All the help, long-winded or not, is great! Thanks. Will the plows trip if they hit something?

 

ATV plows usually have 2 heavy duty springs that flex if the plow ever hits something...then the plow is pulled back to it's proper place by the springs, you can adjust them to allow the plow not to move much when it hit's something. Also, if the skids on the plow are set at a higher hieght the plow will be less likely to hit something.


Also about needing 4wd, I say your just asking to get stuck without 4wd and where I plow it would be impossible to move any snow if I only had 2wd, the rear wheels will just spin... It no different then a truck or tractor, no one would put a snow plow on a 2wd truck or tractor.

 

I'm with Toyboy on this one, you NEED 4x4 to plow. YOu are just wasting your money otherwise.

And yes, the plows do spring back.

 

Toyeboy, thanks for the spring explanation.

Yes, I will definately need 4 x 4. I'll need it with driveway. Do most utilities have trailer hitches on them?

Thanks.

 

Yes most of the newer models year 2000+ have a trailer hitch, it's actually a hole for a ball hitch.

 

And Arctic Cat has a 2" reciever like a truck, so you can take the trailer off your vehicle, and put it on your quad!

 

UtilityMachine - Take a look at this website: http://www.atvtraderonline.com/. You can search for new or used machines in your area and find great deals if you look long enough. Also, look for a 2006 model as 2007 models just came out so you may be able to get an '06 for a good deal. Here in NC, a new 2006 Arctic 400 4x4 is $5000 with a 3yr warrenty. Since I used to live in the northeast and you're in Boston, I strongly suggest buying new as that ATV will get lots of usage plowing. You don't know what your buying unless it's new. The Arctic Cat site shows plows and anything else you'd want.

 

Thanks for the explanations on the hitch.

I'll check that out that site. You really think new, kaptap? Most people have said at least a 500, however you listed a 400 Artic Cat. Do you think that would plow snow well enough?

Thanks.

 

I have the Arctic Cat 400 4x4 which is my first ATV I bought new last December. I had been looking at new and used machines. I must have looked at 15 used atvs and each had something that had been fixed or made some noises that the owner told me was normal. After spending hours on this site, I've found most noises are another issue that needs to be dealt with. Anyway, I decided on buying new so I knew what I was dealing with plus I got a 3-yr warrenty. Warrenty was huge as I'm not a mechanic and wanted piece of mind. I'll have this ATV until the wheels fall off, so I figured I might as well spend $2-3K more for new then buying a good used machine. Since it snows in my part of NC about 1 inch a year, I can't talk about how well the 400 will plow snow. Although I've read that people push snow without problems. I can tell you the 400 has lots of low end power. I pull farm equipment without problems. Even pulled a 40ft. tree (8 inches round) about 1/4 mile that came down in Tropical Storm Ernesto last week. There's only 100 cc difference between the 400 and 500...other than that, I believe both machine are identical. I was tossing about getting the 500 or 400 and decided to get the 400 and spend the extra money on the Limited Edition which has a winch and front and rear bumpers. There's also the Arctic Cat gallery on this site and you can post a message there about how well the AC plows snow. You'll find out for sure then. I went with the Arctic Cat over Polaris b/c the AC was about $1500 cheaper and I liked the speedracks, 2 inch receiver. In my opinion, since this is your first ATV and if you're not mechanical savvy, buy new with the warrenty so you can enjoy ATV'ing rather than fixing it. Keep in mind, AC and other companies have 6-month or 12-month no payments, which makes these very affordable.

 

I had a 425cc Polaris sportsman that I plowed a lot of snow with. 6 inches of snow wasn't a problem for it to push with a 48" plow...but when it got up over 12" drifts that's where the small motor became overworked and I found myself using 3/4 throttle the majority of the time in high gear, low gear simply didn't have enough speed to keep the snow pile moving. And if you plan on using a bigger plow like a 60" I wouldn't recommend less than 500cc. If you put chains on all four tires of a 500cc+ ATV with a 60" plow you can push a lot of snow.