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.

What size plow blade should I get?

Most ATVs are roughly 48 inches wide. In order to clear a path wider than your ATV, you’ll need at least a 50-inch blade. Also, remember that if you angle the blade, the width of the cleared path will narrow.

Plow blade size also depends on the size of your ATV. Smaller ATVs (less than 500cc) may struggle under the weight of a 50-inch blade. In that case, you’ll want to go with something smaller. Larger ATVs (500cc or more) should easily be able to handle a 60-inch blade or longer. The biggest utility quads can handle even more—up to a 72-inch plow blade.

A smaller blade is lighter, easier to maneuver, and—if you use a manual lift—easier to lift. Larger blades are heavier and less maneuverable, but they cut a clean, wide path to get the job done quicker.

Straight plow blade or angled?

Straight blades are the best fit for general plowing needs. They keep the snow (gravel, dirt, etc.) in front of the ATV rather than falling off to the side. They are the best option for pushing materials straight forward and for leveling ground.

An angled plow blade (wider at one end than the other) is best for moving snow or other materials off to the side as you plow. This prevents snow from building up in front of the ATV and creating heavy loads.

What about the extra weight?

Because of the weight of the ATV plow and winch, you will need to up the suspension to the stiffest setting. Most shocks should be able to handle the extra front load, but if the stock shocks don’t cut it, you might need to look into aftermarket shocks.

What about traction?

Most 2WD quads and some underpowered 4WD ATVs will require tire chains for better traction. Two chains are good. Four chains are better. Make sure you have adequate clearance, especially if you chain up the front tires.

Skids and wear bars are designed to make your ATV plow last longer. Scraping across hard driveway surfaces is hard on the plow blade. The wear bar and skids take the brunt of this abuse so that the plow blade will last longer.

ATV Plow Wear Bars

Since the wear bar needs to be replaced as it wears out, it’s better to go with a double-sided wear bar. These types of wear bars are designed to be flipped over, so they last twice as long as a standard wear bar.

There are 2 types of ATV plow wear bars: steel and plastic. Steel wear bars are tougher than plastic, but they can also be tough on driveway surfaces. Plastic wear bars are easier on driveway surfaces and pavers.

ATV Plow Skids

Plow skids increase the life of the wear bar and minimize damage caused by the plow blade scraping the driveway surface. They also help when plowing uneven, rocky surfaces, by lifting the edge of the plow blade just enough to keep it from digging into the gravel or rock.

For level surfaces, adjust the plow skids to the same height as the wear bar on the plow blade. For uneven surfaces, adjust the skids so that the edge of the wear bar will glide just above the rocky surface.