ATV Snow Plow Advice

[BizCT]

As most of you know, I am moving to CT. The driveway is roughly 500 feet. It goes downhill from the garage to the road (last house in cul de sac). My Dad doesn't use his ATV for snow plowing, so he offered to let me borrow it each winter going forward if I pay to get a plow setup on it. 

It's a 2016 Honda Rancher Fourtrax 4x4 with power steering and 420cc engine. it has a mounted front winch. Less than 100 miles on it.

I plan to call Danbury Powersports for a quote, but was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or advice I should think about?

Edited February 2, 2022 by Biz-R-OWorld

[moog5050]

Thats a lot of driveway for a small plow like that Biz.   I thought about installing one on my ATV, but I always had the feeling that novelty would wear off.   I will be curious to know whether you like it if you go that route.  With a light ATV, I always question how well you can push heavy snow around, especially when it piles up in a storm.

[LET EM GROW]

What's your budget? There's really nice stuff out there if you wanna spend the coin.. like boss and Meyers plows.. 

For simplicity .. Moose, Warn, swisher.. 

My 98 Honda Foreman pushes a 60" plow I fabbed up from a garden tractor setup pretty easily. mount to the front of the frame where the racks come down, the front skid plate area.   

I personally would go with 60" if it were me.. and one that angles snow more than one that doesnt angle enough. A Rancher will plow fine, My buddy plowed off his food plots with his 850xmr last weekend for the deer... Just add 100 pounds to your back rack for more power to weight ratio..   

 

Check youtube if your nervous.. IF the snow gets too deep to push all at once, you just raise the plow up a couple inches off the ground the first pass.. 

My Driveway is a big U shaped driveway.. ITs fun..  

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by LET EM GROW

[LET EM GROW]

24 minutes ago, moog5050 said:

Thats a lot of driveway for a small plow like that Biz.   I thought about installing one on my ATV, but I always had the feeling that novelty would wear off.   I will be curious to know whether you like it if you go that route.  With a light ATV, I always question how well you can push heavy snow around, especially when it piles up in a storm.

What size is yours? My old 450 pushes snow just fine. The heavy wet snow I have to plow it at like 5" at a time. OR i cant move it all.. But its not really due to power, just more of the weight of the machine and power transfer. If i recall you have a can am 850? plenty of power to plow.. my buddy just plowed off his field with his last week, plow to the ground and pushed with ease, mud lite style tires definetly help too  

[BizCT]

Thats a lot of driveway for a small plow like that Biz.   I thought about installing one on my ATV, but I always had the feeling that novelty would wear off.   I will be curious to know whether you like it if you go that route.  With a light ATV, I always question how well you can push heavy snow around, especially when it piles up in a storm.

The current owner does it that way. He offered to sell me his ATV with plow, but it’s way cheaper for me to just add a plow to my Dad’s. It’s single lane all the way downhill to road. So figured I could just do a few small downhill rides to clear it?


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[BizCT]

5 minutes ago, LET EM GROW said:

What's your budget? There's really nice stuff out there if you wanna spend the coin.. like boss and Meyers plows.. 

For simplicity .. Moose, Warn, swisher.. 

My 98 Honda Foreman pushes a 60" plow I fabbed up from a garden tractor setup pretty easily. mount to the front of the frame where the racks come down, the front skid plate area.   

I personally would go with 60" if it were me.. and one that angles snow more than one that doesnt angle enough. A Rancher will plow fine, My buddy plowed off his food plots with his 850xmr last weekend for the deer... Just add 100 pounds to your back rack for more power to weight ratio..   

 

No clue on the budget? $500, $1,000? what's realistic?

[escpen]

How much is he asking for his ATV/plow setup?

[moog5050]

1 minute ago, LET EM GROW said:

What size is yours? My old 450 pushes snow just fine. The heavy wet snow I have to plow it at like 5" at a time. OR i cant move it all.. But its not really due to power, just more of the weight of the machine and power transfer. If i recall you have a can am 850? plenty of power to plow.. my buddy just plowed off his field with his last week, plow to the ground and pushed with ease, mud lite style tires definetly help too  

I have a 1000r two man atv - weighs over 1000lbs and plenty of power, but I still always thought that it wasn't really heavy enough to push lots of snow.  Assumed I would spin all 4 when the snow gets piled up.  So what do you do if 12" drops overnight?

[BizCT]

2 minutes ago, escpen said:

How much is he asking for his ATV/plow setup?

$7K

[Wildcat]

what are you going to be using to mow the lawn?   my experience is that a front mount blower on a "good quality" mower is a better option...   I think you would be amazed at how good they work.  Plus it gets the snow out of the way vs. dealing with piles that become problematic.

That said, you are dealing with a lot less snow down there than we do in upstate NY

[moog5050]

1 minute ago, Wildcat said:

 

That said, you are dealing with a lot less snow down there than we do in upstate NY

Good point

[BizCT]

1 minute ago, Wildcat said:

what are you going to be using to mow the lawn?   my experience is that a front mount blower on a "good quality" mower is a better option...   I think you would be amazed at how good they work.  Plus it gets the snow out of the way vs. dealing with piles that become problematic.

That said, you are dealing with a lot less snow down there than we do in upstate NY

My same Honda push mower. the front has a steep section, so a rider is out of question. There's no backyard to mowe (all pool/stone), so it's actually not much to mow.

[LET EM GROW]

Your quad will have way more than enough to push heavy or light snow..

IF we get a ton of snow over night, I just chip away at it, smaller less aggressive passes.. The first couple passes are the hardest and it only gets easier from there. Can always add weight to your back rack if needed.. but our added weight is usually plenty.   I push the snow to the edge of the driveway/yard in shorter passes, like angling it across the driveway.. And i also keep the plow off the ground a few inches the first few pass,  when i have more room then ill go back and scrape it down.

You have more ground clearance by far compared to mine as well which will make it much easier... they didnt come with great ground clearance back in the day lol. you also just need to keep the momentum up as the snow piles up.. that machine will do amazing i grantee. Cant wait til i can upgrade mine. 

With my older lighter quad it makes it tough sometimes and takes longer.. 450 sitting at 600lbs if i remember properly. the lack of weight and clearance really keep this machine from being a real animal.. its geared so low even with the 26" knobby's on it .. mine will get in its own way lol 

Also remember, to push snow beyond the edge of the driveway, to leave room for the next time it snows.. 

[Moho81]

I’ve used my old 99 Polaris 550 sportsmen to plow for years and years. It has a 48” blade on it that can change angles on it. When the snow gets to be about 12+ inches it does take longer because you have to go little at a time but I don’t know if 12+ inches is really a concern in CT. There’s really only been a few storms in the lake effect region that the plow couldn’t handle in all the years I’ve been using it.

One thing I will say is mine operates off the winch for up and down and I wish it had the manual lever instead. The winch is slow and when it’s -15 with the windchill I just want to go as fast as possible.

On the fun side when your done plowing doing doughnuts in the driveway always puts a smile on my face


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[escpen]

19 minutes ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

$7K

I'm not sure how old the machine is, but the picture you posted makes it look brand new.  Depending on the options on that machine, $7k may not be a bad deal.  Used market is crazy right now - you might even be able to make a little money on it.

[BizCT]

Just now, escpen said:

I'm not sure how old the machine is, but the picture you posted makes it look brand new.  Depending on the options on that machine, $7k may not be a bad deal.  Used market is crazy right now - you might even be able to make a little money on it.

Yea, 2019 and it was a good deal. I just didnt care to be bothered to buy & resell honestly.

[Jeremy K]

What about those light duty quick attach plows for the ranger? 

[BizCT]

1 minute ago, Jeremy K said:

What about those light duty quick attach plows for the ranger? 

Got a link?

[Jeremy K]

1 minute ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

Got a link?

I never researched them but I know they're marketed for people who want one for home use and not run a business with. Supposed to be easy and fast to put on and off.

[Otto]

Just for your spreadsheet comparison add a column for a local plow service.  May work out in the end to be cheaper and you won't have to worry about a huge dump of snow, which seems to be more common than not.  In CT, I would ask for a per time price, not a seasonal price.

[ApexerER]

I have a plow on my Brute Force 750.  I'm sure you would have no issues plowing with your Dads ATV. They are very easy to take on and off. Its just a plate you put on the bottom the of quad and then you remove the plow with pins.  I have a 48" plow and wish i went wider. Never thought about how much narrower it is when the plow is angled. I would go 54 or 56"

Plows are $350 to $450 plus the mounting plate specific to your machine. 

Search Moose ATV plows.....

[chrisw]

As long as you take your time I think you'll be fine. I plow my driveway with my CanAm also, works like a charm.

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[johnplav]

Oh man… I’m pretty sure I left the burning bag of poop on the wrong porch!  Oh well, at least your new neighbors know what they’re in for!

Edited February 2, 2022 by johnplav

[mlammerhirt]

https://westernplows.com/products/defender/

Biz checkout this plow setup.
I did the atv setup for many years and for 4000 this blows it out of the water. Start your truck while inside.....let it warm up.....go out in a sweatshirt and have fun clearing the driveway.

It's nice and light and goes on and off so easy I wouldn't go any other route. You won't be disappointed and if you decided to get a new truck you just buy another mount.

Here is a pic of mine on my Titan.

Also a pic of a 400 grizzly I had with a plow.....did a decent job but it was a pain.

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[moog5050]

Thanks Biz.   Now I am back shopping ATV plows.  lol