Hello!

I'm new to ATV's and new o the forum and have some questions regarding plows. I just bought my first ATV, a '92 4x4 300 Fourtrax. It runs great, and I've always liked Honda products. Anyway, I need to get a plow. I live in Minnesota, and we get a fair amount of snow (about 100" a year). I've spent a lot of time this week reading posts on this forum, articles, etc... but nothing real specific for my application. I am wondering what type of plow setup you'd recommend. It appears the 3 most popular brands are Warn, Cycle Country, and Moose. I've read about people denting the Warn's, but I don't recall any bad remarks about the other two.

1. I'd like something that comes off easily, and whatever remains doesn't hinder ground clearance (too much) for trail use.
2. I'd also like to make sure the plow has some sort of safety spring mechanism when accidentally striking objects so the blade falls flat. Perhaps this is a standard feature on all plows, but I don't know enough about that yet.
3. Is a 60" plow too big for a 300, or should I go with 48" or 50"?
4. How are the plastic blades such as Cycle Country's?
5. Is there a preference between manual lift, electric lift, and winch? I'm trying to save some money and would go with the manual lift, but if I have to buy special parts just for the manual lift, that would end up taking money away from a powered lift and defeat my purpose of saving money in the long run. I don't have a winch right now though.
6. Can a power lift and manual lift be hooked up at the same time (in case the powered lift fails for some reason?)?
7. Where to buy? ATVgear.com seems to have good prices, especially on the discountiued cycle country style plow #5.
8. Will a winch/cable burn out being used for something it wasn't really intended (lifting a plow)?
9. The cycle country or warn electric lift actuators look like glorified power window motors. Does it hold up?
10. Can a Warn winch (such as the 2.5ci), AND a CC or Warn electric lift actuator be installed at the same time with the plow?
This will be important to me should you tell me a winch just shouldn't be used for this.
11. My driveway is a circle about 200' in diameter on a hill, so technically I can plow uphill all the time or downhill all the time. I won't be using this for any kind of business use, parking lots, or on sidewalks. Just a dirt driveway.

What I "have" learned from all my reading is that I will be best off with a straight plow, not a state or v-plow. At least, that will be my preference. I think I will stay away from Warn's plow, though I will use a Warn winch eventually. Thanks for all the help, I know I have a lot of questions! I could read threads until I'm blue in the face, but I figure I'll get the best response simply by asking. My local Honda dealer wasn't that helpful in answering my questions.... He was just interested in the sale.

Thanks,