort to a channel lock pliers.

I have seen a product in the past that replaces your shocks with a solid piece so there would be no front suspension. Downside is you'd have to keep switching them out for the shocks when you're not plowing.

You might also be able to mount up a suspension lock like you can on the back of an IRS machine. That would be the cheapest route to go.

[Macgyver55]

They dont have adjustable shocks on the older Foreman. I tried putting on the solid struts, but it causes problems plowing if you on on uneven surfaces as the plow will folow the angle of the ATV rather than the suspension giving on angles. About the only way to do it is either spring spacers, or heavier rated springs.

[DRH1175]

Would new springs and maybe a lift help? The front bottoms out just riding through the woods when I hit a bump. Tires rub a bit on the fenders when this happens. The front end is very soft to say the least. I only have stock 24" tires and want to upgrade to 25's.

[Macgyver55]

The right way would be to get stiffer springs and put them on the shocks. On my old (98) Foreman I machined some spring spacers and put them on the shocks which helped but not as much as springs would have. A lift kit wont do anything except raise the height of the ATV by changing the shock mount location. It will still bottom out just as easy since there is no more tension on the springs than there was before.

[tipup]

Moose products offers a suspension spring wedges. The slip in the springs and stiffen them up. This might be an idea for you.

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[DRH1175]

(The right way would be to get stiffer springs and put them on the shocks.)

I think I will get new springs. Do I need new shocks too? Would doing this raise me up a bit? I have a 1997 Foreman. My plow has the push tube mount. when I raise the plow I have about 1" ground clearance on skid plate. Like I mentioned before I want to put 25" tires on to replace the stock 24". I need a bit more fender clearance in front.