ATV with a plow

mezz

mezz

Well-known member
IMO, the only problem with the steel wire, it wears & breaks quickly when repetitiously used in a plowing application. As I'm sure you're aware of what happens with that steel cable when it breaks, it frays, it pokes you & draws blood plus it takes time to put it back together. When it's cold & snowing it's azz off, that's the last thing I want to deal with anymore. The synthetic line will last much longer & when it breaks you simply cut off & retie with a simple knot & your right back to plowing. It might cost more, but it will outlast 10 steel cables. I am also a big fan of Warn Winches, never been a problem for me & IMO, you do get what you pay for. Just my .02 ;)-Mezz
 
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elf

Well-known member
I'll just follow up with everybody's advice. You can plow a lot more snow than you'd think with a regular 4X4 ATV. I've been plowing for yrs with a 2001 Sportsman 500 and I'm always amazed the amount of snow I can move. As others have said, plow it wide so you always space to move snow to.
 
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mrbb

Well-known member
SYN line will NOT outlast wire rope 10 times, not even close
they both have pro's and con's
you will also notice they don't have SYN line in anything heavy duty, like dozers and cranes
and there is a reason for that, it holds up to elements better
have seen dozers here with winch steel line that is 40+ yrs old and still working

I doubt you will ever see any SYN line that makes it to 40 yrs old and is still safe!

syn
pro
s
NO poky fingers, more flexible, lighter and most of it floats, stores less energy
CON's
cost more, can be damaged easier from being dragged across things, (why they come with the protective sleeves) can be effected by UV and moisture over time and costs more, more maintenance IF you read up on them and care for them as OEM wants!

Wire rope
Pro's cheaper, less issues with being dragged across things, less maintenance , and effect by weather

Con's, stores a bunch of energy, can get pokey on fingers, stiffer to work with


BOTH line will break is you over load them and have a fray or damaged area, its how things just work
Both lines will store energy
Both work just fine when used the right way

there is NO magic line, that doesn't get damaged or last forever, its wear and tear,
I have seen folks break SYN plowing and have seen wire rope guy break line plowing
I have learned how to tie wire rope back onto my hook in a few second when plowing snow
NO faster than a guy with SYN or slower!

its all about knowing HOW to do things
a KNOT is NOT the proper way to secure the hook to either one,(there is a proper way to do that for winching heavy /rated loads)
but will get you up and plowing snow as fast as you want to go!

as again BOTH have pro's and con's
and both work JUST fine when used right!
 
mezz

mezz

Well-known member
I was referring to the Plowing application only with wire vs. synthetic. The synthetic will outlast the wire "in that application". Sure, you break a section once in a while, but it is so infrequent compared to that of the wire it's a no brainer. I have no idea how much snow plowing you do in PA, but I will bet you it's no where near the amount here in the Keweenaw. Then again, I guess, you Know how to do it better, perhaps you could come up for an entire winter & show us how to do it, because after all, it's all about knowing HOW to do things.-Mezz
 
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mattyp

Member
Thanks for the opinions on winch lines. What size winch should I go with for plowing with a 60" plow? Going to look at a 2016 Grizzly 700 EPS SE today. Pretty good deals with the 17s out. Any thoughts on a particular plow brand or set up? Thanks!
 
mezz

mezz

Well-known member
I would recommend one that offers a quick attach front mount system. The push tube set ups are easily tweaked (bent). Check out Cycle Country or Moose. I am not sure if Moose offers one with a quick attach or not, had one with the push tube set up, too much torque on the push tubes. Cycle Country did a while back. If you end up having to go with a push tube frame, make sure it is one that is not real long, the longer the frame, the easier it is to bend. Believe me, it's not flimsy, but if you hook into a heavy load, the power of the ATV will win over the push tube every time.-Mezz
 
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mrbb

Well-known member
mezz said:
I would recommend one that offers a quick attach front mount system. The push tube set ups are easily tweaked (bent). Check out Cycle Country or Moose. I am not sure if Moose offers one with a quick attach or not, had one with the push tube set up, too much torque on the push tubes. Cycle Country did a while back. If you end up having to go with a push tube frame, make sure it is one that is not real long, the longer the frame, the easier it is to bend. Believe me, it's not flimsy, but if you hook into a heavy load, the power of the ATV will win over the push tube every time.-Mezz
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I'm sorry to say this, but your 100% wrong, if you look on any Plow makers own site they list the push tube set up as being there strongest set up they make and sell

I have pushed literately 100+ ton of gravel with my push tubes and there fine
as long as there a decent quality design
I once hit a steel bean sticking up about 5 inches at about 25 mph plowing, sheared off two boalts and never damaged the push tubes, almost went over the bars when teh rear wheels cme off the ground, had some nasty black and blue marks on my thigh when they hit the bars and was VERY glad I was wearing a helmet when my head hit the rack
MY fault for going so fast
but my plow's push tubes never budged
I did dent the back of the blade from the push tubes when the bolts there sheared off and hit the back of the blade

BUT push tube set ups from Moose and CC are the strongest set up they sell
they say so on there web site 's too!

here is OFF cycle country's web site




Front Mount
  • Easy on/off
  • Superior blade lift for snow stacking
Forward Mount

  • Convenience
  • Universal
  • Install on ATV easily
Mid Body Mount


  • Traditional/Heavy Duty
  • Strongest place to mount on ATV

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mattyp said:
Thanks for the opinions on winch lines. What size winch should I go with for plowing with a 60" plow? Going to look at a 2016 Grizzly 700 EPS SE today. Pretty good deals with the 17s out. Any thoughts on a particular plow brand or set up? Thanks!
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due to the weight of the ATV< a min to me would be a 2500 lb winch, general rule of thumb on winches is you need twice the LB in winch as the whole vehicle weighs with you in/on it and all your gear, I like to add a little extra to that number, cause when your stuck in say deep much the vacuum it can get a hold of your atv and make it feel a LOT heavier

so, at least a 2500 lb, 3k-3500 wouldn;t hurt either if ever stuck and there all about the same size in this range
if strictly plowing only, you can go lighter, but most 2500 winches can be had for darn near what a lesser one
same can be said many times for a 2500-3,000 lb model,
seem many times where the 3k is like 10 bucks more only?
and worth that 10 bucks too if your ever stuck LOL
 
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mrbb

Well-known member
mezz said:
I was referring to the Plowing application only with wire vs. synthetic. The synthetic will outlast the wire "in that application". Sure, you break a section once in a while, but it is so infrequent compared to that of the wire it's a no brainer. I have no idea how much snow plowing you do in PA, but I will bet you it's no where near the amount here in the Keweenaw. Then again, I guess, you Know how to do it better, perhaps you could come up for an entire winter & show us how to do it, because after all, it's all about knowing HOW to do things.-Mezz
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I plow based on snow , some yrs I get some, some a LOT, but I maintain for the past 13+ ysr with this atv about 10 miles of roads , trails and driveway every snow fall, and plow most roads about 16-20 ft wide
so I get NO where near the snowfall as you, but I bet I come close to most guys in miles I plow a yr and seat time on the atv plowing due to how much I open up every snow storm
on average I get about 70 inches a yr here! again NO where near you guys, wish I did however
and yes it is a lot about KNOWING how to plow
I also plow with a truck tractor and skid steer here for the past almost 30+ yrs now too!
just a lot of places I plow I cannot get access to them in bigger things at times, so atv gets a lot of use!
in case your wondering about what my experience is?
I don't know it all, but I have YRS of ATV plowing under my belt! just trying to help here, not be a JackA$$
 
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mrbb

Well-known member
thanks that means a LOT ????
But if offering help makes me that then so be it?
as that was all I was trying to do
 
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