I have a big truck and a 9' plow for the driveway and major snow removal, and have been clearing a path to the barn with my snowblower. It works, but it's slow, and I get more than a bit tired of snow blowing down my neck.
My charming wife suggested that maybe a blade for the 4-wheeler would be the way to go. (She's up to something, I just know it...)
A blade for the wheeler would be faster, easier (I suspect) and more versatile. It would make a nice way to clear the feedlot for the sheep too.
I'm seeing a Cycle Country Vee plow for around $400 on line, seems like just the ticket. My wheeler is a 2000 Suzuki King Quad, which has Super Low and 4 wheel lock, which should make it pretty good for pushing snow with. Might have to get some chains.
Anybody plow with their ATV? Anybody have specific experience with Cycle Country products and/or Vee plows?
I plowed for a few years with my Honda Foreman ATV. It was a very fast way of plowing, both in clearing snow and the speed I had to be moving to get it to pitch out of my way. On the plus side, the ATV is a very nimble way of clearing snow. With the blade angled all the way over I could make a few 10-15mph passes down the road and do a great job. On the minus side, the ATV was simply too light to handle heavy snow or lots of it. With the blade angled, there was a tendency to be pulled toward the leading edge of the blade. In many cases, that meant being pulled toward a ditch, building or stone wall. It worked much better with my wife on the back, but she complained constantly about the cold so it got to be a source of contention between us. On the bright side, we got our first Kubota so she could stay inside out of the cold! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Another minus was the incredibly cold fingers. Get windguards or heated handgrips for winter use. Lastly, the plow itself would fold down if it hit too much snow, but if the weight of the snow pulled me into some obstruction the frame pivot points took the full impact. They bent, snapped, and fell off with annoying regularity. Had I been more observant I could have seen the initial damage before it was transmitted further downstream by subsequent impacts, but when shivering from a bitter wind chill I could think of nothing other than getting the job done so I could run inside and hug the woodstove.
If you're interested in trying before you buy, come on over to Vermont and try mine. It'll take me an hour or so to dig up the parts and remount it, but it would give you a feel for the pros and cons.
I wouldn't want to do major snow removal with it. I plowed my driveway with a blade on my tractor for a couple of years before I bought a plow for my truck. Heated cab, windshield wipers, and a radio are the ONLY way to go [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
As I said, I'll use it mostly to run a quick path down to the barn and maybe plow out a 15x30 pen that I use for a feedlot for the sheep in the winter. My neighbor has one on a wheeler, I might see if I can try it out.
Hi FAWteen i used my atv fourtrac for plowing my only problem was during drive way plowing i was not able to get snow up over the high snow banks town snow plow got pissed becouse he had to make several passes to get my snow over bank but it was a winter with lots of snow also if i didn't plow down to the barn every storm i would have to get more speed to clear but it worked i went too a plow truck and than too my tractor after that
EDT
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