Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's 4-wheeler For Snowplowing

I'll have to disagree with that. I have a 2x4 Kaw. It's totally useless in snow without chains. It sits and spins and even 4" will bog down the front tires. Pushing the fronts through snow is the biggest problem because it just can't get the traction in back.

As much better as the 4X4 is then 2X4, the real diff lock is better in 4X4 then the open or limited slip designs.

I cannot count the times I've been stopped in 4X4 , backed up, selected diff lock and just continued on like magic. This is especially true with my Rhino

400cc engine min.
4x4 w/ locker
chains (maybe)
winch
synthetic rope
4'-5' blade

anything else?


It turns out right now isn't the time to get a machine, but I plan to have one before next winter. I'll keep the snowblower, but I'm getting real tired of running it into the wind.

Thanks for all the help.

I wouldn't worry too much about the chains, i've never used them and have had no problem plowing my driveway. A suggestion on the synthetic rope and winch, make sure the fairlead, either roller or hawse, is smooth with no burs or deep gouges or it will eat that synthetic rope. Mine has a hawse fairlead which is recommended for syn rope.

As a luxury, i'd put hot grips on it too but it's not a neccesity (sp?).

And if you can find one, get a blade setup that can be adjusted to push the snow off to the side. My Moose plow is setup that way and it makes moving snow easier when going up and down the driveway.

Yeah. That's why I added the 'maybe' to the chains. my driveway is flat and didn't really think they'd be necessary.

If you get wet/heavy or crusted snow, you'll want chains. Also, if you don't get the whole thing "clean", and you have an inch of packed snow, you'll be spinning like crazy and will need chains to bite.

Tires make a big difference too... I have 589's for the summer, but they are horrible on snow/ice. I run the stock tires in the winter with chains.

That's another reason I want a blade. Rained-on snow is tough to toss with a blower because of the density and stickiness. It sometimes will jam in the chute.

Maybe I'll just move to Arizona!

One thing I don't do is plow the first snow, I like to leave an inch or 2 before I start plowing but my driveway is gravel and fairly long. If it was asphalt I would probably plow after the first snow.

That's a given.

depending on depth, I'll hit the first snow with the blower, but with a generous height adjustment. Are wheeler plows built for that too?

You can run the stops down farther to get more clearance. If you have loose gravel, they will dig in a bit, but it isn't too bad. That's probably the best option.

Trying to lift the blade a couple inches with the winch never worked out for me. Any bump and you porpoise, and then you end up with something resembling whoops on a supercross track...

This was early in the year. The banks have been pushed back once and I have a couple at the end of the drive that are 6 or 7 feet high. NO CHAINS on the tires, just an old Sportsman, and the bike ain't new either.

This is what I plow with. 2007 Yamaha grizzly 660. I've got 14" itp wheels and 27" itp mud lite XLs on it which added a good bit of clearance over stock wheels/tires and insane grip. Put the HMF exhaust to add a little power to turn the bigger tires in nasty stuff. It's got a 52" state plow on it and I like it way better than a standard plow. Pushes much more snow with out spilling over the top.

Not a snow pic but I use it to help grade the driveway and the added weight in the front doesn't hurt things

I plow with an 08 800 Polaris.

i have a 1990 honda 4trax and it does a great job ive plowed snow for all the neighbors around for 2 blocks up to a couple ft also do our circle since the city rarely does side streets or they get to them 2 days after the snow ive piled it 6-8 ft high

I've also plowed with a 4Trax 300.
I have used a Timberwolf 250 too.
Both 2WD. Chains work wonders. Once you drop the blade the front is losing much of it's traction.
It can be done, and work fine on the cheap.

You get a wheeler/plow yet Mike? I've been plowing like crazy lately, and you can't even tell because the damn snow keeps falling!

I've moved more snow in the past 2 days than I have all winter.

I always figured that using a wheeler as a plow was an excuse to justify the purchase of a wheeler to the CFO. Maybe I'm just jealous since our driveway isn't long enough to justify one, and we have a retaining wall on one side which makes a snowblower by far the best tool.

Even consider one of these?

No. Money has leaked off in other directions. that's OK though, I'll have one for next season.

Hell, I haven't had the snowblower put to use in a couple of weeks. The sun here is so bright...it hurts!

Does it have wipers and defroster?

Also, that thing looks to be blowing the snow OUT of the scoop, the flapper on the chute is clamped down and dry. WTF?