Snow Plow Recommendations for 2017 Rancher
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OK first off, congrats on a new atv soon!
second, I have been plowing with an atv for 20 yrs now
the BEST advice I will give you is BUY a winch and use that as a lift
the hand lift YES they work, but they grow OLD super FAST, and you will wish you had the winch in many other area's of atv ownership
best deal on a winch IMO and a GOOD winch will be a super winch, there plain jane, LT 2000 lb, or LT 2500's can be had MANY many times on sale at places like Cabela;s for under a 100 bucks, my first lt 2000 lasted 15+ yrs before I up graded it to a 3,000 lb one! just cause I found one on sale for 49 bucks new??
old one still works, and its sen a tens of thousands of IN's and OUT;'s plowing snow for so many yrs
and its seen use ALL yr doing many many other things!
hard to beat for the price and aggravation of using a hand lift of plowing snow!
Next will be this, and its fact, the STRONGEST set up plow for an ATV will be the MID mount types,I love my Moose plow, been bullet proof, and I have plowed about 300+ ton of gravel and stone and dirt and?? with it, and it still works as good as day one back in 1999 when I got it!!
I personally say stick to name brand plows, Moose, being MY pick,(I they make and claim the strongest blades on the market too by the way, and they also have there skids very near the corners of there blades which helps in keeping the corner tips from digging into soft ground, if you plow anything that isn't paved or cement , other good plow makers will be the likes of Cycle country,warn IMO)
all set ups have pro's and con's
mid mounts are this,
Pro's strongest set up, displaces weight the most thru your atv, cheapest set up, rather simple to install, just bolt on mid mount plate and your about done/ they dosp[lace weight more on MID area of ATV and NOT all on the front end!
COn's
they lower ground clearance with there mounting tabs
there a little more work to put on and off(I can install mine in maybe 3 minutes or less)
they do NOT lift as high, for driving up things like ramps or over things> and for stacking snow, you have to THINK more with it when stacking snow!
Front mounts,
Pro's
faster on and off, lift way higher, NO ground clearance loss
Con's, cost more, ALL weight is on your front end of the atv, some mounts MIGHT be in the way for SOME winches and the likes
as for size, I would NOT go smaller than a 60 inch blade period
I run an older 400 foreman with a 60 inch blade on it and have never EVER wished I had a smaller blade,. many times I have wished for a larger one
the main reason for wider blades like a 60 over smaller one's to ME , is the fact when you angle them at full angle, you do NOT get as much of a path cleared, and if too small a blade, you can be driving in your plow curl with one side of tires, which can result in loss of traction, or packing down snow making it even harder to remove , as once you drive on it, it doesn't clean as well as !
with a wider blade you don't have this, it leaves you more room to push snow off the sides , and with a WINCH to lift the blade, you can even lift slightly and plow even farther off the sides without running over things to do so!
you will also get the job done faster with a larger plow blade, and 60 inches is about the perfect size for an ATV plow IMO
I again, have yrs of plowing on an atv, a 60 inch plow blade at full angle is 53.5 inches
a 50 inch blade is just 44 inches at full angle, how wide is your atv at outside of front tires??
and you can start to see why a 60 makes good sense< and a 500 has more than enough power to push snow with a 60!
MY 2 cents here LOL
second, I have been plowing with an atv for 20 yrs now
the BEST advice I will give you is BUY a winch and use that as a lift
the hand lift YES they work, but they grow OLD super FAST, and you will wish you had the winch in many other area's of atv ownership
best deal on a winch IMO and a GOOD winch will be a super winch, there plain jane, LT 2000 lb, or LT 2500's can be had MANY many times on sale at places like Cabela;s for under a 100 bucks, my first lt 2000 lasted 15+ yrs before I up graded it to a 3,000 lb one! just cause I found one on sale for 49 bucks new??
old one still works, and its sen a tens of thousands of IN's and OUT;'s plowing snow for so many yrs
and its seen use ALL yr doing many many other things!
hard to beat for the price and aggravation of using a hand lift of plowing snow!
Next will be this, and its fact, the STRONGEST set up plow for an ATV will be the MID mount types,I love my Moose plow, been bullet proof, and I have plowed about 300+ ton of gravel and stone and dirt and?? with it, and it still works as good as day one back in 1999 when I got it!!
I personally say stick to name brand plows, Moose, being MY pick,(I they make and claim the strongest blades on the market too by the way, and they also have there skids very near the corners of there blades which helps in keeping the corner tips from digging into soft ground, if you plow anything that isn't paved or cement , other good plow makers will be the likes of Cycle country,warn IMO)
all set ups have pro's and con's
mid mounts are this,
Pro's strongest set up, displaces weight the most thru your atv, cheapest set up, rather simple to install, just bolt on mid mount plate and your about done/ they dosp[lace weight more on MID area of ATV and NOT all on the front end!
COn's
they lower ground clearance with there mounting tabs
there a little more work to put on and off(I can install mine in maybe 3 minutes or less)
they do NOT lift as high, for driving up things like ramps or over things> and for stacking snow, you have to THINK more with it when stacking snow!
Front mounts,
Pro's
faster on and off, lift way higher, NO ground clearance loss
Con's, cost more, ALL weight is on your front end of the atv, some mounts MIGHT be in the way for SOME winches and the likes
as for size, I would NOT go smaller than a 60 inch blade period
I run an older 400 foreman with a 60 inch blade on it and have never EVER wished I had a smaller blade,. many times I have wished for a larger one
the main reason for wider blades like a 60 over smaller one's to ME , is the fact when you angle them at full angle, you do NOT get as much of a path cleared, and if too small a blade, you can be driving in your plow curl with one side of tires, which can result in loss of traction, or packing down snow making it even harder to remove , as once you drive on it, it doesn't clean as well as !
with a wider blade you don't have this, it leaves you more room to push snow off the sides , and with a WINCH to lift the blade, you can even lift slightly and plow even farther off the sides without running over things to do so!
you will also get the job done faster with a larger plow blade, and 60 inches is about the perfect size for an ATV plow IMO
I again, have yrs of plowing on an atv, a 60 inch plow blade at full angle is 53.5 inches
a 50 inch blade is just 44 inches at full angle, how wide is your atv at outside of front tires??
and you can start to see why a 60 makes good sense< and a 500 has more than enough power to push snow with a 60!
MY 2 cents here LOL
Which plow, winch and necessary accessories do you recommend? Who should I purchase them from. I see I cannot buy them directly from Moose.
FYI I already have a Richochet front guard ordered to protect my front boots from corn stubble.
Thank you!
FYI I already have a Richochet front guard ordered to protect my front boots from corn stubble.
Thank you!
Joined
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8,309 Posts
I cannot say on the Richocet guards, don't have them
as for where to BUY the plow at? you can always do an internet search and price shop, or you can, just go to your dealer, they can get it I HAVE to think.
as for what plow, like I said, its going to be up to you, as to which mount set up you want
but if it was me, I would get a moose standard 60 inch blade, NOT the country one, that is taller on one side than the other!
and then from there again, what ever set up you want, be it a front mount or mid mount?
if you want the strongest cheapest set up, the mid mount, if you want the more user friendly set up, get the front mount
as for what winch,MAN that is a loaded question and most WINCH topic's get a lot of heated views, as many are super loyal it seem to "X" brand, or others are cheap and claim cheapest is just as good
ME< and this is MY OPINION< I have never had a single issue with my super winch brand winches, customer service, has been over the top GREAT, when ever I have contacted them( plowing over time will wear out switches, and I have contacted them on them as they wore out, and to date they have given me several; for FREE, and many times got me them NEXT DAY too)
if ALL you ever will do is LIFT the plow blade, there plain jane LT 2,000- LT 2,500 will be more than enough to do the job and NOT set you back much money,
as for a winch ,mount, most folks seem to have very good luck withe KFI brand mounts
winches in general, IMO come to this train of thought, some folks think CHEAP ( Harbor freight or that likes)and replace as needed is better than buying a TOP of the line model(AKA< WARN, also the highest priced too)
ME< IMO< again I have had nothing but good luck with several super winch brand one's I have owned(several of trucks and jeeps over the yrs too)
BUT Honestly I think if you STICK to BRAND name winches, you should be FINE, say, Super winch, Ramsey, Mile Marker, and of course WARN!
you can price shop on EBay, or ATV online stores and find the best deal
Cabela's runs a LOT of sales on both Super Winch and WARN"S, if you have one of there stores close by?
Other food for thought is going to be this, WHEN using a winch to lift a plow blade the number one issue folks have is BREAKING the winch line, this is caused by 2 main things, one, repetitive bending of STEEL line(wire rope) it will start to wear on the line,
OR when you have damaged line from?????
and THEN< you OVER IN< the line and SNAP POP the line breaks at where ever there is a flaw.
2 trains of thought come into play here,
one many folks switch to Synthetic wine rope, and will get MUCH longer life out of it when plowing, due to it BENDS better.
but SYN line adds costs to things, so many times the budget has a say in things,
50 ft of wire rope, can be had for about 10-15 bucks
I run wire rope, just works better for what all I do with my winching needs
I replace the wire rope about every 2-3 yrs
50 ft of GOOD syn line is about 4050+ bucks pending when and what brand you buy, some are even more!
BUT BOTH can SNAP< if you have a flaw in them and OVER , IN! the line
the key to plowing with a winch to lift your plow blade is NOT to OVER IN the line.
folks will say you can tie syn line back on your hook if it breaks and be back up and running,
WELL< the same can be done with wire, I have done so, countless times over the yrs plowing, takes me about a minute to re loop on my hook and GO< NO tools really needed either
doesn't look pretty, but works and does the job, when time is better I can re do better and more neatly,
but when plowing, its for me all about just getting going as fast as possible.
if you have super deep pockets
the ultimate set up, is a V plow and electric agitators to angle things, all then can be done from the seat never having to get off the atv, the V blade will let you plow in even deeper snow and make working snow better when you can make the blade into a scoop.
BUT a full set up will run you about $1800+
as to a basic plow winch for about $600.00 or less
and these are just GUESSES on prices' haven't look at exact prices in a while
a super winch and a mount should be about 175, plow and mid mount, about 400 give or take??
as for where to BUY the plow at? you can always do an internet search and price shop, or you can, just go to your dealer, they can get it I HAVE to think.
as for what plow, like I said, its going to be up to you, as to which mount set up you want
but if it was me, I would get a moose standard 60 inch blade, NOT the country one, that is taller on one side than the other!
and then from there again, what ever set up you want, be it a front mount or mid mount?
if you want the strongest cheapest set up, the mid mount, if you want the more user friendly set up, get the front mount
as for what winch,MAN that is a loaded question and most WINCH topic's get a lot of heated views, as many are super loyal it seem to "X" brand, or others are cheap and claim cheapest is just as good
ME< and this is MY OPINION< I have never had a single issue with my super winch brand winches, customer service, has been over the top GREAT, when ever I have contacted them( plowing over time will wear out switches, and I have contacted them on them as they wore out, and to date they have given me several; for FREE, and many times got me them NEXT DAY too)
if ALL you ever will do is LIFT the plow blade, there plain jane LT 2,000- LT 2,500 will be more than enough to do the job and NOT set you back much money,
as for a winch ,mount, most folks seem to have very good luck withe KFI brand mounts
winches in general, IMO come to this train of thought, some folks think CHEAP ( Harbor freight or that likes)and replace as needed is better than buying a TOP of the line model(AKA< WARN, also the highest priced too)
ME< IMO< again I have had nothing but good luck with several super winch brand one's I have owned(several of trucks and jeeps over the yrs too)
BUT Honestly I think if you STICK to BRAND name winches, you should be FINE, say, Super winch, Ramsey, Mile Marker, and of course WARN!
you can price shop on EBay, or ATV online stores and find the best deal
Cabela's runs a LOT of sales on both Super Winch and WARN"S, if you have one of there stores close by?
Other food for thought is going to be this, WHEN using a winch to lift a plow blade the number one issue folks have is BREAKING the winch line, this is caused by 2 main things, one, repetitive bending of STEEL line(wire rope) it will start to wear on the line,
OR when you have damaged line from?????
and THEN< you OVER IN< the line and SNAP POP the line breaks at where ever there is a flaw.
2 trains of thought come into play here,
one many folks switch to Synthetic wine rope, and will get MUCH longer life out of it when plowing, due to it BENDS better.
but SYN line adds costs to things, so many times the budget has a say in things,
50 ft of wire rope, can be had for about 10-15 bucks
I run wire rope, just works better for what all I do with my winching needs
I replace the wire rope about every 2-3 yrs
50 ft of GOOD syn line is about 4050+ bucks pending when and what brand you buy, some are even more!
BUT BOTH can SNAP< if you have a flaw in them and OVER , IN! the line
the key to plowing with a winch to lift your plow blade is NOT to OVER IN the line.
folks will say you can tie syn line back on your hook if it breaks and be back up and running,
WELL< the same can be done with wire, I have done so, countless times over the yrs plowing, takes me about a minute to re loop on my hook and GO< NO tools really needed either
doesn't look pretty, but works and does the job, when time is better I can re do better and more neatly,
but when plowing, its for me all about just getting going as fast as possible.
if you have super deep pockets
the ultimate set up, is a V plow and electric agitators to angle things, all then can be done from the seat never having to get off the atv, the V blade will let you plow in even deeper snow and make working snow better when you can make the blade into a scoop.
BUT a full set up will run you about $1800+
as to a basic plow winch for about $600.00 or less
and these are just GUESSES on prices' haven't look at exact prices in a while
a super winch and a mount should be about 175, plow and mid mount, about 400 give or take??
I'm still a bit stunned with all the option and mounts for the different model years. Many sites don't list 2017. Who is a good internet retailer that I can chat or call to get straight what winch, plow and mounts I need for my Rancher?
Will just any 2000 or 3000 lbs atv winch work with the right mount?
Will just any 2000 or 3000 lbs atv winch work with the right mount?
Gentlemen,
If I purchase this winch, what else do I need to mound it to my Rancher? A special winch mounting plate??
https://www.amazon.com/Warn-89030-V...rds_two_browse-bin:7020267011|7020268011&th=1
If I purchase this winch, what else do I need to mound it to my Rancher? A special winch mounting plate??
https://www.amazon.com/Warn-89030-V...rds_two_browse-bin:7020267011|7020268011&th=1
Joined
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8,309 Posts
yes you will need a vehicle specific mount for YOUR year make and model atv,
KFI again seems to be the name most guys buy, MOST all winches have the same bolt pattern and spacing, from the 1500lbs to maybe the 3500 lbs one, once bigger things tend to change on mounting holes
but Warn, and all the winch makers should also sell there own mounting brackets too if you like to go that way??
KFI SHOULD be cheaper in price but just as good in quality!
KFI again seems to be the name most guys buy, MOST all winches have the same bolt pattern and spacing, from the 1500lbs to maybe the 3500 lbs one, once bigger things tend to change on mounting holes
but Warn, and all the winch makers should also sell there own mounting brackets too if you like to go that way??
KFI SHOULD be cheaper in price but just as good in quality!
Joined
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5,641 Posts
If your rig is still under warranty you may want to consider having the shop install the winch for you.
All of my work rigs have mid mount plow adapters. I have 4 Cycle Country 2 KFI and a Moose plow. I don't like the Moose as much because the mount tubes are very narrow--you have to get on your belly to pin it up. The other plows are easier to pin up. So keep that in mind. Plus belly mounts reduce ground clearance that's a pain. For questions contact Kolpin, Moose racing, etc.
There's also a plow you can drive into called Clickngo by Kimpex
All of my work rigs have mid mount plow adapters. I have 4 Cycle Country 2 KFI and a Moose plow. I don't like the Moose as much because the mount tubes are very narrow--you have to get on your belly to pin it up. The other plows are easier to pin up. So keep that in mind. Plus belly mounts reduce ground clearance that's a pain. For questions contact Kolpin, Moose racing, etc.
There's also a plow you can drive into called Clickngo by Kimpex
Mrbb. So If I purchase this Warn Winch https://www.amazon.com/Warn-89021-V...9830&sr=1-1&keywords=warn+vantage+2000-s&th=1
How do I track down the mount?
How do I track down the mount?
Joined
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8,309 Posts
you need to contacvt say KFI< tell them what model yr atv you have and what winch you wish a mount for, and they wills ell you the correct mount for your winch, that of you can I gather buy a winch mount from WARN< and again, the same deal, you tell them what you have and want, they sell you the right mount(OR HOPE THEY DO LOL
as in todays world, you never know, lots of moron's out there working on places maybe they shouldn;t ??)
or you can for sure have your dealer get you the right mount too?
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8,309 Posts
HAHA< well LOT of time till snow season, so, look about and see what you want and like
, also make sure youi cjeck out E bay and the likes, some times they have super deals on blow outs, dealers don't always like to hold things like this in storage till next season?/
same can be said on many bigger online atv supply stores!
, also make sure youi cjeck out E bay and the likes, some times they have super deals on blow outs, dealers don't always like to hold things like this in storage till next season?/
same can be said on many bigger online atv supply stores!
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