I'm looking into buying a plow for my SP500 but I'm still unsure on what to get. I can get a Warn 54" for about $316 a Polaris 60" for $260 and a Moose for $???? all with mount kit included. I've heard positive remarks from all these brands in the posts, but I've never seen them get compared. Which size and brand is recommended, and how does one compare to the other? Thanks in advance.

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99' SP500

 

I've got the 48" polaris plow for a 99 sp 500. I traded the old 60" plow in because it
wouldn't fit my side walk. From what I've
seen, the cycle country has a easier setup.
My polaris plow requires you to take the whole front end apart (if you have the tube bumber) to install. Once you have the whole thing installed, you can disconnect the plow, but you are left with a very heavy plate between the foot pegs and some linkage next to the left front tire (which you can also take off, but is a pain) Overall, I don't think I would purchase another, I'd go for the cycle
country or a snow blower.

 

I have a 48 inch Cycle Country plow on my 99 Sportsman.I enjoy it alot.It angles to three differant positions.It mounts and dis-mounts in less than a minute with one person.BILL

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I also have the cycle country 48 inch. When angled, it will fit the sidewalk. Super easy on and off, with very little mounting hardware left hanging on the quad. Go with the Cycle Country, heck, it's made in Iowa, it's gotta be good! ;-)



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Hawk - stock (for now) 99 Scrambler 400

 

I've had a few experiences with plows. Right now, we have a Polaris plow on our '97 Sportsman 500. I like the design, it is strong and works well. The thing I don't like is it reduces the ground clearance of the machine with the mount on and if you don't take the lever and front lift mechanism off in the summer time, it gets to be a pain. The lifter in the front (what the plow chain or lever hooks to) will catch on obstacles quite often. It is best to just take the mount off if you have time and you go in fairly rough terrain with stumps, rocks, etc. Kburth, do you mean the front bumper when you say "the front end"? The first time taking the mount off and putting it on it a pain, but after that it is fairly fast.

We had a Cycle Country plow on our old '94 Suzuki King Quad. Worked well except for one thing: the front lift plate would bend all the time. We welded a plate of steel onto it to strengthen it, never did it again but it still should be stronger by itself. I would imagine that they redesigned their plows since '94 though.

I just seen a Moose plow with a blade that is taller on one side and shorter on the other side for throwing snow. It was mounted to a 2000 Honda ForemanES. I really liked the design. The lift lever was not in the way, it was mounted on the front rack. It has a short lift lever, which would give you the impression that you would never be able to lift the blade with one hand. But you can, they have a spring helping you with that task, and it really works good. Best thing is the lever is away from your knee and can't whack your knee if you hit some hard snow and it pushes the blade up (only if you have a rod connecting the plow to the lift mechanism instead of a chain).

For Warn, check out the recent article at the ATV Connection home page where they tested it on a Kawasaki Prairie.

I don't think you want a 60" blade. We have a 48" on our Sportman, and in a big storm, that's all it wants. Depending on if you get any major snowfalls, I wouldn't suggest the 60" cause it is just too wide. It would be fine if you only get like 6" snow storms all winter. We had a storm last winter where we got 18" in one storm. I had a hard time getting through the driveway on foot, snow over my waist and it was heavier snow. I never thought the Sportman would get through to the road but it did. I know it says not to go over 5 mph when plowing, but I needed momentum! I was surprised it got to the road, and after the first pass it was easy after that, I can take however much width of the plow I want. But in this situation, a 60" blade would have been just too big. I really would like to try a V-plow. I think they would be even better for the real deep stuff. The only thing I don't like about the Sportsman when plowing is having to hit the override button to get 4x4 to engage. When I'm done pushing and ready to back up, I need to back up a little to lift the plow, and for that I need to run the throttle with my right hand, hit the override with my left hand, and use my teeth to lift the plow! Hehe, not really, but I just wish they would have no override whatsoever on it. This is where an Xpedition would be handy.

 

I just bought the polaris 60" plow. I thought it was very easy to put on and off, once I got it installed. I opted for the 60" because I am doing driveways and roads. There isn't a sidewalk for ten miles in any directions . We can get 18" or more at a time here in the mountains and I hope it will do the trick. Using chains on the tires will dramatically increases your ability to push snow with an ATV. I am using cut down car tire chains. I got for $15.00 form a yard sale. I also plan to bolt a 6" piece of mineing belt to the top of the plow to help prevent the deep snow from coming over the top. I have to admit, I don't know how this setup will work because I haven't tried it yet. I'll post here when I know more, as I am sure many others will too.

Sneeky

 

Sneekypete,just a thought.If you can afford the Goodyear Mudrunners,you would probably not need to use chains.I have a 100ft driveway and will easily plow 12 inch of snow with these tires.They are simply AWESUME tires.I realize the chains are much less expensive though.I just cant beleive how good they work on my 99 Sportsman.So far,we have not had more than 12 inches of snow here,but im sure the way it man handles 12 inches,18 would be no big deal.Good Luck====BILL

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