# Best engine size for snow plowing



## The Nailer

Well it appears I may actually get to buy an ATV soon and was wondering will a 400cc be big enough to plow snow. I have a 600' driveway at my camp and there are times the snow is 6-10" when I go up. I am torn between a Honda 400 Rancher AT or the bigger 500 cc Rubicon or the 500 Suzuki Vinson or the smaller 400 machine. There is a considerable difference in price, but I wouldn't want to buy the smaller one only to find out it won't do the job. Any comments are welcome.


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## lostyooper

I plowed my driveway with a sportsman 400 and never had a problem, i was plowing almost 800ft. when i lived in the u.p..hope this helps.


Dave


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## CGA97

my sportsman 500 had no probs with my drive for the past couple years...sometimes up to a foot of snow. I don't know the exact distance, but it was probably close to 400 ft with another 150 ft drive back to the barn.


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## zta5505

I have an Eiger 400 and I have pushed snow that was about 4 foot tail and did not have an issue with it at all. Something to think about is the 60" blade that way you don't have any issues with snow getting pushed back into the path that you just blowed.. The 48" blade is nice but when you turn it to the side one of your front tires are hitting snow. I use the 60" and love it


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## The Nailer

Thanks all for the replys that is exactly the info I was looking for. I was glad to see so many w/ similar length drives for actual condition experiences. 

zta5505- Thanks for the tip on plow size. In fact that was the model Suzuki I was looking at, Are you happy w/ yours. What if anything would you have liked to it to have that it doesn't?


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## Swamp Monster

I had always heard that with smaller machines, stick to smaller blades to push less snow during each pass. Now, I don't have any experience, MichBuckmaster pushes snow just fine with his 330 Polaris. I'm in the same boat though, looking at atv's for hunting/plowing mainly. Anybody else have big blades? I'm looking at the new Kawasaki Brute Force 650. I love the Brute Force 750 but I think that is probably overkill....heck the 650 is probably overkill! If not a two up maching such as the Bombardier Outlander 400 possible. From my research, that seems to be the strongest performer in the 400 class, also the most expensive unfortunately! The standard 400 H.O. XT Outlander though can be had for about $5500 and it's a very nice machine. 

That Eiger has been getting good reviews as well and probably represents the best deal in that class, bang for the buck. 

I want the Rhino 660 but man, thats a lot of money for something that won't be used on a daily basis. Would be different if I lived on a farm or something.....


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## TGehrs

Before I would try plowing a long driveway with an ATV I would be looking for an older truck plow that would be left at the camp and not have to be licensed. If you have a 4wd vehicle put a plow on it. I fail to see the need for these large engines on ATVs today. My King Quad is only 280 cc and I have pulled some hefty loads with it. The bigger the engine, the more fuel it will burn and expect to pay 3 bucks a gallon by the end of the year.

Tom


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## William H Bonney

I was kinda wondering the same thing about the manual lift vs. winch? How much of a pain is that manual lift?

Gehrs,, did you mean to say, "by the end of the day"?


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## WALLEYE MIKE

Used my 400 for the last 2 6" snow falls. Absolutely great. This last snowfall was heavy wet snow and pushed with no problem in low gear and 4WD.


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## Swamp Monster

My 650 doesn't even break a sweat, I can imagine a strong 400 is more than up to the task!


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## FREEPOP

TGehrs said:


> King Quad is only 280 cc


Yep I have the King Quad. 
High-Low-Low lock with 2 wheel- 4 wheel - differential lock

5 gears x 2 (high & low) + low lock = 15 different gears

drive shaft, no belts, no centrifical (sp?) clutch..........I love it

Have a single bottom plow that I use for plots, broadcast seeder and a lawnroller. A friend in Colorado can carry a gutted elk down the moutain. Don't have to rejet the carb out there like a Polaris. 

I think that Artic Cat is the only one that make one like it anymore. They went the way of the belt becasue of Polaris (I believe).


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## sniper's mojo

This might sound shocking but I push snow with a 3 foot blade and a honda 250 recon. If the snow is over 6 inches I put 100-200lbs. of sand on the rear rack and have never been stuck. I do run gator swamp/snow tires on the rear. I actually swapped this blade from a honda 200cc that I plowed with for many years without a problem. I am sure the bigger engine and four wheel drive make it much better. But I just thought I would throw this story out there so you know there are other ways to get it done withoput spending all that loot.


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## bigrackmack

I push snow with my Polaris 350 without a problem...


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## Houghton laker

FREEPOP said:


> Yep I have the King Quad.
> High-Low-Low lock with 2 wheel- 4 wheel - differential lock
> 
> 5 gears x 2 (high & low) + low lock = 15 different gears
> 
> drive shaft, no belts, no centrifical (sp?) clutch..........I love it
> 
> Have a single bottom plow that I use for plots, broadcast seeder and a lawnroller. A friend in Colorado can carry a gutted elk down the moutain. Don't have to rejet the carb out there like a Polaris.
> 
> I think that Artic Cat is the only one that make one like it anymore. They went the way of the belt becasue of Polaris (I believe).



Honda also is gear driven...No Belt!


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## bvanzalen

I have a Polaris 325 and have no problems pushing snow what-so-ever. Amazes me really. The only thing I run into is the need for additional weight. Sand bags, like a previous poster mentioned, should do the trick.

If your quad is 4x4 and has low range....shouldn't be a problem to plow regardless of HP. 

I also have a winch on mine. I can plow faster with it because I can be backing up and raising the blade without taking my hand off the handle bar. Great to have a winch for other uses too!


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## RSGS

WILLIAM H BONNEY: To answer your question, I have a King Quad with a 48" blade on it. I tried the manual lift and it was an a$$ buster. Went to the winch setup and love it. It's the only way to go. 

I usually plow 15-20 drives after each snow fall and never had any troubles pushing snow. Never had any trouble with the blade hitting the tires either. This last snow fall I waited until it was done and then plowed. I figure we had 8" of snow and the King Quad never hesitated. You can go bigger machine/larger blade, but it really isn't needed.


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## bvanzalen

I really haven't seen the need for a larger engine than my 325 Polaris.

There has never been a situation where I wished I had more power or speed. My quad has always done what I needed it to and never ceases to amaze me. By far, the best purchase I've ever made.

I've had it since '01 and work it hard year 'round. Mowing 3 acres pulling a 60" mower deck in the summer, plowing and hunting in the winter. Never had a problem with the belt either. I think using the low range is the key for power and belt duration.

With all that being said....I still want a big bore machine! Go figure...


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## Swamp Monster

bvanzalen said:


> I also have a winch on mine. I can plow faster with it because I can be backing up and raising the blade without taking my hand off the handle bar. Great to have a winch for other uses too!


I asked on a thread a while back about the manual vs the winch. After using the winch, I cannot for the life of me believe that a manual lift is faster! I have a toggle switch on my left handlbar, gear shift and throttle on my right...I can lift/drop, shift into reverse/forward, hit the throttle almost at the same time. I can also lift the plow just a little bit at a time as I throttle forward so I can easily get snow way up off the drive/road and push it further back to make room for future snow etc. The winch is the only way to go as long as you have a handlebar mounted toggle switch.


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## COHO

do a search on google for black line plows, just bought a polaris 500 h.o. atp and put the black line 60" on it, thats right 5 foot wide. no winch, self contained like a boss plow for a truck. they mount to a 1" reese style hitch on the front without messing with ground clearance. 1 pin 1 wire its on or off in 2 mins. tops this thing has 500# of down force & will pick up the front of my 500 if i hit the button down. it has springs on it for snow, if you smack into something it trips good, or you can install the 2 little pins that come with it and it is like a dozer blade,i landscape and do comercial plowing this thing does push dirt well. the steel is beefier than any other i looked at yet not too heavy for the 4 wheeler, i have replaced 6 shovel boys with it & i finish faster. plus i can go up any curb cause it lifts 16" high. they make a power angle but its still a little pricy, they say wait a year and it will come down.i did my home work on this and if you get a good winch and a good plow you will pay the same, but you wont be jumpin curbs with 4 or 5 " clearance. plus if you decide you have to have a winch later you can mount it in the same hitch and still keep good ground clearance plus like mine which has a 1" hitch on the back you can flip flop the winch front to back very fast.check em out :yikes:


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## krt

I have a Yamaha Kodiak 450 4X4 with a 60" blade & manual lift. The only issue I've ever had is spinning tires if I try to push too much. Never a power problem. Start early in the season by pushing the snow back farther than normal so you have room for more snow later. My lift is a cam style and I can lift it w/ three fingers and its up in a couple (2) seconds - I would be suprised if a winch is faster. But if you have the extra $$, a winch can be handy for other things, too.
My plow is a cycle country state plow & I love it. A plate is stays attached to the quad, but the lift handle & blade can be removed by pulling two pins and a strap. I can have it off in a couple minutes which is nice when I want to go ice fishing. This style lift is way better than the plunger style lift that bolts across the rack. It lifts & locks much easier than the plunger style that I tried.


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