Compensating for the Weight of the Plow

Depending on the size of your ATV and the weight of your plow, you might find that even the stiffest suspension setting isn’t enough to compensate for the weight of the plow. One of the easiest ways to fix this is to add spacers to the front and rear springs. It’s a quick fix, and the spacers can just as quickly be taken out when plow season is over.

Stiffening the suspension with spacers will keep the plow blade from bottoming out on hills and steep driveways and improve the performance of your ATV when a heavy plow is attached.

Why Spacers Are Better Than HD Springs

Heavy duty springs are another option to stiffen the suspension, but spacers are preferred, since they can easily be inserted or removed as needed. When you have the plow on, you can install the spacers. And when plow season is over, you can just as easily remove the spacers for a better ride. (HD springs tend to make for a harder ride and tougher handling.) Spacers are also easier to install than new springs because they don’t require you to take anything apart. Just jack up the bike and install the spacers.

Keeping It Even

It’s best to keep the front and rear suspension at the same stiffness, so if you add spacers to the front springs, you’ll also want to add them to the rear. Since the spacers will raise the machine in the front end, make sure the rear is raised to the same height.

Adding Rear Weight

Another way to compensate for the extra plow weight on the front of your ATV is to load a few sandbags on the rear rack. The rear weight will help with traction and keep the plow from scraping the ground on steep grades. Make sure you strap down the sandbags to secure them in place.

Tags: ATV Plow Parts, ATV Plows, ATV Snow Plows, ATV Snowplow System

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