Hoping you guys can help me. I'm looking at ATV's (pretty much set on Honda) for plowing out our driveway. Now, this will be something my wife will be doing also. She's pretty petite and weak , (like pulling an 8 lb trigger on a revolver takes two hands.) So I'm wondering if getting one with the power steering option is a good idea? I'm trying to save $$ by buying used, but I mostly see the Rubicon's for good deals. Or should I just suck it up and get the Foreman with PS?

Also, can a plow be set to stay say a 1/2 or full inch off the driveway? I actually don't like to scrape down as it's gravel.

I'm sure I'll have more questions, but I'll start here...

 

I have power steering and while I don't plow it has been awesome on the trails. I got my 07 new and only pay $119 a month. I hate to finance one, but its nice to have a new machine that hasn't been beat up.

 

Ok I just went through this very thing and the answer is YES you most definitely want the power steering, I decided that the three must have items for an atv are as follows
POWER STEERING / EFI / IRS.

 

For trail riding, the beauty of power steering seems to be that it acts like the ultimate steering damper, so there is little or no feedback to the steerig from trail obsticles. For plowing at low speed that's not an issue, but it might help the little lady out.

As far as models, the used Rubicons out there are showing their age, and may not be aging so gracefully! Be aware that this transmission is not rebuildable either by the owner or even the dealer, so a dud trans is going to cost you big time.

I would get the Foreman, and even though the ES shifting system is not Honda's best effort, the little lady might appreciate it.

Also, how serious is your plowing? If not major, maybe you can get by with the smaller Rancher, which may be a more appropriate size for the little lady?

 

Thanks for all the responses, keep them coming!

The driveway is about 150' long and it's at literally 45 degree angle. There's also a parking section that fits about 3 cars. With 5" of snow, snowblowing will take 1.5 hours from start to finish. (I have the biggest blower Sears makes). I also snowblow out some paths in the back as we have some animals, but don't do that all the time.

I see a guy on Craigslist is selling a near new Rancher with plow - but I've always been told at least a 500 is needed for snow removal??

What is EFI / IRS?? I'm really green here...

 

EFI is electronic fuel injection. It is nice to have anywhere, and a necessity if you ride mountains where you change altitude constantly. I know your driveway is steep, but not that steep....

IRS is independent rear suspension...as opposed to SRA which is solid rear axle. IRS is great in rocky terrain because the suspension arms articulate independently. Problem is, it adds lots of extra weight to the machine. Also, the rear will squat under hard acceleration, when the racks are loaded, or when pulling a trailer.

I would say for you, stick with SRA, and a carburator is just fine. I would go Foreman 500 if I were in your shoes.

 

The plow will have adjustable skids on the bottom edge to keep it at your 1/2 in clearance from the gravel you want.

 

There is an article in this months Dirt Wheels Magazine comparing 4 of the top selling Quads with power steering. Honda, Yamaha, Polaris, and I think Suzuki.

 

The Irs issue can be somewhat fixed by adding the Perfec Long Travel Kit to your SRA. It doesn't help rear clearence but it sure softens up the ride quite a bit. I kept looking back when I first rode mine because I thought the rear end was broken or something because I couldn't feel it anymore.

 

Hey bro, you got a personal message to go check.