Snow removal?

[rusty ol ranger]

When i lived at the old house, in the country, never worried about it much.

When me and the wife bought this place in town all of a sudden, snow removal became an issue.

First year i had an old single stage montgomery wards blower, it looked like a mini 2 stage and was self propelled and really impressed me. But then the big snows came and....

I went and bought a brand new yard machines 24in, 8hp 2 stage that chews through anything without breaking a sweat...

Then i got given to me an old MTD garden tractor (an actual garden tractor, from 1978, when shit was built) with a plow and chains, been useing that the last 2 years but it took a dump so now im back to blowing....

My question is....how much more capable (if any) would my 01 sportsman 500h.o be when plowing then my old MTD tractor? I put a 110lb barrel of sand on the back and with the chains and that old 11hp single thumper briggs horizontal there isnt much it wont push...

I have never plowed with a quad, or seen anyone else plow with one. Obviously i gotta get my 4wd working first, but im wondering if buying a plow for the ATV is worth it over the tractor?

I basically do every sidewalk on the block and my driveway as well as the neighbors.

 

[91stranger]

You would plow through anything with that (once you fix your 4wd of course) all while doing it at a much faster speed. Those old lawn tractors were damn strong and could push snow but at a nice steady pace lol. Quads are much faster. Does yours have the winch plow or manual plow? most prefer manual so you can drop the blade and go faster.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

My tractor is manual. I think ill go winch on the quad, my arms aint what they used to be lol.

I kinda figured the quad would be faster, i just didnt know if it would do as well as the tractor in heavy wet snow.

That old GT has a 174:1 1st. Give it traction it will move lol

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I have never done it but I know a few guys that like pushing snow with their four wheelers.

 

[Shran]

Lots of guys plow with quads out here, you need a 4x4 one though. And they're so light - more than a few inches of snow and you need a bigger machine.

I plowed a bit with a 2wd Yamaha Warrior and found it easier to just shovel.

 

[adsm08]

I have a buddy farther north of me where they get real snow who lives in a block-long row home all owned by one land lord. The land lord is responsible for clearing the side walks in front of the row, and the driveway/parking area behind it, so basically two blocks of length, about 7 or 8 sidewalk widths and a small parking lot.

My buddy does that for the land lord in exchange for an extra parking space and a break on the rent in the winter. He uses a 4x4 quad he picked up cheap and a mis-matched plow that we made fit (reads "torched and bent bars into the right shape).

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Lots of guys plow with quads out here, you need a 4x4 one though. And they're so light - more than a few inches of snow and you need a bigger machine.

I plowed a bit with a 2wd Yamaha Warrior and found it easier to just shovel.

I got an 01 Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O. Not the biggest and baddest nowadays but back in the day was pretty close to king.

Adsm, thats good to know. I think ill sell the old GT once i get my 4wd operational and get a plow for the quad. It would be nice to get it done quicker when its 5* out lol

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I got an 01 Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O. Not the biggest and baddest nowadays but back in the day was pretty close to king.

Adsm, thats good to know. I think ill sell the old GT once i get my 4wd operational and get a plow for the quad. It would be nice to get it done quicker when its 5* out lol

500 is still pretty good sized, I think you would get long ok pushing snow. My brother is wanting to get a plow for his '12 500.

 

[91stranger]

Anything 4wd and bigger than a 400cc will do fine. If you are trying to plow 18" of wet snow then that's something no wheeler can do... well they could do it in layers and it would take a while. you can put chains and weight on a 4 wheel too. Good set of chains make these unstoppable.

 

[Snoranger]

My Yamaha Grizzly 550 will plow anything that it's ever gone up against. I've pushed 2'+ of powder, 14-16" of wet snow, and anything in between. Use low range and make multiple passes if needed.

The 2 best things you can do:

1: install a winch to lift and lower it. Buy a cheap 20' tow strap with hooks on both ends, cut it in half. Remove the cable from the winch and install the half strap on your winch. It will wear out a wire or synthetic rope in no time. You should get at least a season or 2 from half of the tow strap, and still have the other half for a back up.

2: Install heated hand grips.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

A local guy used to plow for the elderly and he built large front and rear sand boxes to put on his racks. Shaped just like the racks and about a foot tall. He'd fill them up with sand to add weight, and then after he was done clearing driveways and sidewalks, he'd scatter sand on/near their steps for traction to lessen their chances of falling. It always worked well for him, and they probably cost a couple bucks to make out of old lumber he had laying around.

He always ran his tires at a lower psi too..

He always plowed faithfully regardless of snow depth, and he got along real well.



GB

 

[rusty ol ranger]

The sand boxes are a really good idea actually.

 

[91stranger]

A local guy used to plow for the elderly and he built large front and rear sand boxes to put on his racks. Shaped just like the racks and about a foot tall. He'd fill them up with sand to add weight, and then after he was done clearing driveways and sidewalks, he'd scatter sand on/near their steps for traction to lessen their chances of falling. It always worked well for him, and they probably cost a couple bucks to make out of old lumber he had laying around.

He always ran his tires at a lower psi too..

He always plowed faithfully regardless of snow depth, and he got along real well.



GB

That's honestly a smart idea. You could use the sand for yourself if you got stuck too. Sounds like a good guy going out of his way to do something right.

 

[Ranger850]

I solved all my snow plowing issues by living in the actual Sunshine State. It has really worked out well for me. Save tons of money on not buying special snow tires for vehicles, not buying salt and sand for snow melting purposes. also saved my back from not chopping and hauling wood for the wood burning stove that I don't need. Last year I ran the heat for a total of 6 weeks.


Oh yeah,(BIG) BUT, we do have destructive hurricanes for 3 months out of the year that may or may not destroy everything you own.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I solved all my snow plowing issues by living in the actual Sunshine State. It has really worked out well for me. Save tons of money on not buying special snow tires for vehicles, not buying salt and sand for snow melting purposes. also saved my back from not chopping and hauling wood for the wood burning stove that I don't need. Last year I ran the heat for a total of 6 weeks.


Oh yeah,(BIG) BUT, we do have destructive hurricanes for 3 months out of the year that may or may not destroy everything you own.

When we were in Hawaii it was amazing how the salt in the air rusts things. I saw things rusting in ways I have never seen rust in the rust belt. Like 60's cars with rust holes in the hood.