# Front mount vs mid mount



## hawkeye

Just looking for the pros and cons between the front mount vs mid mount. Thanks guys


----------



## QuadPlower

by mid mount do you mean the mounting bracket going all the way to the rear?

There are very few "belly blade" quad plows. ALL of them are front mount.


----------



## lehnerex

I haven't plowed anything yet with my cycle country 48", but i just got it mounted and can tell you that ground clearance seems to be an issue. i mounted it while on a 12 ton trailer so it was closer to eye level and used my tailgate ramps to get it off when i was done. it got hung up on the way down and scraped bottom on the way back up. could be my homemade mounts of angle iron (much stronger than factory mounts) or the 2 wheel drive quad. Im allittle worried about jumping taller curbs. On the plus side the mid mount does seem to really distribute the weight well. Not sure if front weight is much of an issue on big 4 wheel drives, but it is for my little 250 ozark. hope that helps ya some.


----------



## IPLOWSNO

mid mount like mine is better for not bending anything as it is a plate that mounts to the frame, front mount i have to beleive it will have more force pushing it into the frame itself, i nevertake mymountoff and i wheel over everthing, sometimes it will hang me up but i just apply liberal amountsof gasand i go over, never bent anything yet, but i have snapped the ubolts, cheap compared to a frame imo


----------



## hawkeye

just to clarify I am talking about the moose or eagle front mount system that raises the blade 20 plus inches instead of 12 or so inches on the mid mount system. what are the pros and cons on these two systems?


----------



## IPLOWSNO

whats the reason for the extra lift ? loading on a truck or for stacking, i guarantee there are few that can prove they stack as high as i do,


----------



## lehnerex

my concerns with mid mount is the truck loading ability with plow on. it seems to lift plenty high enough in front but i think i may have mounted it to low under machine. without the plow mounted i really dont see the bracket as ever being on issue unless im trying to climb over something that i shouldnt like a larger down tree in woods. but not that big of a deal as my quad is for work, and i rarely ride it for pleasure.


----------



## M&S Property

We have a mid mount Eagle plow setup on our Outlander and we have no problems loading it in and out of the truck.


----------



## IPLOWSNO

mine gets hung up in the woods a little but i just throttle it and it goes over,theres guy thaqt havethe angled ramps and they have no problem, mine goes on a trailer so idk about that


----------



## sublime68charge

hawkeye;895833 said:


> Just looking for the pros and cons between the front mount vs mid mount. Thanks guys


my thoughts on this

Front mount

Pros, 
Easy to hook/unhook can be done with out laying down on ground.
has a Higher lifting Height due to no tubes hitting bottom of ATV.
ATV wont Hang up on bottom mount for loading/unload in truck box.

Con's 
How due they hold up over season after season of abuse?
added Stress to your ATV front end componets due to mount being there.
what happens when you run into something that dosn't move, curb frozen Ice bank, what breaks down first?

Mid Mount.
Pros. 
proven design that has been around for years.
can withstand the season after season of pound plowing snow puts upon equipment.
you smack something with the blade the force is applied to the mid point of your ATV frame.

Cons
I wont say hard to hook/unhook as I have a warm dry floor for doing this but if you don't and are putting blade on and off 10x times a season? once mine is on for the year It might come off 2 times for the plowing season.
can get hung up loading into a truck box with ramps, I have a ATV trailer so I'm ok with my set up.
Blade lift height is limited and also Ground clearence is reduced.

my thoughts on this

sublime out.


----------



## Reb

I don't have the front mount but have two mid mounted systems. I have avoided the front mount systems for pretty much the same reasons Sublime mentions. The stress on the ATV frame really concerns me and one additional concern (which may be unfounded) is if the blade tries to dig in will the ATV try to climb up the blade. Look at a Cat sometime, they extend the blade arms back quite a ways.


----------



## hawkeye

so far thanks for the input guys- so it sounds like the mid mount would be stronger how much lift really will the front mount give- approx 6 inches?


----------



## hansons glc

we use the wheeler extreme commercial. put on 30miles some time plowing on one storm. i have both but have not plowed much with the front mount much. i bought it for a Friends wheeler as a back up. i have a eagle 60" mid mount on my rincon. i plow allot with it.3 years mostly side walks at the stripe mall. i have had alot of break downs. I'm on my 3rd push tube,2 moons, 6th winch block, 2nd winch and alot of cutting edges. the push tubes will grind on the curbs and weakens the push tube this will probable happen on both set ups because of the way i push snow off the curb. the mid mount has loosen the mounting plate allot. it is only 3 u bolts holding My mount on.and i have made stronger u bolts and used grade 8 bolts lock nut and washers are a must. i use both if i can.

nice things about the front mount 
it goes up fast and easier then the mid mount. i think it will be easier on the winch parts.
fast on/off 

allot of info but i hope it helps


----------



## Pjslawncare1

I have a mid mount on my sportsman 500, had it 2 seasons now and nothing has broke. Just bought a 700 sportsman with front mount and haven't tried it but I would think that it's way easier to load on trucks and trailers. I don't see the difference whether the pressure in applied at the center of the frame or the front, either way the frame is going to take the same blow when you hit something right? I'm looking forward to the test, I know the front is way easier to hook up. Hope this helps!


----------



## WayneSnow

use to use mid mount, worked pretty good, now i use it hooked to A-arms on quad and is sturdy but still havent gotten to use yet!


----------



## par580

*Front mount vrs mid frame mount*

I have had to repair to many ATVs with front mount plows that have damaged the front end. One was a Can Am 800 that had the front end destroyed by a front mount plow. I highly recommend mid frame mounts, they are much easier on your machine.


----------



## Banksy

I have a Swisher for my Rancher. It bolts to the trailer hitch, which is actually where all the pushing comes from. I then welded up a bracket with pins to center it under the frame. The plow then front mounts and lifts high as crap. It will actually stack well! I hate the mount with all my being. Ground clearance sucks and it's heavy as heck. I like the plow though. It has ribs and has taken some good whacks.


----------



## Sprag-O

Mine has taken a few really good hits, I'm glad it was mid mount. This kind of stress/leverage on the front tubes may have dorked something up.


----------



## Squires

sportsman 800X2 on tracks with 60" polaris poly plow, Front mount plow
I was hard on it, hit curbs a couple of times, rode up over the plow twice last season to the point of breaking the synthetic line....i never bent anything. I don't understand why people are so negative about the front mounts, front of the frame is metal just like the middle of the frame.
the ease of mounting and unmounting was so good that i parked the ATV between my car and truck in a double garage, poped the plow off, fliped it vertical and slid in in underneath the ATV


----------

