Which atv for plowing snow

[fsstnotch]

Ok, well I found the next house I'm buying! However, unlike the house in OKC, this house is in the keystone of Pennsylvania on Lake Erie. So.. there will be snow. Normally, I'd just buy a shovel or a snowblower and go to town but the driveway is 50-75yds long. I don't thikn my back could handle it!!!

Having said that, i'm going to buy a 4 wheeler or a side by side and a plow to move the snow. I'm just not sure which I'd rather have. I'm really leaning towards the Polaris ranger RZR. It's more like a wheeler than most of the other utility atv's and it can still be enclosed for warmth. But it's kinda pricey at 10k before accessories. the alternative would probably be a polaris sportsman 500 HO wheeler. It's significantly cheaper at around 6k. (these are MSRP prices).

Which would you prefer? Side by side or std 4 wheeler?

Josh

[WildBill3]

a buddy had a sportman very good allaround ATV ,can you get a blower attachment that would be nice. not just a blade,ther ok when ther not alot of snow but as big as your drive is it could take awhile pushing it around if it was deep...have fun WB

[WildBill3]

hey be carefull overther. just noticed your loc...Gods speed ,git on home!!!

[fsstnotch]

Thanks, I really like the RZR! But I think the only way I could convince my wife into the RZR is if I sell my sand rail. Since I'm moving from Oklahoma, i probably won't get to play with it much anymore anyways.

Another option.. while less fun but maybe more economical would be to buy a riding lawnmower and a blower attatchment. I would then be able to mow the football field I will be calling a yard with the same machine... but like I said, it's just not as fun!

[JWheaton]

Used F150 with a plow.

If you are up on Lake Erie you may need something heavier than the ATV. I base this only from watching an ATV with plow (don't know what kind but it was big) attempt to plow my neighbors driveway after a large snow storm here in NJ. Over a foot of snow. It would have been faster for the guy to shovel and probably less painfull as well.

In Vt. I also only see ATV plows doing mop up duty not for inital clearing of bigger snow falls.

Get home safe.

Jamie

[Jerry Clayton]

Get the garden tractor and a blower---for a large lawn you probably would like a all wheel steer model--get at least 20 hp . Ihave had a John Deere 16 hp with mower, roto tiller and snow blower since 1975---still use it at the shop and have 22.5 hp diesel deere at home now---the Single stage blower will throw snow 30-40 feet( into neighbors yard) a two stage blower is too heavy on the front end taking weight off the rear wheels causing slippage so get the single stage---and then get a nasty 4 wheeler for fun

Tell my nephew hello for me and you guys be safe


Jerry

[1bad66]

POLARIS ALL THE WAY BABY!!!!!! as you can see, I can move 3' of show with my "little" 400 polaris. there is no question about it, I have 3 buddies who traded in there "over seas" bikes for the polaris. A guy at work here just got his RZR and he loves it.

[Wayne Maybury]

Isn't it a bit early to be talking about snow?

Wayne

[fsstnotch]

Well... I'm in the desert where it's around 130ish.. I wish it would snow!!!!

We took the digital thermometer outsed about a week ago... stood there for about 10 minutes and watched it climb. The last we could read was 142.. at that point the whole screen turned black!

I too like the polaris lineup! I'm only slightly concerned that a plow will not be enough to do such a long driveway once it starts building up. I think I'd be better off getting a larger rider and a blower to go on it. For a mower.. I could always get a push mower for the front of the wheeler! The RZR is rated at 55mph.. imagine how fast I could tear up my yard! haha

Will do Jerry!

Josh

[JWheaton]

Originally Posted by 1bad66

POLARIS ALL THE WAY BABY!!!!!! as you can see, I can move 3' of show with my "little" 400 polaris. there is no question about it, I have 3 buddies who traded in there "over seas" bikes for the polaris. A guy at work here just got his RZR and he loves it.

Can you post pictures of that thing actually pushing a snow pile that is 3'?

[1bad66]

well I sure the hell did not shovel all that snow

[xracerbob]

A second on the used F-150. I sold my old plow truck, an '84 w/ a 7.5' Western plow for $1500. They are out there and given the kind of snow Erie can get, I think it's the way to go, especially with a long driveway. Plus, you are in a cab and staying warm and dry, and you can make a few bucks plowing others out.

I also had a Bobcat skid steer that was pretty good with snow and useful for lots of other chores. They are not cheap however.

Thanks for your service and get home safe.

[Dirtrich]

I now have a tractor that I use for snow duty but for years a used a 400cc Honda 4-wheeler and it was a lot of fun to plow. In 10 or more years there was prob only 2 major snow storms that I couldn't plow and that was due to ground clearance.

It really doesn't even matter what kind of ATV you get as long as it's 4-wheel drive. My neighbor has the Kawa Mule but has traction probs cause it's 2-wheel drive so he needs chains and that's a pia. The RZR seems like it would be great at plowing but not nearly as much fun as a quad like the Sportsman...Quads are even more fun in the snow than on the dirt, I've even taken mine on frozen lakes and it is a blast.

Consider this when buying any ATV for plow duty...
1) 4-wheel drive - selectable 2wd/4wd = more fun
2) ground clearance
3) vehicle weight - heavier is better
4) plow design

The type of plow and how it was engineered will make a big difference. Does it have a quick attach/disconnect feature. Do the attachment brackets that stay on the vehicle reduce ground clearance when the plow is off. How easily does the blade angle...stuff like that.

I do recommend a winch for whatever you get, sometimes a life savor for you and others but is great at lifting and lowering plow into any position.

One drawback is that the light duty plow will tend to ride over snow thats gotten packed down like from tire tracks. Obviously, it's best to plow virgin snow. Perhaps the RZR or others offer a "down pressure system", I suspect they do.

Also, just bundle up and don't worry bout cab enclosures, if it snow's that much in your area, an old beater p/u with plow prob would be best...just not as much fun!

[fsstnotch]

Ya. teh pickup would be the BEST bet but then i'd have to leave it sitting around all summer. I figured with an ATV, I get more an all around vehicle... I can use it to plow snow in the winter, pull the kids around on a sled, then in the spring/ summer I can play with it, use it in the yard, hunting in the fall, etc. It would be used much more than the pickup. But if I came across a pickup that was good running and had a plow, I might not be able to pass it up!

I think i will ultimately go with a sportsman 500. It's about 1/2 the price of a RZR and has a shorter wheelbase by like 6" than the RZR. Plus, I could literally almost buy 2 sportsmans for the price of 1 RZR with the necessary options to keep from destroying it. Heck, I can get a sportsman 6x6 for about 3 grand less than the RZR because the RZR is so hot right now that there are NO incentives to buy one. The dealers can't keep one in teh showroom for a full day!

My Grandpa and uncle both have Yamaha Bruin 350's that they use to plow snow. They love em! If worst comes to worst, the expedition has AWD and traction control and does awesome in the snow! I'll just bog my way out! haha Then have someone plow it with a truck.

[Lowell W]

If you're not going to get a blower, I think the best idea for a plow is some sort of old 4WD vehicle. I plowed our 100'+ driveway with a Bobcat for a couple of years and it was miserable. Then I found a Jeep CJ5 with a plow for $300. A few years later, I found a non-running CJ7, again for $300, swapped in the little V-8 and plow from the CJ5, added a hard top and now I have what I think is the perfect snowplow vehicle. It will plow a reasonable amount of snow, it's nice and warm, has good visibility so I can see all 4 corners, and it will get into tight spots. We used to take the plow off so the kids could drive it around the farm fields but they've outgrown that now so it just sits in the side yard all spring, summer and fall and always starts right up in the winter.

Lowell

[Jerry Clayton]

If you have a long drive, you will need a angled blade to push the snow to the side---when the next snow comes, there isn't as much room to push the new stuff--with my John Deere Blower I can blow it 30 yards( well into my neighbors yard ) I often over the lase 33 years cleared out the whole neighborhood and the worst part was cleaning up the mess that the plowers left where they just pushed the snow out into the street

Jerry

[Burgs]

This is what we use in Michigan.

[bnewell]

This is what we use in Ohio.................

[ROUSHAC]

Josh,

This is what we use in Syracuse:



Seriously, go with an old pickup with a plow or an ATV with a snowblower attachment. Erie tends to get a lot of snow quickly from lake effect, and a plow on an ATV may not be able to keep up.

Come back safe!

[Trueoo7]

To be able to use a snowblower you need to have dry snow (light and fluffy) not wet and sticky, all the time, or it will clog up. I had a 21hp tractor with chains and weights and it just didn't have the speed necessary to move a lot of snow, also took a long time. I also have an F-250 with plow which is a little big and hard to manuver in tight places. I prefer my Suzuki King Quad with a 5' plow. No chains or weights needed, but I do not let it get above 8"-10" before attacking the driveway. I do push it well off the driveway onto the lawn in anticipation of future storms. I would definetly get a winch for raising the plow, unless you want muscular arms. 3 of my neighbors also have ATV plows and they love them because its an all-around vehicle as stated.