I'm running the recommended 3.6lbs. of air pressure in the stock tires on my 2001 Kodiak. I just got a 50" Moose County Plow and it feels like it makes the front end go down a lot when installed. Should I run more air in the tires when I use the plow? It seems logical to me that the more air you put in the tires, the worse bite you'll get in the snow. So I'm not sure what to do. What do you plow owners do?

 

We always run higher pressure in our tires. It helps keep them from rolling over (the tires, not the atv) when taking hard turns as well as protecting the rims from rocks etc. It will increase your ground clearance as well as making machine more stable. The only down side is if you have a machine with a poor suspension it will give you a harsher ride. For snow, you don't want a mushy tire. you want one that will bite. Stock tire are usually pretty soft. Try running like 7 pounds to start. I don't know much about the Kodiak, but if it has adjustable shocks, you will want to stiffen the preload so the extra weight doesn't compress them as much also.

 

I have a plow for my Foreman 450. I always carry 4 lbs. air pressure in all four tires, and never change it to plow snow. I have never had a problem! Jim.

 

I always run 10lbs of air in my tires. BK is right about needing a harder tire to bite down hard on snow and in mud. Plus it will increase your ground clearence some. Its just like a pickup truck I imagine, when I'm going to haul alot of weight in my truck I always add air to my tires. It will help you to float also if you get into some water that was deeper then you thought it was!

Rick

 

I have a Cycle Country 48-inch plow mounted on my '96 Kawasaki Bayou 400 4x4. I recently replaced the 24-inch OEM Goodyear Tracker MP tires on the Bayou with 25-inch Goodyear Mudrunners. I run 5-1/2 PSI all around when riding or plowing snow. I have had no traction problems with either tire when plowing snow.

Army Man

 

Thanks guys, I'm going to try a little more air pressure since the stock Dunlops are quite mushy. I'll probably go with 6 or 7 lbs. and see how it feels. Now all I need is some snow. I'll report back on the results.

 

I don't know where some of the ideas here come from but adding air to a tire reduces the contact area. A tire with less air will have more contact area and therefore more traction. In emergencies many pepole will let the air out of their tires to get unstuck(cars trucks atv's and whatever else).

But I guess it depends on the different tread patterns also, maybe in some cases the tire would get limp and the treads could fold over or something..

Anyway, not trying to be rude just my 2 cents.

 

01 Griz, Adding more air to your tires will make your tires heavier. (This extra weight is not noticable, but scientifically true.) Air does weigh something. The only thing that will make your tires lighter is by putting helium in them. The tire pressures are always meant to be low to prevent punctures. If you keep your psi 10-12, you will blow a tire next time you hit a rock.

200X ATC, Timberwolf