My experience has been that CG is key, but so is weight.

I've seen machines with less GC out-run a high GC machine that weighs 150lbs more because the heavier machine broke through the base.

If its fresh snow with no base, the higher GC quad will take more snow.

 

Hey propnut, wats up? what kind of ATV do you have? I have a Yamaha 350 Big Bear.

 

Hello ATVRider

I ride an 04 Rubicon. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. It does OK in the snow. I have found that a lot more of getting through the snow is technique, but there are certain characteristics of an ATV that just physically limit where you can go, and its different for each atv type. Tires help a ton too - if the base isn't too deep.

A friend had a Big Bear and it was pretty dependable if you stayed up with the maintenance. I think the air cooled machines are pretty good in the snow because of their lower weight.

 

Do you know how the yamaha atv'v behave at ignition when left out in the cold for a while ?

 

BOMB 800 AND BOMB 400 both look like great choices if you don't mind the paying the price to get it. The Visclock front diff looks like it would be really good for snow. Both have great power, even the 400 dyno's and performs like a 500 in other brands.

 

like XtremeSkier said.. i have medium sized tires with good sized tred on my fourtrax 200 and that thing goes anywhere i go in the snow...its really light quad.

 

My Yamaha Kodiak fires right up in the cold. I just choke it and a flick of the starter button and she's going. I let it warm up for a few minutes of course but it seems to behave fine in the cold and snow. I plow my long driveway fine.

 

a tall IRS and powerfull utility quad would be your best bet

and as your your dually pickup, it'll do terrible, with having that dually the weight on the rear end is spread out so much that you'll NEVER get traction

 

Anything more than a foot of powder snow will leave your bike to only plowing the driveway until the snowmobiles pack everything down, evven then you have to air down your tires and stick to the trails. In the spring of the year when the snow is packed down and frozen, you can go pertty much anywhere.

A machine wiht a choke and a carb heater will start easilly in the winter. On really cold days, I leave the key on for up to a minuite for the carb heater to warm, then I start the bike. Sometimes I'll have to use the primer button too.

A snowmobile is a heck of alot more fun in the snow though!!!

 

it is nice to have a lil primer button on the carb i know that some of the arctic cats have it and that the honda's have it. very nice for cold starting. and i personally think atv's are more fun in snow more of a challenge i guess that is why i am selling my snowmobile cause i put way more miles on my atv each winter then snowmobile.