# Plowing residential with ATV?



## wolfears (Jan 30, 2004)

Hi guys i'm new to this site, new to plowing and never owned an ATV.
I tought it might be a great idea to do residential drives and sidewalks with an ATV.
The drives around here are not very big (about 25 feet deep) and most of them end with a garage door.
Would an ATV have enough power to break through the iced-up snowbank after the city plows the snow off the street into the end of the driveway? 
Also what would be exactly the best way to do it?
For example do i start in the middle and work my way out.... or how about backdraging when the drive ends with the garage door?
What is the best and fastest way to dispose of the snowpiles, which i would create?
The reason i'm asking is, that i realize there are certain tricks of the trade, which i'm not familiar with and there is probably a more efficient way to do it, that i may or may not think about. 
Sorry for so many questions and any replys will be greatly appreciated.


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## badranman (Dec 22, 2003)

How about a snowblower attachment? I've never plowed with an atv either but I can't see it backdraging all that good or moving alot of snow in the 8" range etc. I would start with the garage doors first then plow it out to the end. I guess with your atv you would need more than 2 passes so you may want to start in middle then plow either side. This will keep the snow you're pushing to a minimum.


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## poncho62 (Jan 23, 2004)

I think that yor biggest problem would be piling the snow. I have a small truck and can only pile it so high. You would be even less, unless you had a front end loader type bucket. 

That and freezing your ass off.....give me a warm truck any day.


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## badranman (Dec 22, 2003)

"That and freezing your ass off....."

Oh yeah....that too..


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## Robhollar (Dec 27, 2003)

First of all been there done that. The first thing i wouldnt go out and buy a quad just for plowing. If your going to buy one to go out and have fun with then Id say go for it. If you are going to go buy a quad then get yourself a fwd with at LEAST 300 cc's. The biggest plow id get would be is 50 inches. Cause if you get a 60 inch plow it makes it allot harder to to a 48 inch wide sidewalk. (even angled) Now as far as tech you goto rem once you place a pile it will be almost impossible to move it later. After that it will be up to you to fig out what works best. If you want my honest opinions you would be better off going out and getting yourself a cheap beater truck and a shovel.


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## hotrod7 (Jan 29, 2004)

i have a honda rubicon with a 50in. wildcountry and have plowed many dirve-ways and sidewalks works great. the thing just keeps pushing snow way over the blade if not angled. you can back drag with the blade, but u must do this slow. the blade will not trip when back draging. this is a great way to keep your over head low and buy you a 4 wheeler to have fun on anytime. :yow!:


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## Robhollar (Dec 27, 2003)

As far as back dragging, it is harder to do, but i found its not to much as an issue due to the length of a quad is very short compaired to a truck setup. What i found myself doing would plow towards the house with an angled plow and i would do at the last sec i would push the snow to the side of the drive. And i could get real close to the door so there wasnt alot of snow that had to be dragged away from the door. Youd be real suprised on just how much snow a quad would push. And to be honest i think i did a better job with a quad that i do with a truck. I would make more piles then i do with a truck. I could get real close to objects and get it down to pavement alot better. You will freeze you arse off, and oh ya watch you local laws you may have to ware a helmet in your state. And i know of a local city to me youd be breaking the law by running a quad within 500 feet of anothers house. I dont agree with it i own 3 quads myself....Rob


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## astrogt (Jan 30, 2004)

we have a couple of honda foremans 450 es and have put moose 60 county plows on them. we got to try them out sunday and we were amazed at how much snow we were able to remove. we would angle the blades and one would go straight down the middle and the other would be behind on the right side. we would then come back up the driveway and clean up any missed. most of the time it was just driving straight in and straight out. only problem was the COLD.


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## JElmWin (Jan 10, 2004)

I use a 28" MTD snowblower. It's cheaper to buy, cheaper on gas, does a much neater job. Pays for itself in no time. Probably nearly as quick as an ATV. No worries about snowpiles etc.


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## wolfears (Jan 30, 2004)

Thank you kindly for all the imput...i already have a Yard Works blower with Snow-King 10.5 hp and 29in wide.
I'm pretty busy with the blower, but i tought that the ATV's would do the job twice as fast, thus maximizing the profits.
But as i said, i have 0 experience with plowing so it might take a while to get a hang of it.
Most of my customers live within 2 mile radius from my house, so i wouldn't really have to transport it via other vehicle altough if i had to, i could just put it in my van.
I think that i will finish this season off with my blower, but i would really like to get an ATV for next year.
I would also ride it it for fun off season, which can't be said for the snowblower.
Logic tells me that automatic tranny is a must, also the heavier the better as it could push snow with more authority.
Do they make them with differential locks?
Also where would be the best place to get the plow and maybe salt spreader to the back?
Any suggestions as for which ATV would best fit my criteria if i decided to go for it?


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## astrogt (Jan 30, 2004)

*atv*

i looked at everything before i bought and i decided to go with a gear drive over a auto (belt) drive. the autos are nice but can be prone to slip. the foreman 450 es is a gear drive electric shift that has a locking front diff.. moose plows have a tappered plow like the state trucks use and are built tough and are not too costly. all prices are the same at you local dealer on moose products. i would buy a 4wd and as many cc"s that i could afford. good luck...... clay p.s. i am looking for a spreader myself.


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## wolfears (Jan 30, 2004)

Is Foreman a Honda?
Also what kind of mileage can i expect from 400cc to 660cc ATV's on average?


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## astrogt (Jan 30, 2004)

*atv*

a foreman is a honda. if you mean by mileage gas economy it would all depend on your throttle. if you mean durability i dont think you could wear one out seems to be tough as nails. we will see............. clay


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## Smitty58 (Dec 23, 2003)

wolfears - I had zero experience plowing as well. I bought a Suzuki Ozark 2wd 250cc back in Sept. Then I put a plow on it in Dec. with the same idea as you ,to do driveways. We finally got some snow last week and I put it to use. I had a helper with a small blower that took care of the entry walks and tight spots. I took care of the drives and front sidewalk. Even with 2wd and only 250cc the thing worked real well. It would be nice to have more cc's and 4wd but the price really jumps ,so I'll stick with this. We did 13 driveways in 5 hours including traveling. I agree I would not suggest buying one JUST for plowing because you can find used trucks already set up with a plow for the same money as a quad ,but you can use the quad for a lot of different things and have fun in the woods as well. It is also a great way to right off a toy.


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## wolfears (Jan 30, 2004)

So far from what i gather (if i interpreted the posts correctly), there is no such thing as gear drive automatic?
Just to clerify, when someone says gear drive, i immagine that the power to the wheels gets transfered from the tranny via gears.
Belt drive, i would immagine that the power from the tranny to wheels gets transfered through friction of the belts?
I'm getting little confused tough, as for why there can't be an automatic tranny that has a solid shaft coming out to the wheels?
Could someone clarify this one for me please?
Thank you in advance


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## ceaman (Sep 19, 2001)

I have a 650 kawasaki Prarie with a V blade... it has the 589 mud and snow tire and dif locs it does great as an auto... the new 700 prarie is also awesome... both with no slipage in the belt driven automatic. even crossing the river in the summertime the belts dont get wet and slip... it is the best 4x4 that can almost outrun the 2wd sport quads. mine will run 73 mph on blacktop..... but she sure gets squirly.... and will throttle up into a wheelie for well over 100 ft

the automatic transmissions are belt driven inside the transmission (like a snowmobille). Some of these belt drive (suzuki, and ect.) have slippage problems especially when wet. my prarie thn sends it to the axle by solid shaft and also has the rear breaks enclosed (wet brake) into the rearend housing... keeping them free of dirt and grime. the front axles are independent A arms and CV joints and shafts... keep good gards on the a frame as the boots on the CV joints are expensive to fix with a slight tare.


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## Robhollar (Dec 27, 2003)

> _Originally posted by ceaman _
> *I have a 650 kawasaki Prarie with a V blade... it has the 589 mud and snow tire and dif locs it does great as an auto... the new 700 prarie is also awesome... both with no slipage in the belt driven automatic. even crossing the river in the summertime the belts dont get wet and slip... it is the best 4x4 that can almost outrun the 2wd sport quads. mine will run 73 mph on blacktop..... but she sure gets squirly.... and will throttle up into a wheelie for well over 100 ft *


73 and your running 589's?. I would put money it doesnt do 73. I too own a 02 650 and there isnt any way that quad of your is going to do 73 mph. Check it again with a gps. Any ways its an awesome quad and i would highly recommend it all day long. I dont have a plow on my 650 but i do have my 60 inch on my wifes 300 prairie and it does a great job. As far as the belt thing it would come down to a prefance thing. I would much rather replace a 100 dollar belt then have a 1200 dollar tyranny fixed.

wolfears, i had the pleasure of going to Elliot lake to ride my quad this past summer and i gotta tell you you folks has some of the best riding i have ever been to. But if i were you i would stick to the brands that your local dealers carry. I know theres no Kawi dealer any where near Elliot lake area. I searched for 200 miles and theres just no Kawi dealer around. But Bombardier is real big up there. To tell you the truth They are a real soild quad. Most of all of the larger 4X4 quads are in the 600 lbs range. Unless you go with a Polaris Sportsman they are approching the 700 lbs figure. Actually now that i think about it the Bombardier Traxter is 700 lbs too. And from what ive heard about them the Traxter has an awsume auto diff locking system. Let me know if I can be of anymore help....Rob


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## ceaman (Sep 19, 2001)

the 650 I have is highly tuned... different clutch springs and such.. the 589s i have are 27"

the traxter has a hydraulic trans it is awesome as a utility Quad


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## mylawn03 (Nov 5, 2003)

We use our ATV for sidewalks and smaller drives, works good, but put a lot of heavy, wet snow in front of it and the tires will spin even with 4wd. Also have had to replace a lotttt of parts, ATV plows just aren't built for heavy use. Not to mention the cutting edge wears down very fast, we just put an old cutting edge off a western truck plow on ours and fixed that problem.


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## Robhollar (Dec 27, 2003)

I understand that ceaman, and now that your running a 2+ inch taller tire now your speedo is way off. Actually your speedo will show you going slower then what you really are. And now that youve put on a 27 inch tire that in itself that will rob alot of top end from your bike. Not to mention the unsprung weight you added to it. Even with the fine tuning the bike will not allow you to go that fast. Mike Pendland's bike doesnt even do 74. I dont mean to tear ya down but its a fact the the bikes computer will ****** the ignition so much so it will prob not break 60 with out a replacement computer. And theres not a replacement computer due to the fact the Mitsubishi has sue all the people who has tried to make an aftermarket computer. The only thing that ive heard of is a 5 deg offset key way that will fool the computer in thinking its doing something its not. And inorder for you to use the key way i know you have to pull the motor and i believe the cases have to be split for you to use it. I guess Kawi think we are a bunch of half whits


.....Rob


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## loomis (Aug 23, 2003)

If you were concerned about a place to pile your snow. You can always use a snow thrower to throw your piles into your customer's yard. 

Just a thought, hope it helps.


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## ceaman (Sep 19, 2001)

I did check it with my GPS that I use for the driving job that I have (I will throw more numbers you wont believe either. In my 500 HP Dodge Ram Quad, Cummins, 3500, SB, SRW, which at 6 months old has 75,000 miles and gets 22 MPG empty and 15 MPG loaded with 6,500 lb, 31 ft, travel trailer) 

I do know how fast i have had the quad..... and remeber Mike Penlands quad isnt set up for straight line speed he is using the quad for racing on a trail. I never said the performance mods I have made didnt require pulling the motor and I never said I used parts you can buy. Im not getting sued by mitubishi because I am not manufacturing and selling the toys I use...

Im not attacking you for doubting me... :yow!: But im not full of it either:waving: :redbounce


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## Robhollar (Dec 27, 2003)

Well i can you from my experience that most people will way over state what they have or what will it will do. Now a stock 650 will do 54 -55 average, and your stating yours will do in the 70's what would you think if you was me?? Esp now with a much heaver tire and taller to boot, again now what you think if you was me?? Would you blame somebody for thinking that your full of hot air? In one of your post you stated you had "different clutch springs and such", well "and such" is being very vague ill give you that. But clutch mods will give you a couple of mph but not much more then that. If you indeed achieved the mid 70's my hats off to you, you would have achieved what so many have tried and wasnt able to achieve....Rob


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## Big Nate's Plowing (Nov 26, 2000)

my quad is better then your quad, it does 999999999 mph stock and it comes with a 12" pen*s extention


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## Robhollar (Dec 27, 2003)

Funny nate, hey i called you yesterday, tell your grandma i said hello!!!


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## bobac (Oct 28, 2003)

polaris sportsman 700 fuel injection. the only way to go.


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## Toby (Aug 29, 2003)

This is what you need for those small residentails. Forget a plow if they are fronted w/garage doors. Even w/ a backplow you will have to shovel.

This is on a dual hydraulic tractor w/twin wheel motors. Spins on a Dime & instant reverse.


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## mylawn03 (Nov 5, 2003)

Do they make those for Ferris hydrowalks???


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## Robhollar (Dec 27, 2003)

Toby, how do you ride that thing in the summer time???:waving:


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## xtremesuperduty (Nov 9, 2003)

Hey guys i also just picked up a used Polaris scrambler 500 4x4 and put a 48 inch cycle country plow on it this year, never had a Polaris before was always a Honda man but i wanted on demand 4 wheel not full time and i dint have the cash for a brand new one but even though that the scrambler is sorta a sport quad it pushes snow like you wouldn't believe , great for driveways I can get them much cleaner than if I used a truck because i can easily turn around in tight spaces and odd shaped drive ways i can go at different angles to get every part of it. Also have a 24" snow blower ... just to slow when the snow is heavy or packed by cars the ATV just keeps on pushing only down side is i have to get really long ramps to get that in to my truck because the plow would hit the ramps as it tried to go up. I also looked in to putting a blower or a plow on my exmark turftracer and my toro Z but that would have cost me as much as i paid for the ATV and i can go play with the ATV.


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## QMVA (Oct 9, 2003)

How much snow fall can a quad handle that has a 600cc engine.


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## Robhollar (Dec 27, 2003)

Depends, the fluffy stuff- all you can throw at it. The wet stuff, Ive plowed 15 inches with my 300. You will make multi runs due to the fact the plow is only about a foot or so high, but it does a great job for what it is....Rob


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## ceaman (Sep 19, 2001)

do some reasearch on the net and you will find guys who have the ECM mods to get over 100 mph and over 125 horsepower out ogf the 650... but they are all larger systems, with no engine life and/or usability


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## Robhollar (Dec 27, 2003)

hears a link to bunch of kawi nutz. Not a peep of what your talkin about,....RobKawi form web site


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## ceaman (Sep 19, 2001)

Done with this bickering back and forth .... i dont care


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