ATV with a plow

[Tom7227]

Last week I asked about my daughter's new house with the large stone gravel driveway.  Being considered now is an ATV with a plow.  Looking at used as it will only be used for snow.  I don't know anything about ATV's or the plows.  I know that asking for brands will just get a Chev vs Ford type discussion going.  My question has to do with what type of traction do you get with a plow on one.  I have a garden tractor and when I put the snow blower on it I have to have wheel weights and a pig of iron on the back along with chains to keep traction.  Is that the sort of thing that's needed with an ATV/plow combo.  A Polaris Big Boss 6 wheel rig with a bed on back was on Craigslist and that  looked interesting but it has sold.

 

Some pointers please.

 

Thanks for your time.

 

Tom

[rundrave]

 

12 minutes ago, Tom7227 said:

My question has to do with what type of traction do you get with a plow on one

 

you will run out of traction before you run out of power. I have a polaris 500 with AWD and dont have any issues. With all 4 wheels spinning I can drive or plow through just about anything as long as I keep my momentum up and dont get high centered. I live out on an acreage and I plow my gravel driveway with an atv. Some of the deeper snows or drifts can be an issue but I just take a layer off the top with the blade raised and then go back and get the rest.

 

You just have to be smart about it and know your not going to move it all at once. I tend to push early snow as far away as I can get it into a pile. I try to pile up what I can but if you dont move it far enough out of the way you may run out of room to put it before winter is over. I have a 48" blade, and when I lived in town it was nice for sidewalks. Now that I dont have sidewalks I wish I had a 60"

[Big Dave2]

7 minutes ago, Tom7227 said:

Last week I asked about my daughter's new house with the large stone gravel driveway.  Being considered now is an ATV with a plow.  Looking at used as it will only be used for snow.  I don't know anything about ATV's or the plows.  I know that asking for brands will just get a Chev vs Ford type discussion going.  My question has to do with what type of traction do you get with a plow on one.  I have a garden tractor and when I put the snow blower on it I have to have wheel weights and a pig of iron on the back along with chains to keep traction.  Is that the sort of thing that's needed with an ATV/plow combo.  A Polaris Big Boss 6 wheel rig with a bed on back was on Craigslist and that  looked interesting but it has sold.

 

Some pointers please.

 

Thanks for your time.

 

Tom

 I plowed my driveway and sidewalks for over 10 years with a Yamaha Kodiak 400 and plow. I never put chains or weights on it. 4WD ATV's can go through stuff that you would never believe and not get stuck. The biggest problem with plowing snow instead of blowing is finding places to go with the snow.

 

My plow got rusted and broke or I would still be using it. I do find it somewhat quicker to use a blower on a lawn tractor most of the time. The exception would be when snow is wet and clogs up the auger chute.

[Tom7227]

Part of the driveway is a hill going up to the street.  Using Google Earth it look like it goes up 4 feet in a 30 foot run.  That  gives you an idea of what the problem is.

 

Question also is asked whether EFI or carb rigs are better.  No clue what that means.

 

 

Thanks again.

 

Tom

[Mike89]

I have a no issues with my wheeler and plowing...  no chains..  and EFI

[fishingstar]

my driveway is 350 feet long. I use a blower neighbor uses a 4 wheeler and a plow.

i'll stick with my blower

[Big Dave2]

3 hours ago, Tom7227 said:

Part of the driveway is a hill going up to the street.  Using Google Earth it look like it goes up 4 feet in a 30 foot run.  That  gives you an idea of what the problem is.

 

Question also is asked whether EFI or carb rigs are better.  No clue what that means.

 

 

Thanks again.

 

Tom

 

Go for EFI if possible. I doubt anyone even still makes a wheeler with a carburator.

[Dave S]

6 hours ago, rundrave said:

 

 

you will run out of traction before you run out of power. I have a polaris 500 with AWD and dont have any issues. With all 4 wheels spinning I can drive or plow through just about anything as long as I keep my momentum up and dont get high centered. I live out on an acreage and I plow my gravel driveway with an atv. Some of the deeper snows or drifts can be an issue but I just take a layer off the top with the blade raised and then go back and get the rest.

 

You just have to be smart about it and know your not going to move it all at once. I tend to push early snow as far away as I can get it into a pile. I try to pile up what I can but if you dont move it far enough out of the way you may run out of room to put it before winter is over. I have a 48" blade, and when I lived in town it was nice for sidewalks. Now that I dont have sidewalks I wish I had a 60"

^^^What rundrave said. If you can, go with as new of a Polaris as possible that hasn't been run through mud (don't buy from younger riders). The reason I say Polaris is because nobody comes close to the plow set up that Polaris has built into their machines. The Glacier Pro system leaves competition in their dust.

1) the mount system for the Glacier Pro has 4 points of contact. There is a bar in the front that is mounted to the frame. 2 hooks hang on that. The back of the mount swings up and locks into place via 2 more hooks into the frame as you winch the plow up. Attaching the plow and taking off can be done within a minute. It's that easy. Compared to the push tube style plow systems that mount in the middle of the machine, Polaris is the way to go.

2) the push tube systems really only have 2 points of contact to the frame and it's 3-4 feet behind the plow. (Polaris is about 2 feet before the first point of contact between the plow and frame). If the plow is angled on a push tube system, it creates more torque on the frame due to more leverage between the points of contact between the actual plow and the frame. In the event you hit something solid, you risk wrecking things a lot easier.

3) Definitely opt for EFI. That being said, if you can, take the stock Yuasa battery out and replace it with a good quality AGM battery like Odyssey. I've had Yuasa batteries in almost all of my machines and there's a little uncertainty if machines will start. Especially when plowing. The winch drains batteries fast. 

[huntnfish]

And I would recommend getting a battery tender and plug it in after every use. Like Dave said, the constant running of the winch draws a lot and using the tender will make sure it’s charged when it’s time to use it. 

[Big Dave2]

1 hour ago, huntnfish said:

And I would recommend getting a battery tender and plug it in after every use. Like Dave said, the constant running of the winch draws a lot and using the tender will make sure it’s charged when it’s time to use it. 

 

That's a good point but it seems to depend on what machine you have. My buddy had all kinds of trouble with run down batteries on his Polaris when plowing but I never had that happen once in well over 10 years of plowing with my Yamaha.

[huntnfish]

That’s a good point. I think a lot would depend on the quality and age of the battery. I have a plow on my Can Am and it would get pretty weak. 

[rundrave]

my stock OEM polaris batteries have lasted longer than any of the AGM replacements that I have bought off the shelf. I have a 16yr old machine that has only needed 3 batteries.

 

The key with the AGM batteries is to not only keep them charged but charge them correctly and they will last. I have gotten several years out of mine if I take care of them. I let one get low and left it too long and had to replace it. Ironically when I went to replace it with some auto store brand and I got a few bad ones off the shelf that I had to keep returning before I found a good one.

 

 

 

[Tom7227]

This information has been very helpful.  Thank you all for taking the time and helping understand what are the various things to consider in making this decision.  The info probably has saved a lot of money and prevented a lot of mistakes.

Tom

[PurpleFloyd]

I had a couple 4 wheelers with plows for several years and they were great at moving snow. The only negative is having to plow things back far enough to be able to keep plowing as the snow gets hard and accumulates Plus you are moving the snow multiple times before you get it from point A to B. I eventually replaced that setup with a garden tractor and blower and to me that’s a better setup. You can blow the snow 20-30’ away and only move it once. 

[Jmnhunter]

first year with a plow here; using a Swisher universal system; the PITA about it is I have to take the mount off if i want to use it ice fishing as it takes your clearance away. Its a heavy duty system even comes with a dump bucket, I may sell it this spring and get a quick release arctic cat system but thats a few $$$; would be perfect if you dont have to worry about taking off the mount until spring

[Hoey]

At home I only use a snowblower as the driveway is only 30' x 20'.  At my cabin I have 150' x 20' driveway/parking and use the plow to clear everything and then the blower to pitch the snow out level to avoid drifting.  Plows can cover a lot of area quickly.  Blowers are somewhat slower.  Each has advantages and disadvantages...  Solution all depends upon the situation.  

[Moonshine]

At home I use a snowblower, but at the lake I am using a snowblower and an ATV plow.  Next year I am going to what PurpleFloyd has.  My driveway is about 250 yards long.  Still have to clean in front of garage, additional parking spots, access to propane tank, walkway around the house, to outbuildings, etc.  It gets to be a lot and the ATV deal is not fun.  I use front and back chains, but I still have problems pushing the snow good enough.  I am using a 2018 550 Sportsman with an Eagle frame mounted plow.  Frame mount is better if you are doing a large area.  Not a big deal on years when the snow isn't deep, but this year and last have pushed me over the edge.  Now I have an excuse to buy a bigger John Deere.  I looked at side by side options as well, but I think either a full size plow or large snow thrower option are best.

[Mike89]

I did that last fall Moonshine and the only regret I have is not buying the lawn tractor/snowblower set  up sooner!!!!!!!

[LoonASea]

I have been plowing with a 98 honda fourtrax 300 with chains ,,, My driveway is 1/4  of a mile long,,, I make a run to the road and back then use my john deere diesel to blow the windrows in the woods ,,, I could do it with just the tractor but the nuisance snows are fine with the honda and plow  ,,, I have recently upgraded to a polaris ranger with a cab, heat and plow but haven't had any significant snowfalls since i brought it home