About ATV Snowplows
All-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, are great fun and great workers. People have used them to haul timber and chase deer, so it wasn't long before people called on them to do another chore, plow snow. ATV snowplows have been around for more than a decade, with advanced attachment devices that raise and lower the plow and high-grade steel blades. They are designed to plow driveways and sidewalks and can be extremely versatile.
Other People Are Reading
-
History
-
ATV snowplows came into use in the 1980s, but it took several years for them to have widespread usage. The market for them grew and more companies began to build them for a wider range of uses. Today you can get them for any 4-wheeled ATV or recreational vehicle.
Function
-
An ATV snowplow fits onto the chassis or frame of the ATV through a connection system. This system includes a hydraulic lift system and metal bars that raise and lower the blade so the ATV can be operated with or without the blade contacting the ground. This increases maneuverability and usability since it allows the user to back the ATV up without dragging the blade on the ground. It also saves the blade from wear and you can drive to different locations with the blade in the upright position.
-
Size
-
There are several sizes of ATV snowplows. They range from 48 inches wide to 72 inches wide. Height can vary on the plow blades; the full size is usually 14 1/2 inches high. There are also different utility blades for grading soil or other uses which can be smaller and shorter, as much as 10 inches high and only about 3 feet long. When choosing the size of the ATV snowplow, consider how wide the ATV is--your plow should not be more than a foot wider than your chassis--and how wide the area you are going to plow is. You also need enough horsepower to move the amount of snow a wide blade will push.
Features
-
An ATV snowplow has a shallow curve that is generally not curled at the top end. The ATV does not go fast enough to make this curl thrower practical. They also have a solid steel blade made from 12-gauge or better steel sheets, and an iron cutter on the bottom edge. In addition, these plows have either a double point, or single point connection system that allows the blade to be moved at an angle to the left or right, and up or down. The more you can move the plow, the better.
Benefits
-
An ATV snowplow can make plowing your driveway a breeze. You can start right out from the garage, so the snow is never pushed up against the garage door, and doesn't need to be shoveled out by hand. You can also clear other areas of your home like the walkway, sidewalk and outdoor porches, or concrete patios. ATV snowplows are excellent for large ranches, industrial complexes and other buildings that may need both snow removal and utility hauling in one machine.
-
