RTV 900 sucks at snow plowing?

[Boondox]

One of the tasks I thought the RTV would be good at -- and a lot faster than the tractor -- is snow removal on my driveway and the rental property up the hill. My dealer, whose opinions I have come to value, says they suck at snow plowing and that I'd surely be disappointed.

I can see that it handles steep uphill better with a bit of weight in the bed, so ballast would be a must for plowing. But sucks seems a little harsh, don't you think?

To be fair, this is New England we're talking about. Land of the wet heavy snow over a bed of ice. And my road is a 24% grade. Maybe it does fine in the light, fluffy stuff and not so well in our conditions..?

 

[DIXIEDOG]

I think your dealer is a fool and doesn't know the capabilities of the machine. I've only got a RTV 500 and it's a beast when plowing, last year I installed diamond studded ice chains on the rear and was stacking snow like nobody's business.....it was a tank.

I also live in Maine so I know all about New England winters....I had snow banks that were over 6' high and my rtv was climbing to the top and knocking snow over the back.

 

[whistlepig]

Putting studded chains on anything will turn it in to a snow pushing behemoth. I put studded chains on my tractor last year for the first time.

 

[R_Walter]

And why would you plow uphill??? I know.... I know..

 

[stuckinnj]

I live in Northwest NJ and my 900 plows with a vengence. I turn the heat on, radio on a favorite station, warning becon blazing away on the roof and go to it. My driveway is 320', takes me about 30 minites, then I clear my neighbors house and barn drive & parking pad. That takes another hour. The hydraulic power angle is fantastic...........

My only complaint, if you buy the factory/Curtis plow, there is no down pressure. In heavy snow the plow has a tendency to lift. If you're not paying attention, you can high center the RTV. Having said that, one of the memebers here came up with a 'upgrade' and added a hydraulic ram for up/down and 4 way shuttle valve.

 

[whistlepig]

Down pressure means a lot. With out it a blade that uses gravity for down pressure will ride up over the snow when it becomes deep. I have a Polaris Sportsman with a 60" blade. I have found it quicker and easier to use the FEL on the tractor.

 

[redharley]

my rtv 900 does a good job of plowing snow.but like any smaller machine you can not let the snow get 16" deep before you plow.Does it much faster than my tractor and will handle deeper snows.i am seeing more and more of them in parking lot snow removal companys. One other thing my wife likes plowing with this,could never get her to plow with my 4x4 truck or tractor.Most times she'll have driveway plowed when I get home I get to go tiddy up after supper for a little seat time.

 

[whistlepig]

Sometimes the depth of snow is not always our choice. Its flat as Kansas here. I can see for over a mile from my front porch. Four inches of snow on a calm day is four inches of snow. Four inches of snow with 25 MPH wind gusts is bare grass in some places and two foot drifts in others.

 

[jcmseven]

Having plowed with about everything, a high-end UTV such as the Kubota will plow as well, or better, than anything out there. It will plow much better than a tractor. I do not own a Kubota, but have an 825i JD. It will plow circles around our local Dodge 3500 plow truck on our hilly terrain. I do run ballast in the bed and a rear salt spreader, but the Gator would plow fine without the weight. If you live where it is icy, you may consider chains as these machines will go on almost any surface but can slide when it is hilly and icy. They are much less likely to do so than a tractor, however. Chains would help both going and stopping. An RTV should do really well as it has a good bit of weight and a diesel engine for torque. In essence it is a tractor, but faster and more maneuverable. The truth of it is one just does not need a lot of sprung weight to plow most snows we have in the Eastern US well. The blade shape and machine makes more more difference as factors in my experience. Some nay-sayers say UTV's are too "light" to plow snow well, but an RTV, for example, weighs as much as a small compact tractor and more when ballasted, so that argument does not hold to me. The only UTV I thought plowed less well was my Polaris 800 EPS that I sold to buy my Gator. It truly was almost too light to plow my area well, but still did better IMO than a tractor and on places I would never dream of taking a tractor, and it did not plow as well as what I have now.

John M

 

[Ken45101]

One issue that I have run into with deep snows is that the blade isn't high enough and the snow comes over the top of the Curtis plow when it gets really deep.

Otherwise it has done okay here but we don't get as much snow as many other areas of the country.

Ken