Hello I'm trying to determine weather an ATV has enough power to plow my road, which is about 800 feet long and 8 feet wide. I live in southern ontario so we don't get large accumulations mayb 8- 10 inches on a good day, but we get some drifting across the farmers feild. Some of these drifts can be up to 2-3feet deep and maybe twenty feet long. Any input would help me decide weather to buy one of thes atv or not. I'm looking in 500 to 700cc range, thanks. Plowed under[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

I think it is going to depend on the condition of the snow more than anything else. Here in Montana the snow is typically very dry and powdery. I use a polaris 350L 2-stroke with a Cycle Country 48" plow and I have never had any problems at all plowing 10" - 12" snowfalls. Although I have never plowed lots of 2' - 3' drifts, I believe an average utility type machine would have no problem pushing it if the snow were powder. If the snow was wind-packed into a hard crust or was a heavy wet snow I don't think an ATV would handle it. I think a pickup would have trouble with these kinds of snow. If you get lots of drifting snow you might want to consider a narrower type plow, like a 48". If you get lots of ice, tire chains are a big help. Don't even consider a 2-wheel drive model as they are typically not up to the task and get very squirelly feeling in the front when you plow. I know because I have tried plowing in 2-wheel mode and it's tough to do.
Hope this helps!!

1993 Polaris 350L
Warn A2500 winch
Green primary spring
K&N filter
48" CC plow with manual lift
26" Titan 589 M/T 's
Custom lockable rear storage box with light and power outlet

 

These two pictures were taken at the end of last winter. 30 inches is the most I've done at one time. I use a foreman 400 with a 48" plow. The problem I have is the overall ground clearance of the foreman... it's a low riding quad and in deep snow it got stuck.

I put a lift on for this year and bigger more aggressive tires. My opinion on using a quad for plowing snow is this: It's not the most efficient way to remove snow, it's not the quickest way to remove snow, but it is great fun. On bigger drifts you have to take smaller amounts and make more passes. Unless your starting right in the middle of a drift 3 feet high you shouldn’t have a problem. Any of the 400 or up 4x4's will be quad enough to do the job.

Foreman plowing uphill
Another shot of the foreman

r4f.

 

Plowing2001,
I have a Yamaha 4x4 Kodiak with any automatic trans, 400cc and a 48" plow. I live in northeast Pennsylvania, We get a fair amount of snow and a lot of the snow is heavy wet stuff and a lot of times it's mixed with sleet and freezing rain. I never had any problems plowing anything that falls. I have plowed the heavy packed snow that the road plows pile up in my driveway and haven't gotten stuck yet. You just have to get a feel for how much of a cut you can take. The hardest part is the fisrt pass. I have piled snow up to 6 or 7 feet. I have a winch to lift the plow, so you can lift it slowly while plowing to create a ramp. You can go as high as you want as long as you keep packing the snow on the ramp. Most of all it's just plain old fun. I can't wait til it snows. I love it. By the way I only have stock tires. I hope to have new Mud Runner for this winter, I'll love plowing even more!! Let it snow!!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
Just buy a quad, you'll love it. Good luck.

 

for plowing in deep snow i would recomend a polaris sportsman 700 it is a twin cylinder four stroke and has over 45 horsepower and i have ridden one and it has power to spare and with a plow the possibilitys are unlimited

 

Come on guys for plowing deep snow the King is the traxter and then the Arctic Cat, hands down.
2000 Grizzly
3800km's (Like a rock)

 

ANY larger ATV can handle snowplowing. They are all limited to the same issue...traction. Some folks like to use chains. I, personally, don't. I have Goodyear Mudrunners on my Rubicon which help quite a bit. The only other thing I do is add a couple of sandbags to the rear rack. As for handling drifts, it's just a matter of making a pass with the blade up to knock the drift down to a more manageable depth. What's really fun is to watch all these guys that shelled out big bucks for snow blades to fit their lawn mowers. They usually just sit and spin. Face it...4 wheel drive beats 2 wheel drive any day.

 

I would recomend the honda rubicon or the honda rincon the rubi is a 500cc quad and the rincon is a 650 either of these quads would do great. If you wanted to make a great plowing machine put some realtors on and some chains and you will be able to go through anything

 

I have a sportsman 500 and the key to the plowing thing is weight. The Polaris works well because of its weight. All of the bigger cc 4 wheelers have enough power. I have owned or ridden about all the 4 wheelers and the polaris goes the best in all conditions

 

neighbor uses his big bear400 4x4 no prob! he plows and i snow blow the walk ways youll have no problem!!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]