# A few questions for you Quad guys



## Smitty58 (Dec 23, 2003)

I'm thinking about adding a quad with plow to the arsenal this winter. I know a little about them having owned a couple but its been a few years. I want one that is easy to shift from forward to reverse since I will use it for plowing tight areas. Of course I want 4x4 ,and has to be big enough to move some snow. Also I would like one that I can put a regular tow hitch on if thats possible. We get snowfalls from 2-8 inches here. I want the easiest system for raising and lowering the plow. Had a manual lift plow before and did not like it. So what advice can you all give. I'm not tied to a particular brand. thanks in advance


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs (Aug 23, 2007)

I am 98% sure someone will say something else but. In my opinion you will want a 500cc or bigger. My guess is you will want an automatic for shifting from foward to reverse easier. You will want a winch to raise the blade being it is easier just push a button. But for the blade you will have to get off the machine to angle the blade unless you get an automatic angling system. If you have anymore questions just shoot.


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## mercer_me (Sep 13, 2008)

You should get a 500cc or bigger 4x4 with a 60" plow with a winch lift IMO. All the 2004 and newer 400cc and bigger Arctic Cats have a 2" Reese hich. I have a 2004 Arctic Cat 500 4x4 with a 60" plow and I love it, it plows great.


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## Smitty58 (Dec 23, 2003)

Thanks, I watched a review on the Suzuki Eiger 400. Looks like just what I need ,and as luck would have it there is one right now on Craigslist pretty close to me. Its a 2005 camo with a winch. Asking $3050. How does that sound?


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs (Aug 23, 2007)

Smitty58;791183 said:


> Thanks, I watched a review on the Suzuki Eiger 400. Looks like just what I need ,and as luck would have it there is one right now on Craigslist pretty close to me. Its a 2005 camo with a winch. Asking $3050. How does that sound?


sounds good. depends on miles and condition. My quads have suzuki engines and I will say I have put the one in to the bars and it flooded out with water and still runs like new haha


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## mercer_me (Sep 13, 2008)

EaTmYtAiLpIpEs;791192 said:


> My quads have suzuki engines and I will say I have put the one in to the bars and it flooded out with water and still runs like new haha


My Arctic Cat also has a Suzuki motor, and I put water over the motor all the time and it runs like it's brand new.


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs (Aug 23, 2007)

mercer_me;791224 said:


> My Arctic Cat also has a Suzuki motor, and I put water over the motor all the time and it runs like it's brand new.


ya but you have the newer one with the air box by the gas tank i believe. mine is under where you sit. so it is much lower. I flooded mine with water. my engine was full of water haha.


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## Longae29 (Feb 15, 2008)

we have 2 suzuki eiger 400s with plows for sidewalks, it is preferred over the polaris 500 that we have. the price sounds good to me, if my memory serves me the '08 suzuki eiger 400 with plow, camo, winch, hand warmers and plow was around $6300 new.


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## bowhunter74 (Jun 12, 2008)

Your bigger atv's have more weight wich in turn are better for pushing larger amounts of snow. Do your self a favor and stay away from Polaris.


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## Steve G. (Jan 18, 2009)

I would like the above comment to be explained.

I would also get atleast 500cc or bigger if I were you, get a 60'' blade unless you're using it for really tight areas, then a 54'' would have to cut it. 
I don't thick that polaris sells the best plows, it's worked for us so far, but I would get one of the other one's that are higher than ours. 
I must say however polaris excels in that area of being able to put on and take off your plow.


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## bowhunter74 (Jun 12, 2008)

Steve G.;791407 said:


> I would like the above comment to be explained.


What do you mean?


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs (Aug 23, 2007)

i agree to stay away from polaris im not a big fan of them. but they are ok if you can get a good deal on one I would jump on it.


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## Steve G. (Jan 18, 2009)

bowhunter74;791425 said:


> What do you mean?


I mean explain whats wrong with polaris, saying there bad is one thing but that needs an explanation or reason, you may be right, but so far our quad has pushed snow fine. It's the only quad i've pushed snow with, so I can't compare them.


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## S-205 (Feb 27, 2009)

My buddy has a 2007 Arctic Cat 500 and it is exactly what you want. 2 inch receiver like someone said and with a winch it lift the plow well. Its easy to shift into gear because their is only reverse neutral, high and low. It has 4wd and difflock and its a big machine that plows well. 2004 to 2007 are basically the same.


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## bowhunter74 (Jun 12, 2008)

I've been around atv's for a long time and my buddy has a atv repair shop, most of the atv's that come through his shop in need of repair are Polaris, they are a pain to work on and kind of cheesey when it comes to part design. Your big 4 Honda Yamaha Kawi and Suz make a much better product and overall seem to last longer in the long run. I'm not trying to Pi** O** anyone just stating what I see and think of them. IMHO all they seem to be good for is ditch fill


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## BeSeenGraphics (Aug 6, 2009)

Make sure to check out the moose rapid mount system. That with a Polaris V and you are in business. Will take some fabricating...but not much.


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## Steve G. (Jan 18, 2009)

BeSeenGraphics;791970 said:


> Make sure to check out the moose rapid mount system. That with a Polaris V and you are in business. Will take some fabricating...but not much.


The polaris has an extremely fast mounting setup! If anything I would get a moose plow with a polaris mount!


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## Smitty58 (Dec 23, 2003)

Went to Bass Pro to see what they had. They sell Artic Cat quads and UTV's. Man they have really gotten big. I haven't look at any for a few years and was surprised just how large they are now. They had a 1000 quad, that thing was huge. Bet it would push as much snow as some small trucks. The UTV's are really nice as well but the are really too big for me. I'm thinking something in the 400-500 range will work fine for my needs. Big enough to plow and small enough to fit in my trailer and turn around in driveways and tight spots. I have been finding a lot of gently used quads on Craigslist and Ebay for good prices. Don't really see the need to buy a new one if I can save myself $2-3000 on a nice used one. So here is what I'm thinking for my setup, I already have a 2005 F-350 with a 8ft Western. I also have a 93 4x4 Suburban and an enclosed trailer. So if I add the quad with plow and put it and the snowblower, shovels, drop spreader, salt etc in the enclosed trailer and travel with bot trucks I think I can cover just about anything that comes up. 
What do you think of this setup? Also what kind of money can I expect to make from the quad setup as a subcontractor?


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## bowhunter74 (Jun 12, 2008)

I make $40 an hr. subbing, on comercial but I do better on all of my drives. This year i bought a Blizzard 810 for my truck and that will pay $50-$65 an hr. and I will stay in the lot longer and make more that way also, with the atv I spend alot of time running and not getting payed. I have to have a base price also because most of the time I'm only at a site for a few min. because I knock them out so fast, so I run $20 to do anything under 1/2 hr. (I don't care if it's 2 min.) and goes up till I hit $40. So you can see lots more to be made in a truck. But there is lots of work for the atv because nobody wants to mess with sidewalks. Most of the time I don't get done untill about 3 days after it's done snowing.


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## BeSeenGraphics (Aug 6, 2009)

Steve G.;792056 said:


> The polaris has an extremely fast mounting setup! If anything I would get a moose plow with a polaris mount!


I'll have to check that one out. I love the look of those little Polaris V-Plows. Beef one up a little...get some controls...hehehe.


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## MNBobcat (Dec 6, 2008)

The Japanese ATVs are built much better and are way more reliable than their counterparts. 

I'd recommend taking a look at the Kawasaki Brute Force. It has the weight needed for pushing snow. Fully automatic transmission. Push button 4wd and endless power.


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## bowhunter74 (Jun 12, 2008)

I'll second that


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## BeSeenGraphics (Aug 6, 2009)

I have a huge amount of experience in the ATV industry as I run ATV sites. One is for Kawasaki Brute Force guys and the other is for Yamaha Grizzly guys.

I am a big fan of both and highly recommend either depend on what they are going to be used for, style of riding, and areas to be rode.

If you want straight line power, go Brute Force all the way. If you want ease of riding and power steering (yes the Brute does steer harder), go with the Grizzly 700 all day.

If you want to save some money, you could do a Grizzly 550 with Power Steering.

The Grizzly 700 has won multiple shootouts for being the best all around machine. I've had 2, one was highly modified and the other was built to bog. We have used the bogger for plowing before the lift and 31" Outlaws. The pivot pin on the Moose plow broke a couple times. I carried a spare.

Here is how it started...









Here it was after 28" Zillas mounted on 14" ITP rims, some shocks, and my backrest...









Here it is after my bars, risers, stereo, clutch kit, 2" lift, HD Springs, CDI, skids, 2R setup, and 31" Outlaws on some 14" HL rims...









One last thing...If you get a Grizzly, get some 14" rims if you get tires. The snow/ice will clean out *MUCH *better on the inside of the rims instead of tumbling in there with the 12" rims that come on it or you buy.

Oh yeah...and here is my racer...


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## Smitty58 (Dec 23, 2003)

Both of those are nice but I love the Grizzly setup you have there. Never thought about a radio, can you hear it over the motor? Would help those long nights of plowing go better.


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## BeSeenGraphics (Aug 6, 2009)

Oh yeah...you can hear it well over the motor.


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## SQuad (Mar 18, 2008)

I have a 2001 Traxter we had to put it on a scale for licencing purposes ( street legal classified as dedicated for snow removal )and it weighed out at 1365lbs. with all the equipment on, add me at 200lbs. I run a 52" blade up front with wings and a 48" scraper out back with wings. I like the empty section between the seat and steering , very forgiving to a tired body at the end of the day. There's a guy from around here who removed his pull start assembly, installed a jackshaft then a hydraulic pump for activating his plow.


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## S-205 (Feb 27, 2009)

Those grizzlies look sweet. I need a clutch kit for mine and a 2 inch lift.


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## carver60 (Jul 18, 2009)

i own a 2004 polaris 700, 2001 polaris 500 and a 2007 can am 500, i have plowed with all and by far the can am is a beast over everything else. but, the price isnt comparable to a arctic cat. if you have money to spend on one, dont comprimise and buy can am.


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