ATV Size for Plowing Snow

[Guest]

I am buying an ATV for the first time and I have a question about the size engine that you would recommend for plowing snow. What would be the minimum CC's you would recommend. What would be optimum in your opinion?

[Dave]

wiseguy,
That's just as tough of question as what ATV is best for trail riding. Right now, I'm in the middle of testing a 4-foot plow setup on a Honda Recon 250 2WD! Yup, a lot of people own these small machines and I've found that you can actually plow quite a bit with 'em. I'm in the middle of comparing that capability to that of a Honda Rubicon.

If you're plowing snow off dirt driveways, chains help a lot. I wouldn't suggest cahins for cement or blacktop drives.

Obviously, you can push more snow up a bank with a 4X4. The 2WD loses traction when you confront a bank to push the snow up and over.

I plowed my drivewy after that last snow we had. And cleared out the slush/snow piles at the end of the driveway with a 2WD.

Depending on your cash flow, you'd be surprised at what a smaller ATV can do; especially if it has a sub tranny with a super low gear like an Arctic Cat.

[Ely Lake Expert]

My dad has a 1998 yamaha big bear 350 4x4 for plowing snow. It works great and it is good if you want to use it for towing and other types of work too.

Ely lake expert

[doubleUcubed]

I've got a Yam. Kodiak (400 4x4) with a 5 foot blade. Had chains on the first year and the last few years have not put them back on. Hard to believe how much snow they will push even without the chains!

[Guest]

Thanks for the info guys! I had some people telling me that I had to have a 500cc or larger ATV to plow snow. Of course, they had 500cc machines. It sounds like I have a wider range of choices than I originally thought.

It's great to have a place to go where you can get information from people who have some experience and knowledge.

[Guest]

For years I plowed lots of snow with a 2 wheel drive ATV, no chains. I was able to plow 12" of soft snow, but it would take a lot of time! I had a very long driveway and it was tough, but doable in most cases. Now the 4X4 is just too easy. Get a winch on the ATV, it's the way to go when plowing.

[Guest]

CD,

For plowing, how many PSI do you set the tires to?