Using an ATV for Snow Removal

[KennK]

I've got some property in northern Wisconsin - ATV Heaven, and my wife is very interested in buying a snow plot attachment for our Honda Rincon 680 to plow our gravel driveway.

Does anyone out there use their ATV for plowing snow? Can you give some feedback on your experience? Can you recommend specific snow plows?

 

[ProjectKing]

I've got some property in northern Wisconsin - ATV Heaven, and my wife is very interested in buying a snow plot attachment for our Honda Rincon 680 to plow our gravel driveway.

Does anyone out there use their ATV for plowing snow? Can you give some feedback on your experience? Can you recommend specific snow plows?

I've attached a couple of my videos that shows my 2003 Honda Foreman 450ES plowing snow with a Moose 60" plow. My Foreman works very well for plowing because it has a very low first gear. It's pushes hard and has endless power.

The only concern I have with your machine is it's 3 speed transmission. I'm not sure how low a first gear you have. You should speak with someone that runs a plow on a Rincon to find out how it performs.

Plowing snow with an ATV is excellent for freshly fallen snow up to around 15 inches. The ATV is very quick and makes short work of plowing. Deeper snow should be plowed using a farm tractor or a snow thrower.

Let me know if you have more questions.


ATV Snow Plow! Moose Plow and Honda 450 Foreman - YouTube

Honda Foreman 450 vs. 16 Inch Snow Storm, ATV Snow Plow - YouTube

 

[check]

I use a 60" plow on my Can-Am 650 ATV. It is incredibly fast compared to my tractor's (rear) blower, but I need the blower for heavy stuff and when the furrows build up. Sure glad I have both!

 

[Old Red]

I use a Moto Alliance 72 inch plow on the front of my Polaris Ranger. Works like a dream. You will be very surprised the amount of snow you can push with an ATV. Check out the Moto Alliance Denali Plow. I have yet to see anyone disappointed in them.

 

[Rock Crawler]

I use a Yamaha Rhino 660 with a Warn 72" plow attached to the Warn 4K LB winch. I would NEVER use a tractor in place of the Rhino. The Rhino has plowed (no chains) 24" overnight falls with no issue on my level blacktop that is wide enough to U-Turn a full size crew cab F-350 and long enough that I do burn outs down it in my drag car. Where a tractor crawls around, I can (manually) angle the Warn plow and go at it in 4x4 with some speed and the plow rolling it ahead as the snow spirals sliding off to the side and out of the path. I toss in reverse and punch it back and come skidding to a stop by the garages, toss it into high range and let it eat. Repeat the length of the driveway about 15 or 20 times, and I am back in the house in no time.

If I only had a tractor/snow blower, I would make it work obviously. But being that I have tasted the glory of the UTV, I'll never use anything else.

 

[pmsmechanic]

Before you buy a snow plow for your Rincon you need to buy a different quad. Rincons have an automotive type automatic transmission that is already marginal just for quad use. It's also very expensive to overhaul.

I don't have any experience with this model. I'm just going by what I've read on the quading forums years ago. Maybe Honda has improved that transmission.

I wouldn't plow snow with a Polaris either. They use the variable speed belt as a clutch similar to a snowmobile. In my opinion you want something that uses in internal clutch that runs in the engine oil. Again in my opinion it's just a more reliable setup for plowing snow.

 

[timswi]

Before you buy a snow plow for your Rincon you need to buy a different quad. Rincons have an automotive type automatic transmission that is already marginal just for quad use. It's also very expensive to overhaul.

I don't have any experience with this model. I'm just going by what I've read on the quading forums years ago. Maybe Honda has improved that transmission.

I wouldn't plow snow with a Polaris either. They use the variable speed belt as a clutch similar to a snowmobile. In my opinion you want something that uses in internal clutch that runs in the engine oil. Again in my opinion it's just a more reliable setup for plowing snow.

My neighbor has been plowing driveways with his Polaris Sportsman 500 HO 2up for 8 or so years and has had no issues at all. Can't speak to the Honda. I used to plow with a Yamaha Big Bear manual trans and it did fine--Not as fun as a full auto though.

 

[Rock Crawler]

My neighbor has been plowing driveways with his Polaris Sportsman 500 HO 2up for 8 or so years and has had no issues at all. Can't speak to the Honda. I used to plow with a Yamaha Big Bear manual trans and it did fine--Not as fun as a full auto though.

My fathers buddy does plowing/salting for business and uses a Polaris 6x6, they rot out before the transmissions have issues. I personally did not buy a Polaris because of the way the belt drive works, the Yamaha belt drive is always fully seated... I bought a Yamaha. But seeing that I know guys that use Polaris, they aren't made of glass. They work.

 

[timswi]

I have a Polaris 570 Touring and don't plow with it, just used as a cruiser...I plow with my RTV1100 now. HVAC in the winter is pretty nice.

 

[1stDeuce]

I didn't realize that the Rincon wasn't really a "utility" quad... Here's a Rincon plowing thread that has some good info. If you run the proper oil in the trans for winter, you should be fine... Honda Rincon for plowing snow? - ATVConnection.com ATV Enthusiast Community

FWIW, I just bought a 1998 Polaris Xplorer 400 (two stroke) from the original owner. It has 2000 miles on it, the original belt, and came with a snow plow that he bought with it in 1998, and used every winter. I don't think that leaves much concern over the drive belt not holding up, unless you're plowing in high range, or slipping it a LOT. Get it moving, keep it engaged, just like a snowmobile. Creeping it around is what kills the belt...

Same probably goes for the Rincon. With the taller 1st gear, it would be ideal to keep it moving pretty good, so you're not slipping the torque converter/clutches as much. And plow WITH the storm, don't wait for all 24" to fall, then plow... That's much harder on equipment...

 

[scaredychicken]

I was just coming here to post a question (new thread), but first I'll respond.

One of the main reasons that I bought my 2006 Arctic Cat 400 4x4 automatic ATV with snowblade (when brand new) was for snow maintenance. Great machine and adequate CC size for my purposes, it has a LOT of ground clearance, and I have a 54" snowblade. 90 percent of the time it is perfect for pushing the snow clear so that we can get in/out, and clear the roundabout. We tend to get wet, heavy snow in 4 - 8 inch typical snowfalls. I was brand new to ATVs and did not want anything bigger than a 400 - 500 cc machine... and at the time the larger CC machines (700 cc +) were just starting to be revealed.

rarely do we get a snowfall that exceeds a foot, but then I just raise the blade and chip away at it. I once cleared a 4 day snowfall (over 3 ft) by steady progress. The snow plows that do the roadways usually forget about us / low priority route until 4-5 days go by and they have time.

Glad that I have that machine and blade. I am trying to improve the snow blade ATTACHMENT pins so that the heavy snow doesn't dislodge the blade.

Have fun.



Thinking of a front snow-thrower attachment in future... but will probably put that money into a tractor instead.

 

[ike]

I had a 2003 Rincon with 27" ITP 589 tires with city plow. It was the best plowing setup I have had yet. Once the transmission warmed up, it did a great job. I paved my 340' stone driveway with it for several years. I switched to a Bx1500 with 4 way hydraulic blade. It is much slower than the Rincon. I plowed with a 2009 big Bear for awhile but the foot shifter was a pain and made the process much slower than the Rincon. The Big Bear also was air cooled and the fan was annoying. I have a 2013 Rubicon now that someday may put a blade on.

 

[Paystar]

Used my 2004.5 Polaris Sportsman for 8 years to plow my yard before I got my Kubota. Incredible how much snow they will push. But you have to keep your banks back right from the start, or basically overplow the area. Because once they are packed and froze, you aren't moving them.

But I used to be able to slope my banks and push right up them. I've never changed a belt or broke anything on this atv. And the quick attach is nice. Polaris had a nice plow setup. Not sure how the newest ones work.

This one came with Carlisle Badland's XTR radial tires and they were awesome for plowing. Never had a traction issue. Currently has Reptile Radials on it, more aggressive for my play riding, but not as good as the Carlisle's for plowing on ice.

If I didn't have a tractor, I'd go back to using it. I had plow trucks that stayed parked and I used this. Better visibility and the ability to get into any spot.

Attached pics of area I plowed all those years. Had to be big enough to park dump truck and turn my tractor/53 foot trailer around.

 

[SJay]

I have a John Deere Buck 650 with a factory plow on it - plows likes crazy. I plow 250' of driveway. I have been using it for years - love it.

 

[scaredychicken]

correction - I have a 60 inch snowblade on the Arctic Cat 400, (can't find the edit button)

 

[knukey]

Ignore the slams on the Rincon. It'll do fine.

ONE NOTE: do NOT let the snow get too deep with ANY ATV! I got snowed in because I let it get 18 inches before going out (overnight with drifts). Don't let it get over 8"-10" between passes and you're golden.