Do you actually plow snow with your UTV? for multiple seasons?

[ArlyA]

Let me address a few pod/snowplow misconceptions which i have some experience with since I've got thousands of hours in running UTV's and ATV's with pods at my former job. We pretty much wore these machines out in 5 to 7 years of snow use.

Yes pods cost $$$ and I can't recommend there use on anything but snow. No matter what the manufacturers might claim.

Changing from summer to winter is not that bad of a job.

Plows used with pods must have a longer push frame in order to clear the blade. You have to use one of those! I had to build my own because i couldn't locate one for my dated 6x6..

Most pods have gear drive that will reduce you to 70% of the original rotation. In simple math, if your machine originally went 10 MPH, with pods it you'll do 7. Pods take lots of power to push through deep snow. I'd have our 1000cc 80HP -+ engine right to the floor at times but pushing snow with a blade takes fewer ponies.

Lastly, they rock at floating over, or pushing snow and we'd not give up using ours. I love it for pushing that snow.

 

[crazyal]

How well do the pods do on a plowed driveway? Normally in the middle of winter my driveway is an ice base with very little snow on it. The tractor does fine but I have good tire chains on it. Pods looked like they would be great for driving on snow but to get good traction on ice you would need to put studs in the tracks. But not owning them that's just a guess on my part. I'm just basing it off of my experience from owning snow machines. They do look like fun.

 

[ruffdog]

Tracks increase the footprint that helps floatation but there are some drawbacks. They add quite a bit of weight, depending on design they will increase steering effort, the cost, and they gear down the unit for less top speed.

 

[East30]

ArlyA, agree with everything you stated.

I have a longer push frame to clear the front of my tracks system, when the blade is angled, and pushing snow. My tracks go on in November and come off March/April when snow is gone. 100% meant for snow with me.

For me the cost was worth every penny. I move wheeled ice fishing houses around the lake all winder long. The traction on snow is incredible. and yes, it floats across very deep drifts, even with the weight of the Kubota RTV. I've pulled trucks out of ditches, that my pickup truck can't budge.

I've not had issues on my plowed driveways. They do get icy, but there must be enough snow for me to get traction and rolling fine. I plow paths on the lake all winter, and I can start pulling an ice castle without issue on ice. There always seems to be enough "roughness" of some sort to grab. The only time I noticed loss of traction was last early April after some march melting, and the ice was like an indoor skating rink, very little traction. But not a huge issue. I was pulling tree's I had dropped on the ice. I could get them moving, and once moving was just fine.

 

[ArlyA]

I agree with East. We don't stud the tracks and have no urge to do so. Sounds like a mess to deal with. It is good pushing power with a 6ft blade and I've towed out a few cars as well with our little 6x6.

 

[grsthegreat]

I was doing a generator service a few years ago when the homeowner tried to clear his steep driveway using a tracked bobcat so i could access the generator. Driveway was icy, and after he pushed the snow down the icy dirt driveway, he couldnt Drive back up to the house.... tracks just spun. How does your unit work on ice? I was going to chan up my truck to get to unit, but the stupid bobcat blocked the driveway.

 

[East30]

grs, maybe due to the location in northern Minnesota, I very rarely have to deal with pure ice. Does my driveway get icy and slick, yes. But there always seems to be some snow on it and it has not been an issue for me, I can always move around fine. I do plow roads on lake ice to pull fish houses, but as expected perfectly level, and lake ice is very rarely smooth once thick enough to drive on. No issues there. I do drive from my pole barn to my cabin on icy roads, up and down a couple hills without issue. Now, if I was to drive up a hill after an uncommon January rain and I had pure ice on hill and stopped halfway, I suppose my traction would be suspect, but i'm not sure it would do much better with tires on either. For three years, I've not had any ice and traction issues.

 

[ArlyA]

For GRS, Seems that those tracks made for skid-steers are made from a harder materiel than ATV pod tracks are. They might do fine in dirt and gravel, then poorer on ice, but those tracks are not my forte where as UTV/ATV pods are. Below is a few things I've never said wile operating various machines equipped with pods.


Looks like a steep hill up there. I do wish I had tires on this ATV!

Looks like a slippery slope coming up. I wish I had studded these tracks!

I'm on the road or snowmobile trail ferrying the machine in for some service. I wish I could go faster! I have thought this before but since this would happen once per winter, is it a real problem??

 

[grsthegreat]

Thanks, i was just wondering.

 

[ArlyA]

No machine is good, or perfect at all jobs and UTV's or ATV's with pods on them are the same with snow. Nonetheless, after lake snow kicks in here and we start receiving a little snow on most days, by spring its over 200" worth. Our little 6x6 (1600lb with pods) can push it into piles in far less time while making me less wet, than blowing it does. It can't push everything but still does good job in less time. I should add, we had the drive belt replaced this summer and my mechanic said it looked good after 4 years of operation with pods on and in deep snow.

Hope that helps! Oh and if possible, get a machine with power assist steering. Pods are harder on the operators upper body.