hi,
I am relatively new to the ATV market and realize how valuable one could be to me for winter plowing business. Any info on whether plowing with two wheel drive is possible would be appreciated.

 

Of course you can plow with a 2WD. A friend of mine plows his driveway with a Kawasaki Lakota. Another friend put one on a Honda 300 2WD. Just add some chains and throw some weight on the rear rack and plow away. Buy the narrow blade.

 

thanks so much for the info RAMMER, this way i could save quite a bit in the initial purpose. However, i forgot to mention in my last post if normal beach riding would also be possible in 2wd. By normal beach riding i mean somewhat packed sand with a couple of rods strapped to the racks, because after all nobody can buy an atv for only work!

 

All those sport quads that run the dunes are 2wd. I've never rode the beaches, so i can't help you out there.

 

4Wheelcraze:
Rammer is right about the sand dune guys, most of them are 2 wd. I didn't happen to notice if you're talking lake type sand, or ocean beaches. If it's the ocean, you'll really want to keep up on the maintenance part, as the added salt water won't do any good for your machine.

As for the plowing, yeah, you can plow with 2 wd by adding weight to the back, and chains, but I wouldn't advise it. Having 4 wd is a much nicer way to go, especially with the deep stuff. With four wheels pulling/pushing you through, it's really no problem, whereas with a 2 wd unit, you'll find yourself mainly spinning more than moving. Also, get a plow that is wide enough to clear your tire tracks when tilted. You want to be able to move the snow out of the way, without running over the side trail stuff if you know what I mean. I just bought my machine about a month ago, so I missed this years snow fall. However, I have a couple buddies with both 4wd, and 2wd machines, both with plows. They live over in Moscow, Idaho, and while they are both able to plow their drives, the 2 wd takes a lot longer to do. He also has a narrower plow (I think a 48", as opposed to a 60" on the 4x4) which requires making two passes, to clean up the side slop, which adds even more time. If the money doesn't bother you, maybe take a look at a machine with selectable 2wd/4wd. It is a great feature to have, in my opinion. You get the best of both worlds, and with the high/low range, drop it in 4wd up in the hills, nothing can stop you.

Good luck on your choices.

Mike

 

I put a 50" Moose plow on my Polaris 325 Mag. 4X2. Only had two snows this winter and did fine in snow that was deep enough it was rolling over the blade. I used chains with no extra weight and low range. I am sure a 4X4 with a 60" would be better.

Dan