[CountyMounty]

With winter coming I am considering getting a plow for the ATV (which I have only had for a month now). With so many models out there I thought maybe I could start up a discussion on here about not only the model(s) but other things like best size (I've seen them from 48" up to 70"), shape (straight of angled) lift options (use the winch or would a manual lift actually be easier and quicket), etc.

It is not something that I really need but just something that I think would be cool to have and I could find a use for. This would not be for plowing my driveway as it would take me a week to do it (it is a very long driveway), but rather for things like plowing to the dog house, around to the back of the house, and other places that I normally have to shovel, maybe plowing some at my camp or on the lake during ice fishing. I would be looking to spend less than $500 so I know that rules out several of the high end models but I have found plenty of complete kits for less. Specifically I just found a site with Warn or American Eagle complete kits (for use with the winch) for under $350 shipped.

 

[toodeep]

i have a 500fa with a 60 in. moose plow, the winch lift is the only way i would go (had all 3-winch-manual-plow lift(junk)) If your planing on deep snow or sidewalks i would probably say a 50in. you'll be amazed wth how much snow you can actually move with a atv(and how fast). i would get a higher quality one instead of worring abut price (seen warnand swisher, lighter built) good luck
ps. good reason to go ride will other are running shovels

 

[eric]

I have had a few plows on my machines and they work awesome. Nothing has been as good as the Cat plow but I now have the Tusk (same as the Eagle). It is ok, defenitely better than the Moose. Straight blade does not rock back and forth as much as the county style plow. Go with the widest plow you can, machine will not have any problems and it will save you a lot of time.

Good luck, they work very well.

 

[928GT]

X2 on the wider plow.

Usually you will want to angle it to expell the snow etc to one side. If you angle a 48" plow it will no longer be as wide as your ATV and your tires will be in the snow instead of clear road. If you angle a 60" plow it will still be wider than your tire tracks and you will have a clear road to get better traction and therefore push larger/deeper loads.

 

[928GT]

Oh, and IMHO a winch is the only way to go as long as the winch button is in a good location that you can operate without taking your hands off the bars.

Also consider doing the reverse mod as dealing with the stock way of selecting reverse will get old quickly with all the changing back and forth to reverse when plowing. Simply loosen the lock nut on the reverse cable (small cable on left side) and tighen the adjuster until it will select reverse without pushing the red button and/or touching the brake lever. Then tighten the lock nut.

 

[JayTee]

I run a 50'' warn, you don't want to go bigger than 50'' if you want to plow sidewalks,I live in northern Alberta Canada and i've pushed 3' of wet heavy snow without any problems.I bought the warn because the mounting hardware takes more abuse than others as my buddies with kimpex and moose are always hooking stuff with there frame bracket(warn mounts almost flush.you can also raise the warn higher because it mounts more toward the frontof the quad.Definately go with the winch setup for lifting and lowering.Go with a taller blade I went with the standard but some snow does come over the top. I'm talking about the bottom to top height,there are different heights of blade

 

[AF Crew Chief]

Excellent post CountyMounty!!! I am also in the market for a plow come snow season and also find all this info very helpfull, i would also like to know some sites with great prices on these setups. Thanks everyone on the help and guidence you all provide on this great site.

 

[928GT]

QUOTE ("JayTee":1cb267ay)

I run a 50'' warn, you don't want to go bigger than 50'' if you want to plow sidewalks

What's a sidewalk???

The only side walks we have in my area are when the neighbor has a little too much to drink and "side walks" back and forth down the gravel road

 

[CountyMounty]

Thanks for all the info so far guys.

928GT mentioned the reverse mod which I was considering, especially for plowing. Is there any reason not to do the mod, does it put you at risk of damaging the clutch or gears by accidently shifting into reverse at the wrong time I seem to recall seeing that the ESP system has built in guards against that.

No sidewalks here either but I will be using it to plow up around close to the house and I'm thinking the 60in might be a bit big. I just saw that Eagle has a 54in "lightweight" version. Anyone know anything about them, apparently made from a different material but suposedly still as strong but quite a bit lighter than the standard one. I was thinking 54in would be a good size.

AF Crew Chief I have found several online companies with the plows. I have been looking for a lot of different accessories and finally settled on one company that seems to have quite a large selection of ATV accessories (and a lot of other stuff). It is called Pat's Small Engine Plus (PSEP) at www.psep.biz. I decided on them for a couple reason's. They guarentee the lowest price and they have a flat rate shipping of $5.95 per order PERIOD even on plows. They sell both Warn and American Eagle plow kits and that is likely who I will order through if I go with on of those brands. I just got a cargo seat, thumb assist, and fender protectors from them. Ordered it on Tuesday, received them yesterday (Friday), only $5.95 shipping for it all, many other companies wanted $30 to ship a cargo seat. Anyway check them out, though I have only placed the one order so far I am very happy with them.

Lets keep this topic going, its almost winter.

 

[SOJOE]

Can you use stock tires to plow, or what do you need?

Thanks