So, I am fifty years old and just bought my first ATV! It's a '07 Suzuki Vinson 500. I have never really had a need for an ATV in the past, although they looked like fun, and I always enjoyed riding my friends machines. But the last few years, snow removal has become an issue, and my old 8N Ford tractor hasn't been good about starting in the cold, so I was doing a lot of shoveling. So, I began the process of convincing the wife of the need to purchase a 4-wheeler. I had set my price range at 3-5k, so I wasn't looking at anything too expensive, but I didn't want someone elses junk either. It will mainly be used for around the yard chores, snow pushing, and the occasional foray into the wilds. I was a little hesitant about the carbureted versus fuel injected thing, but it was cold yesterday, and it seemed to start right up, and I have much better understanding of the ins and outs of a carb than FI stuff. It came with one of those Harbor Freight winches, which I ain't to keen on, but if it goes out I will just replace it with a better one. Now I just need a few days off work to enjoy it!! I have been looking at snow blades online, and it looks like waiting until january to buy one is not smart, but here I am. Cabelas has one of their store brand ones that looks good. Anybody got experience with those?

 

Welcome. Did you get the fully auto cvt version or the semi-auto foot shift version? My experience with most quads is don't let them sit too long without at least starting them. At least every 2-3 weeks even if you don't plan on riding should help with easier starting for a carb machine. The cheap winches get mixed reviews. Some last a long time, some are just junk. At least it was included. If it quits working swapping another one in its place should be pretty easy as you probably can use all the old wiring and mounting plate. Just unbolt and unplug and bolt in the new one and plug it in. I've never used a quad to plow snow, don't get a lot of snow here in Illinois so never had a need for one.

 

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the ATV community. Better late than never. I haven't shoveled snow off my driveway by hand in so long I can't remember. Plowing is so much easier and a 500 has plenty of power to push snow around, at least the amount we get here in lower Michigan.

 

That's a good machine! My old 2001 Arctic Cat 500 has a similar motor, it's been awesome, 8,000 miles, starts in the coldest weather, has gobs of torque, I actually use a 72" plow on it.

 

Greetings from Colorado. Welcome to the ATV hobby. I too told the wife that I can push snow with an ATV. She believed it, and now I sure hope I can. I have an ATV in the garage. I have mounted the snow plow and ridden it a little bit. Winter isn't the best riding season. Maybe you can ride your new ATV on the roads around your place. Hope so. Colorado isn't a street legal state yet.

I've done some minor upgrades to my ATV. I enjoy working on the thing. I find them challenging to work on due to their "densely packed" mechanics. There isn't much room.

You will find this website full of useful information and helpful folks.

David

 

Welcome, your gonna have some fun with that new machine!! They do push snow quite well, and it is a hell of a lot more fun than shoveling (and better for your health, my doctor even told me so!) The Cabela's plow setup looks pretty good, I wouldn't hesitate to go for it unless you lived in Alaska and had to move mountains. I wouldn'y worry about the carb version, I had carb machines for 20 years without a problem and I am now on my first EFI machine. The EFI is nice but scares the heck out of me if it ever goes haywire. I was always comfortable with a carb as they are easy to work on and never had a starting issue even below O. Do put a little fuel treatment in your gas unless your running it often and even then it will help with the ethanol issues. You will find more uses for it now that you have it. I ride mine at least a couple times a week but I live on acreage and with the orange triangle I can ride it on the back roads. Keep us posted on how your getting along with the new ride!

 

When you get your plow you may want to put a rubber flap on top to keep snow from blowing up over the top if it doesn't already have one. Here's a picture of one on a KFI plow. https://www.kfiproducts.com/index.ph...wCat&catId=390

 

Hey, thanks for the input guys. ATVs are not legal on the road here in Virginia, but I have access to a couple of larger pieces of property, so I will have a little room to play. Jumbofrank, that is one of the things I liked about the Cabelas plow was that it had that rubber flap on top, as well as markers at the corners, so you can see where the edges are. There is a Cabelas a few hours from me so I may check what they have in stock, maybe save a little on shipping.