Snow blades/plows - are they worth it?

[Curtiosity]

I live in Utah so sometimes we get a fair amount of snow.  Is the cost of a snow blade/plow worth it, or is it a pain do to on an ATV?  What brands/kinds work best?

[mikeexplorer]

I have had a plow on my quad for years. Well worth it, Here in the Northeast we sometimes get heavy wet snow which is a pain to use a snowblower. A plow works well.

The winch is used to raise/lower the blade, some models will have a manual lift. All depends on your machine and plow

Mike

 

[quadmaniac]

Yeah it's well worth it and if you look around you can find a used one.

[mike costa]

I used one in North Dakota,  with a winch. worked great in the snow. I also would look for used on craigs list. 

[Frank Angerano]

Sooo worth it.  And with the winch to raise it up.  The manual lift is a pain in the as*.   

[JacobSlabach]

how much snow will it push?  up a hill?  So say I have a plow on my sportsman 500 (over 1000 pounds), will it push a foot of snow?  My dad says it wont- that trucks even have a hard time pushing up hills after it gets to two or three feet...he worked for a lawn care company and plowed snow for i think 7 yrs mostly with a 450 diesel flatbed with a ton of salt on the rear...

and what about gravel?  Can you lift the plow just a little to scrap over the surface without relaying the driveway? 

[pokerl0w]

can make it low to the ground or higher.
I used one without even manual lift (just an adjustable strap) this "snow season". I would put a 40# bag of salt on the front rack to help compress shocks to keep it lower as well. it does ok for the most part, well worth the price in metal!

[mike costa]

Well the snow at my place in North Dakota was like powder! so it was not an issue. If I was going to plow snow here in California, wet and heavy, I would buy chains, and make sure I had a powered lift so I could take smaller passes.  

[SalsCREW]

i have an 05 Kodiak. Yamaha plow system and Warn winch. The plow is fine. Winch operation is the way to go. However, my issue is the way the plow mounts on the Kodiak. The tubes run under the frame and attach to a plate. This may be fine for the average owner but i do a lot of trail riding and I have to remove the plow mounting plate each spring to install my full skid plate and vise-versa in the fall.

Why not just leave the mount on year round?? The mount forces you to leave a lot of under carriage exposed to rocks and branches. i went as far as to cut up the old plastic skid plate and and mount it ahead and after the plow mount. Its ok for some brush but not rock hopping, etc.

[Thomas Martin]

Buying a new set can be expensive but finding a decent used one could be worth every penny

[Jkoht]

Plows are absolutely worth it if you have a driveway or road to maintain. My dad and I each have a plow on our machines at the cabin. I have a basic 5 foot blade, and he has the tapered county plow style blade where it throws snow to the right. I'll usually start by driving down the center and angling my blade all the way to the right, then he follows behind with the tapered blade and throws it over the shoulder. In regards to how much they can push you'd be surprised. I live in northern mn and multiple feet of snow isn't uncommon. You can start your initial pushing with your blade up and only work half the amount at a time. We've maintained our driveway and a good portion of cabin road through multiple heavy winters where banks can get 3 to 4 feet high. Of course everything has a breaking point and if it gets to it we will eventually get the snowblower out and work the edges blowing the banks into the woods, but it takes a while to get that point. The key is to start you winter season pushing it as far over and out of the way as possible and then hope for some warmups that'll melt it back a bit.

[GrizzlyRider]

I have to agree, plows are definitely worth it but look around and look at reviews/ratings. 

[Lost and Confused]

We used one for several years on a 2 wheel drive Polaris. It was so worth the money.