ATV for snow plowing?

[Neil McCauley]

Looking into getting my first ATV for the upcoming ice season

But also have a 200+ ft flat driveway that I would love to be able to plow myself. Would I be able to do this with an ATV? Any advice? What should I look for when I get one?

[Mancaveburnett]

In the past I used an ATV for plowing my driveway. It works well but if the snow is really wet and heavy it can be a pain. I plowed mine for 4 years with an atv and only once did I get stuck with really wet and heavy snow, I was away for a week on vacation as well. Just remember to push it far enough away so as the season goes on you have room to continue to push snow. I would get the cheap harbor freight winch's. They don't last and the last one I bought had a delay, made it a pain for positioning the blade. I would definitely buy a good winch if i where to plow again. It was fun to do but a blower is without a better way to go, just my opinion. Don't let people tell you, you need a large machine. I have a rancher 420 4x4, the thing works fine. Good luck

[BH2]

I love my atv for plowing like mancave said open it up wide enough!! People always over look that and run out of room.
I also agree on the buy a better winch. Mine is a name brand but cheaper model and the brake doesn't hold the plow up real well. It tends to creep down a lot. If it works and you know you have a lot of snow coming I will try to get out and plow it before the snow gets to deep. I have plowed my driveway and 2 of my neighbors the last 4 years and haven't been stuck yet.
It also works great for burming snow around our permanent shacks!

[SKIFFLAKEJIMMY]

My Polaris with 4 wheel drive and chains worked fine.

[Hutbomber]

One thing I would add is to get a plow that is easy to hook and unhook to the 4 wheeler. Some are easier then others

[rundrave]

I live in rural South Dakota and plow a long driveway with my Polaris 500. Lots of good feedback so far, and I cant stress enough to make sure you push early snow further out to make room for later snow. I often push all the snow in one direction and then push all of it into one big pile.

Few tips of advice:
You will likely run out of traction before you run out of power.
Make sure your blade setup has spring to take the brunt of the hit should the blade hit something to keep you from going over the bars.
I typically dont have any issues but if you get a lot of snow just take the top few inches off first and then come back and get the lower stuff.

It may take some trial and error but once you get it down its alot of fun.

[MT_mulies]

Definitely worth it! I have a snow blower and a plow. The plow for me goes way faster. Last year I used a brute force 650 and it was awesome and automatic. This year I bought a Honda rancher 420 that is foot shift. Im not sure how much easier or harder it will be since I will have to shift. Probably just some getting used to. My blade is a 5 foot blade. I clear about a 1500 sq ft driveway in about 5-10 min with the plow. About 20 min with the snow blower. The snow blower is a lot cleaner and removes more snow. Because my snow plow doesn't have any down pressure(besides the weight of the blade) sometimes it will skip over snow and if you drive on the snow it packs it down and is really hard to get off the driveway. For cleaness I think the blower is better. But if I had to choose between plow or blower. It would be plow. Just my opinion. I'm sure others would disagree.

[vanhln]

Like Rundrave said, with a plow you run out of traction before power.  I used to own a 38 snowblower for my Deere lawn tractor and it was the cat's meow (17 HP, tire chains, 2 suitcase weights and my fat butt).  Living in the snowbelt when the snow would just keep coming, It throws the snow up and over the existing pile and allows you to add more.  Snow piles up with a plow. 

Speed wasn't an issue for me as I used to do 5-6 drives in an hour.... however mine was pretty heavy at 100#....  One friend made me seat stickers with ODOT logo.....

[greenbackhunter]

Use my Honda 450 to plow. Works great. One thing I can suggest, use a snatch block. It lifts slower, but it easier on your winch and battery. I installed a kimpex click-n-go plow on mine. Takes 15 seconds to install, and about the same to remove with minimal ground clearance loss.

[rags]

I love mine and can't ever see being with out it , I have a 2016 Artic cat 450