# Lawn mower/tractor or ATV



## richard.bessey

All,
I am thinking an ATV is going to be the best bet for me in my application, I but I wanted to get some thoughts from others.

I have been surfing craigslist for lawn mowers and ATV's trying to figure out what the best rig for plowing snow from my driveway. I have a 100 foot long concrete driveway. Currently doing it with a shovel is not fun.

I can pick up a lawn mower, maybe even one with hydrostatic drive for under $1000. I can pick up a used plow for $300 or so and then rig it up myself.
OR
I can pick up a quad (Poloaris sportsman or magnum) for about $3000 and use the same $300 plow rigged up myself.

The only concern I have using the quad is:

Its alot of forward/back/forward/back
I am certain its a bit hard on the frame pushing snow.
So I would think the lawn mower would be a better choice, especially considering price.

My only argument for the quad is, its a fun toy to play on during the summer.

Thoughts everyone?


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## pmorrissette

Plows on quads have thier own subframes which hook under the quad, so pushing is no problem.

For your size driveway however, a garden tractor with a front mounted snowblower would probably be a better choice.

A quad or a garden tractor with a 40" or so plow is gonna take a long time and many passes to clean, it's gonna create big piles, and neither has the power to push the piles very far or stack them very high. whereas a 16~20hp garden tractor with a 42" snowblower will throw the snow a good distance away and clean away the snow more effectively.

No matter which way you go, extra weight (ballast) on the back of the rig is needed, and chains on the tires of a garden tractor are a must.










and, no that's not me, although I wish it were my tractor !


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## BlizzardBeater

richard.bessey;1129098 said:


> All,
> .
> 
> My only argument for the quad is, its a fun toy to play on during the summer.
> 
> Thoughts everyone?


It sure is, until you destroy it accidently on the trail, which does happen every once in awhile, and are left shoveling again next winter lol. Just something to think about. Either should do you just fine. Will the atv and plow be a little hard on that concrete driveway though? Give us some info. How wide is the drive? Average snowfall? Budget? Do you have room to push the snow? Anything more will help you get answers that fit you best. If you want my opinion though, a tractor and blower would probably be the best option.


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## richard.bessey

*Excellent points/ideas*

Thank you everyone for the info.

Snow blower = great idea, never thought about that. I will have to do some shopping in the used market and see what I can find.

Driveway is a standard car width, 8 feet or so. Flat ground, no hills.

Average snow fall = not much, one or two storms per year, 6-12 inches per storm

Budget = cheap! This is a back yard project I am tinkering with. I figure if I can keep it under $1000 with used gear, I will be a very happy camper


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## BlizzardBeater

Have you thought about just a used walk behind snowblower? A very good used one should be available for $500, or maybe less. wouldnt take too long to clear and would only require keeping one peice of pretty simple machinery maintained and running.


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## pmorrissette

BlizzardBeater;1129141 said:


> Have you thought about just a used walk behind snowblower? A very good used one should be available for $500, or maybe less. wouldnt take too long to clear and would only require keeping one peice of pretty simple machinery maintained and running.


+1

http://yakima.craigslist.org/grd/2079517302.html


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## kenidaho

Well I live in Spokane. I have about 1/2 mile of shared private road and then a 150 foot drive way. Until 2 years ago when we were hit with our record snow falls I plowed with an ATV with no problems did this for 5 years. I don't run chains. We do have good size hill on the shared road.The ATV is fun to ride. My neighbor has a lawn tractor. even with chains he can only plow down hill. I can push more snow and I can push must faster. If you get over 18 inches you will have trouble keeping the drive wide enough. with either. the snow blower will do the job but will take longer for your normal snow fall

Now with a 100 foot drive do you have much mowing to do. this could influence your choice.


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