Plowing Snow with 4-Wheeler Question(s)

[Itsa Pole Bender]

Hey All,

Through a downsizing effort by my wifes parents I am going to get a 2002 Yamaha Big Bear 400 (very fortunate for me).

My main use for it will be ice fishing, and occasional trail riding. However, I am thinking about putting a plow on it to plow the driveway and two walk ways with. Does anyone have experience or opinions about plowing snow with a machine this size?

Since it will be used mainly for ice fishing I am going to get chains for the tires. It does not have a winch nor do I know if I will need one for plowing. The only thing I have come up with FOR SURE while doing some research is that a pivoting (left and right) plow will make plowing with a smaller machine much easier.

I look forward to reading any information provided and thanks in advance.

[huntnfish]

I plow with a Can Am 400 and havent had any problems with lack of power. The biggest issue is traction and after putting 2 tubes of sand it was much better. I have chains for it also but didnt put them on because I didnt want to tear up the lawn any worse than I already was. I use a winch for raising and lowering but I know you can get them with a manual lift.

One thing to remember when you plow is to push the pile as far as you can. I started to run out of room towards the end of the winter with all the snow.

[Itsa Pole Bender]

good info..... thanks hnf

[Deep]

I have a plow on my Honda TRX 300, the only problem I have is running out of traction.

I no longer need the plow, if you are intrested in buying one email me; Doug. I may have a set of chains that will fit too.

[email protected]

[HooknHorns]

A buddy has the same set up that your talking about and plows with his no problem

[Dozer]

Personally I prefer the snow blower. I have a plow for my Grizzly which hasnt been used in 3 years because I got a blower for the garden tractor. It goes so much faster with the blower and you dont have to worry about running out of room because you can always blow on top of your piles.

[Ryan_V]

I plowed with a 01 big bear 400 for a long time. You will always run out of traction before you ever run out of power. I now okie with a 700, and the 400 would plow just as much snow.as said before, if you live in town, use a blower!

[birdswacker]

All I can say is get a county plow much much batter than a straight blade.

[Itsa Pole Bender]

Thanks guys.... As far as the blower idea, I am trying to figure out exactly what I want to do. I have a John Deere X360 that is an awesome mower and has hydraulic lift and power steering. So as far as moving snow getting a blower attachment would definately be the better option. However, I am having trouble justifying the $1,600+ it would cost to get the blower, weights and chains.

I figure I could outfit the 4-wheeler for around $700??

Deep, If I go the plow route I will send you an e-mail.

Any other thoughts are welcome.

[Deep]

Sounds good. It's a Swisher 50" with Swisher universal mounting system.(I would save you around $400.00) Good luck.

[PurpleFloyd]

Personally I prefer the snow blower. I have a plow for my Grizzly which hasnt been used in 3 years because I got a blower for the garden tractor. It goes so much faster with the blower and you dont have to worry about running out of room because you can always blow on top of your piles.

What he said.

[Dozer]

Thanks guys.... As far as the blower idea, I am trying to figure out exactly what I want to do. I have a John Deere X360 that is an awesome mower and has hydraulic lift and power steering. So as far as moving snow getting a blower attachment would definately be the better option. However, I am having trouble justifying the $1,600+ it would cost to get the blower, weights and chains.

I figure I could outfit the 4-wheeler for around $700??

Deep, If I go the plow route I will send you an e-mail.

Any other thoughts are welcome.

I would spend the extra $900 for the blower on the tractor in a heartbeat!

[CAMAN]

My neighbor plows his two car driveway with a 4wheeler, I hand shovel my slightly longer 3 car driveway. With an average snowfall I can shovel faster than he can plow. Between him pushing the same pile of snow 4 or 5 times, getting stuck, and raising and lowering the plow 1000 times it is just not as efficient as a shovel or blower, and I can spread out the snow more evenly so the snow melts considerably faster in the spring.

[Walleyehooker]

I plow my driveway with a Honda 300 4 x 4 with a 60 inch plow and never had to use chians. I would recommend the winch as it works good with a plow plus other things and doesnt add much extra cost. Might not even add any cost if you dont have to buy the manual lift stuff.

[Macgyver55]

My neighbor plows his two car driveway with a 4wheeler, I hand shovel my slightly longer 3 car driveway. With an average snowfall I can shovel faster than he can plow.

If that's actually true, tell him to start the motor next time instead of pushing it. ......

[CAMAN]

If that's actually true, tell him to start the motor next time instead of pushing it. ......

Well there's your problem! LOL!!!

[Eelpout08]

I plow with a '92 big bear 350 and have no problems with a lack of power, i have chains on the back and run out of traction way before i would run out of power.

Between the lawn getting tore up and running out of room to pile i would suggest the blower for the tractor. i have a walk behind and the only reason i use the wheeler for snow is because it is more fun!

The plow can also come in handy on the lake ice fishing, but then it can get in the way alot too.

[JeffS]

I have a John Deere X304 with a 48 inch blower, it was perfect for this past winter. The plow we have on our 4-wheeler works well in fresh snow, but when it drifts it's hard to move. Also we frequently run out of room to push it especially last year.

[varmithtr]

I have a 300 artic cat with a plow that adjusts. I used it for a few years. The biggest deal is, as others said, running out of room. I also have a blower for the craftsman lawn tractor. I haven't even thought of using the 4 wheeler since.

[CrappieKiller01]

i would also recomend the snow blower. i live in town and own a polaris 850 with tracks and plow. i cant say i never ran out of room to push the snow for the fact i move it similar to a bull dozer makes sand piles. the only thing i liked is blowing the snow works better in tight areas and also you can just blow it into your neighbors yard also. check out some of the newer john deere walk behind blowers or other top models. some are blowing close to 60 ft now. can usually blow it anywhere you want and keep piles down close to the road when back out of the driveway. just my 2 cents

[Big Dave2]

I plow my 2 driveways and about 250 ft of sidewalk with a Kodiak 400. I wouldn't do it any other way. Don't use chains, I never get stuck or run out of power. When your plowing with a wheeler it isn't work at all, it's fun! Blowers are boring.

[mnmuzzleloader]

I have plowed for 10 years with two different machines, never had chains, and after a year like last year I would get a blower. I would have to bring the skidder down from the farm to move and make more room, Blower takes the air or out if and flattens it, plow adds more air and once you get the banks higher than your blade you aren't going to roll it game over...

[Toba]

Does anyone have two sets of rear tires for their wheelers, one with chains and one without? I use chains in the winter for icefishing mainly but get lazy and don't take them off when plowing the driveway. Most of the driveway is bad blacktop and there are a few spots of concrete that are now shoveled to keep wear and tear down from the chains.