four wheeler with plow

[YAKO]

i was wondering if anyone has experiens with plowing with a quad. i was wondering at about what speed you can plow at on a sidewalk where you feel you have control and the plow doesnt trip up. i have a 48" warn 2 trip springs anyone with experience with this plow in particular. anything to watch out for or mods that would help it out.

[JCurtis]

No experience plowing with a quad, but from experience I can tell you that any sidewalk vehicle should be driven at a safe steady speed. You never know where a cracked or lifted section of sidewalk may be.

I used to use an old wheelhorse tractor with a 48 " plow on walks, I can tell you it sure wakes you up when you hit a raised lip. This wheelhorse had a cab, so you weren't gonna get tossed off.

I can't imagine doing a "high" rate of speed on a quad plowing sidewalks.... too dangerous.

[snowplowjay]

I have a few shots of Bob St Jacques sidewalk rig. He has a tank of magic on the back and a STATE brand plow on the front.

[snowplowjay]

Back View

[snowplowjay]

The Plow

[YAKO]

im not expecting to be able to fly i was just wondering to be able to estimate the time it will take to do the sidewalks in the different associations. i mean the difference between 2 and 4mph is huge and i was wondering approx what rate of speed i could safely go with out killing the quad me or the lawn

[cardoctor]

the first plow i had on my wolverine was home made

drove around the neighbor hood doing the walks
hit a raised section of concrete
not only did it almost shoot me over the handle bars
but it bent the plow frame

replaced the blade and installed a u-edge

alot safer and wont damage the grass


it not the speed that kills its the sudden stop
:headwall :headwall



john

[KenP]

Listen to the Car Doc, He's seen me make a few sudden stops!!!!:headwall Realisticly, you should always maintain safe plowing speeds, I plow my driveway, it's about 25' long and the apron has a 1" raise in it, hit that and you'll pee yourself... Just my .02$

[YAKO]

thanks for the advice ill keep it slow.

[Lawn Lad]

Unless you're operating on brand new concrete where you know for sure you don't have cracks and lifted sections of concrete to contend with, I would recommend putting a urethane edge on the blade. For the $75 you'll spend, you'll save your wrists, teeth and your machine. The bent mulboard I have now is from before the urethane when on the blade.

We try to plow in 2nd or 3rd gear depending on how deep/heavy the snow is. Generally no more than 12 to 15 mph when we know the area and down under 10 mph when we don't know the area as well or when the walks are cracked up. Keep in mind that you want a little momentum for getting through drifts and tougher stuff, so taking a snails pace may not be too good either since you'll be asking the quad to do all the work. Much more than 20 mph with the blade down may not give you time to react should you need to stop suddenly.

[phillyplowking1]

Im thinkin about setting my Grizzly up with a plow.Whats a good brand?

[CNY Joe]

I agree with Lawn Lad, I would recommend putting a urethane edge on the blade. Well worth the investment it will say wear and tear on your atv and on the sidewalk as well. JMO

[kawdude]

Originally posted by phillyplowking1
Im thinkin about setting my Grizzly up with a plow.Whats a good brand?


The cycle country plows are ok, What size grizzly is it?

Cycle country makes 42" 48" 60" and 72" plows, and county type plows.

Also I reccomend the warn 1700i Winch for lifting the plow if you use it alot. the manual lift is ok but electric is nice. I have installed many of these setups if you have any other questions.

[YAKO]

i went with the 48" for sidewalks. with it angled it will give me a few inches on either side befor i leave a trail of beaver pelts. i was told that a winch was not a good idea for a plow for commercial use. they are meant to pull thousands of pounds therefore have a high draw. i went with the warn plow acuater it will only lift acouple hundred pounds but has a much less draw.

[micah79]

I would use the electric actuator instead of a winch. A winch will kill your battery.

[cardoctor]

go manual
i know several guys that broke the acuator
only thing the motor is is a window lift motor
i have a winch on mine not happy with the angel of the cable
this yr it will be manual





john

[kawdude]

Our winch has held up for 2 years. The manual lifts work great but after a while it gets old lifting and lowering, makes for a pooped arm.

[DanG]

My brother in law has the polaris plow(60") and the set up they sell at the dealer is a winch to raise it.

Dan

[micah79]

I am just saying that the battery will not hold up if you are using the plow commercially, and raising and lowering it a lot.

[cardoctor]

Originally posted by kawdude
Our winch has held up for 2 years. The manual lifts work great but after a while it gets old lifting and lowering, makes for a pooped arm.

thats my shovelers problem
ill be in the truck with the heater on lol



john:shades

[Big Nate's Plowing]

Last year a guy down the street had a 4x4 quad with a 60" blade, he did most of the sidewalks in the neighborhood and he averaged about 5-8 mph down the walks and I saw him go down our street twice at about 25 mph. the plow worked good and casted the snow well, until he decided to tool around the walkways doing about 20 mph and hit a badly raised section, it threw him off, he broke his back and ripped the blade and part of the frame of the quad off. :eek:

just be careful and keep it <10 mph

[cardoctor]

thats the exact reason to put on a u edge








john

[Lawn Lad]

A U edge is critical in my opinion unless you're on brand new concrete and you're sure there are no cracks that you'll catch the plow on.

As well, I prefer the manual lift on the blade. If you're cruising down the walk and you see a bump ahead you can lift the blade slightly to ride over it without having to really slow down. The electric hoist is too slow for production work. As well, at another $400 or so, I think it's an added expense that you can avoid. Lastly, the hoist/winch can pull up too hard on the plow frame and tweek/bend the frame if you have an operator that is not watching what they're doing. Keep it simple with the manual lift.

[micah79]

I only paid $75 more for the electric acuator. Can you buy u edges for a quad or would I have to get a big one and cut it down?

[cardoctor]

i bought mine from dino
hes on this site

its wide enough to rip it lenght wise
and make two out of it

my guy last yr cranked up on the winch
with the blade and burnt it up






john

[Crimedog]

We use a 00 Sportsman 500, with a polaris 60" blade. We have the manual lift, and I like it a lot. It is faster than the electric lift, and as said above, it is cheaper. The only drawbacks of it are lack of lift height, and tiring the operator. To gain more lift height (when putting on trailer), we just hook the winch to it, and pull it all the way up until it touches the ATV frame. As far as teh "exhasution?", you get used to it real fast. Just make sure when you show off your "guns" you use your left arm:shades :D

[micah79]

How do you use a 60" plow on a 48" walk?

[Big Nate's Plowing]

angle the blade ;)

a 60" blade at 33* is only 52" wide or 4" too wide and it is 2" wider then the walkway on each side. the operator cant go in a 100% perfect line anyways. so there is atleast 2" of runout anyways. as long as the grass is not overgrown it shouldnt be a problem, hell I plowed 6' walks with the bronco / 8' blade:grinz

[phillyplowking1]

What size grizzly is it?
Its a 600 cc and I already have a warn 2000lb winch on it.

[Roady]

We use a Yamaha Kodiak 400 with manual Cycle Country plow.

Yea it's faster by far. But like the other have said watch out for the toe catchers. We had one broken wrist due to it and alot of tweaking in the frame of the plow.

We wore the original cutting edge and shoes out the first time we used it. We improvised with homemade shoes and a cut down edge. It breaks one front shock every year and being exposed to alot of salt hasn't helped either.

[hjls3]

this is my first year to actually plow my stuff from inside a vehicle. i have a polaris 700 with manual plow and a very long gravel drive. after destroying my ego and my wrist i crafted some brackets with heavy duty casters. my blade ended up suspended 1/2 inch or so but wheels sure made it an easier job to do. as far as scraping sidewalks clear of snow i would imagine that the slower you go and the clser you pay attention the less likely you are to get bucked off - good luck

[CraftyBigDog]

Heres mine a Grizzly 600 I have a county 60in plow for it!

[CraftyBigDog]

Another

[CraftyBigDog]

Last one!

[aleksei]

CraftyBigDog (or anyone, really),
Sorry to be ignorant about four-wheelers, but what is that pipe-like thing coming up just behind the handlebars :confused: Looks like shop-vac tubing. Is it some sort of snorkel to allow the engine to breathe in mud or something?

[CraftyBigDog]

Yeah its for deep water crossings, its a blast to be in such deep water that all you see is the handlebars and if you goose the throttle then you start doing water wheelies because the front end is floating!

[aleksei]

Upon closer inspection of the picture, it seems as there are two of them. Won't even ask.... :confused:

[CraftyBigDog]

Yeah the two smaller ones up front are for the belt because it is belt driven. Ones intake and exhaust!

[phillyplowking1]

CraftyBigDog, I have the same exact grizzly but with out the snorkels.I have Itp tires and rims on mine.

[CraftyBigDog]

Yeah so far I have put the progressive springs up front for the plow and a clutch kit and a detroit locker and I took out the stock piston and put in a 11:5:1 compression piston. I have a buddy that has the kawasaki prairie and I can keep up with him. It flat out screams. The locker made a huge difference in the mud and hills.

[Mike Nelson]

We just purchased 3 Articat 4x4 400's. They came from B&M Articat in IL. They have a 48" Country poly plow and a SnowEx 375 salter. Plow is manual and we added rubber for the cutting edge.
I will try and post a pic here on Monday.

[Honest Mike]

Nice quads everyone. :shades Crafty, yours has some serious looking tires on it, that thing must go through the snow pretty darn well. I used to have a 1988 Yamaha Blaster, it had SpiderTrak tires on the back, they were pretty mean looking also, but nothing like the ones on yours. Mike :)

[Snowboy]

You can always use your lawn equipment like this.

[Mike Nelson]

here's our Quads Front:

[Mike Nelson]

another rear:

[micah79]

i was wondering at about what speed you can plow at on a sidewalk where you feel you have control and the plow doesnt trip up. i have a 48" warn 2 trip springs anyone with experience with this plow in particular.


I have been wondering how fast to plow as well. This thread is way off topic. It has turned into a pictures forum.

[Mike Nelson]

Sorry for getting off the subject!!! If the moderators feel that the pics should be moved that is fine with me.

Back to you question, I wouldn't plow over 5mph.

[micah79]

Don't get me wrong Mike. I like the pics! I was just hoping I could get some more input on the speed to plow.

[Honest Mike]

True, it got a little off topic, but the pictures were a real treat to see. I had no idea how many of you guys used quads, and you guys have some real nice ones too. :shades Mike :)

[EZSnow]

these threads have a life of their own. how is a picture of a four wheeler with a plow considered off-topic in a thread titled "four wheeler with a plow"? I understand what you mean about it being off topic whehn compared to the opening statement, but we're all learning... well- I am anyway, and as long as we're learning, who cares?

My "four wheeler with a plow" question follows:
Has anyone seen/ used/ demo'd polaris' new glacier plow? looks like a slick deal- quickie hookup and such. no manual lift, though- electric actuator or winch only. Been thinking about it- whatcha think?

[CraftyBigDog]

The beginning of this year when we had the blizzard in the NE, I was plowing at 25mph because I use a state plow blade that is tapered so it throws the snow real well so the faster I could go the farther I could throw it so it worked out. Just be careful!

[cardoctor]

i run a 48" on my wolverine
put a u-edge on it
it not the speed its the sudden stop thats the problem
maybe 5-10mph when plowing
johnplowing!

[micah79]

and as long as we're learning, who cares?
I obviously cared. ;)
Thanks, for the feed back guys. So it seems to me that 5-10 mph is a good speed.

[Crimedog]

Crafty, how do you like those high lifter outlaws? We just got a full set of Vampires for our 00 SP 500, and boy, do they rip up the grass:burnout Micah, on gravel, where the ATV really shines, I have gone up to 20, just because it throws the snow so well. Sidewalks, I'll keep it slow-under 5. I'll be using low, to save the belt.

[CraftyBigDog]

I love the outlaws awesome, the vampires are great also. I installed the clutch kit to help my belt. The biggest improvement was the high compression piston. It will run with my friends prairie 650 and that things is a monster it has 28' laws and it doesnt get stuck its amazing I watched it climb a 48in bank out of a creak and it was a 90 degree angle its unreal!

[EIB]

Mike,

What do you wrapped around the spinner on the snow ex? Is it to keep the salt on the walk>

Everett

[Mike Nelson]

Yes Everett, it keeps the salt going straight down on the sidewalk. I believe it is a basement window guard, also a great spinner protector.

[90plow]

I had a 1995 Honda 300 2x4 with 48" cycle country, tire chains, and a winch operated lift. The quad did ok pushing my drive worked great with some weight on it. Chains scratch the surface bad so if you don't want scratching don't use them, but they really helped in the ice. I had a pulley chained to the top bar of the front rack rain the winch cable through that and back down to the plow to get a better angle on it. The winch was slow sometimes the switch would stick and pull the plow too far if i wasnt careful, it was ok with me running it but if someone else tried it they were too rough i thought and if they didnt pay attention to the winch I could see the plow ripping off.
Suggestions: 4 wheel drive, intermediate size quad (don't really need a huge expensive quad for the guys to beat on), go with a used quad with out a plow (alot less expensive, I've had no problems with any of my used Hondas), go manual lift to save the batteries, put the smaller plow on to do the walks IMO you dont have to worry about grass and what not, and I would also go either honda or yamaha manual shift tranny, a little harder to use but they don't stop they just keep on going.
sorry for the long drawn out post
Eric :burnout

[Dosperado]

Just put a Moose 50" on my 600 Grizzly, sure makes work seem like play...

Just to add a tip for those using a winch to lift, save your cable and pick up a 10 ft piece of 3/16 cable to use. The 50 ft cable will bind up and cause problems. Also, a roller fairlead is a must. And after a long day, put the charger on it on low for a day or so, since the battery will not last if you don't keep it topped off, and they are NOT cheap!

[Matthew Bowman]

Do these blades have some sort of trip on them? With all the talk of broken wrists & raised sidewalks it doesn't sound like they have any kind of trip.

[micah79]

Mine has 2 trip springs. It trips quite easy.

[thannigan]

Jeff the iceman-
I agree with you.
Even when plowing with a small tractor going at a slow rate of speed you can still do damage to a plow blade, so it is important to go slow when using a small plow
TIM