# High or low



## gobblet (Sep 28, 2009)

Polaris 800 manual says if plowing use low range only 
Manual also says if going over 7mph use high gear(not speaking of plowing) 
I normally plow at 10-12 mph and use high gear,on private streets (not much snow)
If I'm in a tight driveway I will use low.

Just wondering what gear you guys use when plowing over 7mph?


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## mercer_me (Sep 13, 2008)

I allways plow in 4low with my 2004 Arctic Cat 500.


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## lagwagon (Jan 20, 2009)

Low gear is for activities that are generally hard on the drivetrain and transmission:
Inclines/hills, slow speed, towing, high load, and plowing. You don't want to do any of these at high speed (high speed/high gear - all connected). No one operating machinery should question this.

Therefore, you should always plow in low gear.

Only plow in high gear if you:
* Are immune to the laws of physics - plow fast, plow stop and goes beyond trip, driver go flying forward at the speed he was plowing, driver in pain and/or paraplegic, driver increase insurance premiums for everyone else and play snow plow game on XBOX for long time
* Don't care or don't have to pay for clutch/drivetrain repairs (you will burn clutch or drive belt if you put the ATV under any strain [push or pull] while in high gear)
* Don't care if you damage your plow or the area you are plowing
* Don't care if you get thrown over the handle bars and can no longer walk or take a crap without assistance

If you need to plow at high speed, get a pickup with a plow or run behind a 5hp snow blower. Or apply for a DOT plow job.

Keep it real.... slow


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## gobblet (Sep 28, 2009)

The street I plow at 10-12 mph is my private street. I know accidents do happen.
It is really a snail pace to plow under 7mph, but I will start.


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## noooooo (Nov 17, 2009)

Low range only. The way I remember the manual for the 05 800 was that if going under 7 mph use low range. You can use low range to drive faster than 7 mph.


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## lagwagon (Jan 20, 2009)

gobblet;950516 said:


> The street I plow at 10-12 mph is my private street. I know accidents do happen.
> It is really a snail pace to plow under 7mph, but I will start.


I know sometimes it is hard to drive on the side of caution when riding an ATV - I mean, who doesn't like to spin tires and do donuts? But when the blade is scraping, I think it is best to be in low gear.

Cheersch


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## IPLOWSNO (Oct 11, 2008)

it all depends on the snow your plowing, if you can feel your quad working, then use low,but if ya can push it in 2wd use high gear, use common sense, you'll see when ya do it a little


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## gobblet (Sep 28, 2009)

Thanks for replies. Just got back in from plowing street. 
Used low gear and took my time around 7-8 mph. Better than
flying over bars.


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## dan67 (Dec 18, 2008)

reread your owners manual. I have a polaris also. If your under 7 mph alot you want to use low but you can run much faster in low also. My 500 is about 55mph in high and 30mph in low. I plow in low most of the time. Have fun with your machine. Dan


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## mercer_me (Sep 13, 2008)

dan67;950814 said:


> I have a polaris also...My 500 is about 55mph in high and 30mph in low.


My Arctic Cat 500 will only go 10mph when it's in low. But when it's in high I had it up to 65mph going down a hill on a road once, on regular flat ground it will do 57mph.


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## MtnCowboy (Dec 20, 2009)

I plow my and neighbors' mile+ mountainside road and this is the 4th year using an ATV. I 'tell' the 2007 Grizzly 660 what I expect from it and thus far it has replied: 'Yes sir, thank you sir.'

I push the ATV to its limits and that includes 3 mph in rain-soaked, knee-deep snow, blade fully angled and ... at full throttle.

I've also sliced through lighter snow at 30+ mph in Hi and Lo.

My use of an ATV/plow is likely a bit wild in comparison to plowing driveways, which is why I went with "Mountain Cowboy" when signing up on the forum. I don't know much about ATVs, this is kind of a personal experiment. All I can vouch for at this time is the 660 I "abuse" is calm under fire and starts at the first push of the starter button at -6 degrees.


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## IPLOWSNO (Oct 11, 2008)

tell us about it when ya get it back from the shop lol, they are nearly tanks but not quite ,and yea they can take a beating


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## ALC-GregH (Nov 26, 2008)

My 660 has been a beast so far.  I hit one driveway at 20+mph when there was 2ft on the ground. The snow was billowing over the front rack and over the tank but it kept on going.


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## MtnCowboy (Dec 20, 2009)

That billowing snow gets old fast, doesn't it? It's like running a 20- HP snowblower with the chute pointed at your face. Not to mention clogging the ATV grill. Speaking of which, we had another 6 inches overnight with freezing rain forecast this afternoon. I'd better hit it -- the only thing more fun than snow flying over the blade is rain at 25 degrees.


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## BruteForce750 (Nov 20, 2009)

Just make sure you watch your temp light as packing snow into the grill can often block the radiator causing the ATV to overheat. I've had it happen and seen it happen to others while breaking trails in deep snow.


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## MtnCowboy (Dec 20, 2009)

I try to unplug the grill after every pass, sometimes more often. Frankly, when I'm going really fast - as I just finished doing - within seconds my instrument panel disappears under a blanket of snow, so if my light did come on I'd never know it. Yet when I brush it off I check the light and it's never been on that I recall. At 15 mph it'll throw just enough snow over the flap to be slightly annoying, but at 30 mph+ it really is like getting hit with a snowblower. I need to have an angled side-wing fab'd that hangs out a few feet that I can use on the final pass to shove the snow completely over the road; that way, I wouldn't need to go so fast trying to "throw" the snow. I think the ATV would handle it without simply spinning out due to its light weight. I know my Jeep would handle it but I don't like being that close to the drop-off side of the road in anything heavier than the ATV. I have this fantasy that if ATV goes over the mountain I'll be able to jump off, like Indiana Jones, and grab a branch or something.


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