4 wheeler for plow duty?

[R7]

i dont think the kodiak 400 has low range, but i know the 450 does.

It doesn't have low range, and i haven't had a need for it yet. When plowing, anything more than 1/4 throttle and you're spinning the tires anyways. Thought low range would be nice for hauling out firewood, but again it spins while hauling the trailer full of wood (1/4 cord or green oak) up a hill before it runs out of power.

[SVRACER01]

Wirelessly posted (Instinct: Mozilla/4.1 (U; BREW 3.1.5; en-US; Teleca/Q05A/INT))

If you already have a lawnmower why not get a snowblower mount?

[theothersean]

Wirelessly posted (Instinct: Mozilla/4.1 (U; BREW 3.1.5; en-US; Teleca/Q05A/INT))

If you already have a lawnmower why not get a snowblower mount?

well, I already have a snow blower, its a 31" cut , the attachment for my tractor is a 42 " cut which obviously is wider , but snow blowing my driveway takes 1.5 - 2hrs+ hours depending on the snow fall .
I was hoping to do it faster , plus the 4 wheeler will get into the woods to pull out firewood where i can't get at it with the lawn tractor. ( which is basically just a bigger version of a riding lawn mower, only difference is that you can bolt on some "home owner" attachments).

obviously there are a bunch of ways to remove snow and everyone has their prefered method. what I do works, its just time consuming . and the faster I can get it done after a 12 hr work day, the better.

[Stoneman]

well, I already have a snow blower, its a 31" cut , the attachment for my tractor is a 42 " cut which obviously is wider , but snow blowing my driveway takes 1.5 - 2hrs+ hours depending on the snow fall .
I was hoping to do it faster , plus the 4 wheeler will get into the woods to pull out firewood where i can't get at it with the lawn tractor. ( which is basically just a bigger version of a riding lawn mower, only difference is that you can bolt on some "home owner" attachments).

obviously there are a bunch of ways to remove snow and everyone has their prefered method. what I do works, its just time consuming . and the faster I can get it done after a 12 hr work day, the better.

So wait. You were asking about the difference between your pick-up & a tractor?

[PPS26]

atvs for plowing is absolutly the way to go, we rig up atvs for home and commercial use, guys love em, a 450cc model i would say is the minimum size , the biggest problem i see with these things are most people use winches to lift them up and the end of the cables are always breaking, warn makes a synthetic rope that is better for plow use also changing the direction of the blade can be a pain if you do not have a power angle its not a big deal but you have to get on and off the machine, pros would have to be everything else haha , these things can really push alot of snow with little trouble, heavy wet snow or fluffy light snow. there are many different blade sizes available even a "state" blade like you see on the big trucks just smaller, you dont need a winch to lift the plow they offer a electric lift but for the money just invest in a 2,500lb winch. we have a few used atvs forsale with plows and winches on them or can set up a new one for you, but either way good luck pm me if you have any further questions.

[theothersean]

http://hartford.craigslist.org/mcy/1502142725.html
what about something like this ?

[PPS26]

660 grizzly is a awesome plow machine

[PPS26]

we have a 207 kingquad 450 available with a brand new warn 2500xi winch and a moose plow

[ssg]

Sean, have you considered just driving over the snow and not doing anything with it?
or maybe buying a jet engine and just melting the snow?

I realize you were asking for input on a 4 wheeler for plow duty but I wanted to make sure you had really considered all the options here before you went on a forum asking for advice about a 4 wheeler.

[RandyO]

the faster I can get it done after a 12 hr work day, the better.

Ford F250 w 7'fisher plow...... 10-15 minutes and your done

ATV with 5 foot plow is not the fastest by any means

tell us the truth, your looking for an excuse to buy a toy

[Stoneman]

http://hartford.craigslist.org/mcy/1502142725.html
what about something like this ?

Things like, '...2 inch lift, bigger tires, never got stuck...' would make me weary. The increased height also alters the plow frame angle...

[Stoneman]

What's your budget, Sean?

[theothersean]

whats a budget ? I was thinking in the $4000-4500 range hopefully with a plow set up. , and yes I will obviously be using it as another dirt toy when not plowing.

if It were only me and the wife that had to make it up the driveway we both have 4 wheel drive and can make it no prob but we need to keep it clear for guests, UPS and oil deliverys.

[theothersean]

we have a 207 kingquad 450 available with a brand new warn 2500xi winch and a moose plow

how much ? you can Pm me if you don't want to post it, plus , any pics ?
and what is the dealership?

[Stoneman]

we have a 207 kingquad 450 available with a brand new warn 2500xi winch and a moose plow

how much ? you can Pm me if you don't want to post it, plus , any pics ?
and what is the dealership?

I don't wanna piss on Eric's parade here. But Sean, I can almost promise ya you'll end up being disappointed with the power, or lack of. Your money'll be better spent on a 'big bore' if you can find the right deal...

I'm not UNHAPPY with my 400. It's done just about everything I've asked of it. But there's always a coupla deep snowfalls where I wish instead of getting a 400 & 250, I had just gone with just one big bore. Same goes for trail riding with it. You'll quickly become bored and pine for something bigger. Trust me on this. The only thing I don't like about the big bores is they're basically all CVT's (belt driven)...

You should be able to get quite a machine for $4K. Fuck, find one for that WITHOUT a plow, then pick the plow set-up that suits you. Most 4x4's will already have the winch. A plow frame & plow shouldn't cost you much more than $500 anyway...

[Stoneman]

Oh - and when you find one you like Sean, do a little homework on it. Try to find some reviews online as well as some side-by-side comparisons. Maybe use the Google button on the internet machine & look for 'xxx problems'...

[mikeb]

Attachment 18243

here's my set up. works good. i use it for the same reasons you would. pulling trailer with wood etc.. the fact that its a 700 makes trail rides allot of fun. wheelies

[Stoneman]

Attachment 18243

here's my set up. works good. i use it for the same reasons you would. pulling trailer with wood etc.. the fact that its a 700 makes trail rides allot of fun. wheelies

Uhhhh...I don't see a manual lift on that, Mike!

[mikeb]

Uhhhh...I don't see a manual lift on that, Mike!

ha! yeah it CAME with the winch set-up so....

[PPS26]

your not pissing on my parade jay haha u have a 400 so ur knowlage is useful all i was getting at was that we set up a 450 and 660,700 with plows on them to use around the shop during storms and i think the 450 does a great job and price wise is a better fit, but we all know theres no replacement for displacement

[theothersean]

I know what good hours/miles are for used bikes but what about quads ?

whats considered average mileage / hours ?

I am finding a lot that have in the 500 -600 mile range that are 4-5 yrs old , that seems reasonable to me but not sure.

[mikeb]

a quad could have 200 miles and be beat to shit. but 500 to 600 is not bad for a 5 y.o quad. quads show abuse easily. find one with good plastics, no mud stains on the motor etc... i would find one set up like you need it and good for a test ride even if that's in a driveway. check brakes and all ranges of the transmission, engage the 4x4 system several times to make sure there's not a problem.

[R7]

I think it's more important to look it over good to make sure it was cared for well than what it has for hours/miles. CV boots, driveshaft, rims, undercarage (check for damage), engine oil...tell tail sign of laque of oil change is a discolored dipstick. While it may have clean oil in it when you look at it, if the plastic dipstick (I know yamaha uses a yellowish plastic) is brown or black, it hasn't been cared fro properly IMO. Someone fussy about taking care of their stuff isn't going to go to wallmart for a battery either, it's a "fix it for now" sign to me...what else did they "fix for now" ?

I bought my 2004 Kodiak in 2007, it had 330 miles on it, a like new heavy duty Moose plow, Warn/Yamaha winch, trailer hitch, and an old abused but heavy duty trailer. I paid $3,000 for everything, have been using it around the house for 2 years now and it still only has 450 miles on it.

I know what good hours/miles are for used bikes but what about quads ?

whats considered average mileage / hours ?

I am finding a lot that have in the 500 -600 mile range that are 4-5 yrs old , that seems reasonable to me but not sure.

[MysteriousR1]

i beat the living hell out of my 2004 Rancher 3504x4ES. 1,800 miles and never did a damn thing to it. I couldnt believe the torque that the bike had. I could out pull my buddys 450 Kodiak no problem. But, for a bike to use for some fun, would for sure of wanted more power. Yard work it was perfect, light enough to not totally destroy your yard and plenty of power to pull a trailer LOADED with wet mulch up a hill. I was by far impressed and i sold it for $1,500.

[theothersean]

I ended up with this ,
a 2004 kawasaki prarie 700 twin . it has 644miles on it came with the winch and a 50" cycle country plow has fairly new ITP wheels and tires as well as the stockers that are at about 1/2 tread.
it has a few scratches on the plastics and isn't perfect but not bad shape for a 5 yr old unit . It should do what I want it to do , plow snow and pull fire wood.
its got 4x4 high, low , diff locks, hill decent assist, there is a trailer hitch on it , the rear is not independant suspension but that won't matter for what I am using it for , I have dirt bikes for trail riding.

LET IT SNOW !