I'm new to the atv scene and need one for plowing snow, I'll be plowing a driveway thats about 350-400 ft long. My question is what would work best for this an automatic or manual transmission, are the automatics durable enough to plow snow or will I be burning up clutches. And would a 400 be big enough for this job.

 

either one would be good.... auto you would have low range which is good for plowing and manual u'll have w/e gear you want....yes most autos are durable....A 400 will get the job done.

 

I have a 600' + driveway, and have no problems plowing with my 400. I also recommend an auto, they are a lot easier to switch between forward and reverse. I do a lot of plowing up here, and never had any problems. Be sure to get a 60" blade, anything smaller is a waste if you ask me. What kind of ATV are you looking for? If plowing is going to be the main duty, check out the Arctic Cat or even a Polaris. You will want IRS and lots of ground clearance. Good luck!

 

I'm looking at a 05 Arctic cat 400 auto 4x4 it has a 50" plow, winch and a 5x8 trailer to haul it on for $6,500, does that sound like a good deal.

 

Is it a brand new machine? The price seems a little steep to me, unless it is one nice trailer. Check this out Dealer I know it is in MN and you are in MI, but he is selling a new 2005 400 auto with 2 year warantee for $5295, a warn winch is only $69 with the purchase of a new ATV, and a 60" Cat plow is only $400. Brings the price to just under $5800. So that better be a nice trailer. Also, prices are going down because of the 2006's coming out.

I think the Arctic Cat is a great ATV for your use though, I know I love mine. Good luck [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

make sure its a moose plow. the county one will throw the snow better. the polaris glacier plow system isnt as good as the moose

 

Thanks, for the advise, I'll check the local dealers out to see what kind a deal I can get on a new one, when do the 06 models come out.

 

From my experience a belt drive machine is better for pushing snow. It will allow you to push faster and stack higher than a gear drive machine.

On brand of snow plow I have a little different opinion. The Moose is a well built plow but it is also a very heavy plow. Once you lower the plow onto the ground that extra weight is working against your ATV. If you don’t push a lot of snow it probably won’t make any difference so go by price. But if you move a lot of snow, price is secondary to the performance of the ATV and plow combination.

 

The 2006's will come on in August or so.

As far as a kind of plow, I have the plastic one from Arctic Cat. It is great, snow doesn't stick to plastic like it does to metal, the only thing is I can't do much dirt plowing in the summer - fine by me. Good Luck!!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

doesnt the rubber bottom help with that? but it will last longer than aluminum.