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ATV Snow Blades - What brand is best?

#1

G

gsmorris

I have a 2009 Honda Rubicon and want to buy a blade for my country residence. I've looked on the net and hear that Warn blades are good but some say the welding is a weak spot. Others say that you can't beat a Moose blade. I'm also concerned about the installation of the mounting brackets etc and also want ease of removal of the blade. Any help from the experienced snow movers would be appreciated.


#2

JDgreen

JDgreen

gsmorris said:
I have a 2009 Honda Rubicon and want to buy a blade for my country residence. I've looked on the net and hear that Warn blades are good but some say the welding is a weak spot. Others say that you can't beat a Moose blade. I'm also concerned about the installation of the mounting brackets etc and also want ease of removal of the blade. Any help from the experienced snow movers would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

I have a 2001 Honda Foreman 450 that has been fitted with a 60 inch Moose County Plow (tapered top like a truck snowplow) since the winter of that year. It gets used heavily and I do a lot of ramming deep snow, despite all the use the plow has held up great. It can be removed from the underframe mount by removing two clevis pins and unhooking the winch cable in front. Time to install and remove is less than 2 minutes. The underframe mount stays on permanently, it is fastened to the frame with four U-bolts, time to install it was a half hour at most. Moose designed the mount so you can access the oil drain plug easily with the mount installed. Ground clearance is only reduced an inch or two, I leave the mount on because it also fuctions as a mini skidplate.

My plow is older, and I don't know if the current models are made as well, but if you want a quality product for a long term purchase, I would not hestitate to recommend the Moose brand.

Hope this helps. And believe me, I am not kidding when I tell you I ram snow drifts. I hit one so hard last winter my ATV bounced off and turned 90 degrees!!! :biggrin:


#3

JDgreen

JDgreen

gsmorris said:
I have a 2009 Honda Rubicon and want to buy a blade for my country residence. I've looked on the net and hear that Warn blades are good but some say the welding is a weak spot. Others say that you can't beat a Moose blade. I'm also concerned about the installation of the mounting brackets etc and also want ease of removal of the blade. Any help from the experienced snow movers would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Oh, yes...forgot to mention WELCOME TO THE FORUM, you will love it here. Congrats, and enjoy!!!


#4

nuffer460

nuffer460

Moose has a great system. They have a great parts system too. I've used one on my 2000, 350 Honda for 5 years. It has worked hard and have only had to repair it once. As you can see, I use it hard. After I use the tractor to open up my driveway. The Honda wings back both sides of the lawn. Almost zero damage to the lawns. The first picture is of a ramped pile of snow. I ran out of places to put snow. So, I had to go up!! I have the blade attached to my winch. Works better and faster that way. Just have too re place the rocker switch every spring. Just as a pre caution. Have not had one fail yet.

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#5

JDgreen

JDgreen

nuffer460 said:
Moose has a great system. They have a great parts system too. I've used one on my 2000, 350 Honda for 5 years. It has worked hard and have only had to repair it once. As you can see, I use it hard. After I use the tractor to open up my driveway. The Honda wings back both sides of the lawn. Almost zero damage to the lawns. The first picture is of a ramped pile of snow. I ran out of places to put snow. So, I had to go up!! I have the blade attached to my winch. Works better and faster that way. Just have too re place the rocker switch every spring. Just as a pre caution. Have not had one fail yet.
Click to expand...

"Replace the rocker switch every spring"? The Warn 2000 on my Foreman gets extensive use but still has the OEM rocker control switch and it has never given me a problem.


#6

J

JayC

JDgreen said:
I have a 2001 Honda Foreman 450 that has been fitted with a 60 inch Moose County Plow (tapered top like a truck snowplow) since the winter of that year. It gets used heavily and I do a lot of ramming deep snow, despite all the use the plow has held up great. It can be removed from the underframe mount by removing two clevis pins and unhooking the winch cable in front. Time to install and remove is less than 2 minutes. The underframe mount stays on permanently, it is fastened to the frame with four U-bolts, time to install it was a half hour at most. Moose designed the mount so you can access the oil drain plug easily with the mount installed. Ground clearance is only reduced an inch or two, I leave the mount on because it also fuctions as a mini skidplate.

My plow is older, and I don't know if the current models are made as well, but if you want a quality product for a long term purchase, I would not hestitate to recommend the Moose brand.

Hope this helps. And believe me, I am not kidding when I tell you I ram snow drifts. I hit one so hard last winter my ATV bounced off and turned 90 degrees!!! :biggrin:
Click to expand...

I have the exact same rig and have been plowing with since the ATV was new. I hit drifts hard enough to spin my ATV 90 degrees every time I plow. I was once thrown over the front of the machine, and dropped it 6' down into a stream bed at least 3 times (where the machine was left pointed straight down sitting on the plow). It's a pretty rugged setup - I did have to weld the plow blade swivel mechanism once, but I'm still running on my original mounting pins, amazingly enough.

I use a Warn winch to raise/lower the plow (use a battery tender between storms if you winch your plow blade - trust me). Works excellent as the previous poster said, although my blade's reversible cutting edge wore down to the bolt holes before I noticed it - I'll probably flip it and weld it on this year. I also leave the mount attached, due to pure laziness, but frequently mangle it during the summer. It's pretty rugged though - a couple of wacks with a hammer and it is up and running again. I only had to remove the plate (to cut n' weld it) once for repair after a particularly brutal ride through bolder infested terrain while carrying a 300# friend (had about 1/2" of suspension left).

JayC


#7

JDgreen

JDgreen

JayC said:
I have the exact same rig and have been plowing with since the ATV was new. I hit drifts hard enough to spin my ATV 90 degrees every time I plow. I was once thrown over the front of the machine, and dropped it 6' down into a stream bed at least 3 times (where the machine was left pointed straight down sitting on the plow). It's a pretty rugged setup - I did have to weld the plow blade swivel mechanism once, but I'm still running on my original mounting pins, amazingly enough.

I use a Warn winch to raise/lower the plow (use a battery tender between storms if you winch your plow blade - trust me). Works excellent as the previous poster said, although my blade's reversible cutting edge wore down to the bolt holes before I noticed it - I'll probably flip it and weld it on this year. I also leave the mount attached, due to pure laziness, but frequently mangle it during the summer. It's pretty rugged though - a couple of wacks with a hammer and it is up and running again. I only had to remove the plate (to cut n' weld it) once for repair after a particularly brutal ride through bolder infested terrain while carrying a 300# friend (had about 1/2" of suspension left).

JayC
Click to expand...

JayC...your name looks familiar, are you also a member of TBN? About wearing the cutting edges down, want to pass along a tip...on both my ATV plow and JD Frontier 72 inch back blade, I remove the cutting edges, then cut a section of rubber stall mat (avaialable at TSC, about $40 for a 4X6 mat) to bolt on between plow and edge as a flex edge the blades ride on...keeps the metal from wearing and protects grass and asphalt from the gouging. After 6 years, the rubber edge on my JD finally cracked, I found a huge truck tire retread cap on the shoulder, still round...I am going to cut the thing with a Sawzall (hopefully) and use it for a blade edge for the JD plow, it is the ideal width and looks to be much stiffer than the rubber stall mat.


#8

K

KennyV

JDgreen said:
... protects grass and asphalt from the gouging. ...
Click to expand...

It is also much better on your concrete ... squeegees the surface as opposed to abrading the top layer..

Tire tread works great but it is a bear to work with.. Once you have it mounted it takes shape well and is a tough blade edge.. :smile:KennyV


#9

J

JayC

JDgreen said:
JayC...your name looks familiar, are you also a member of TBN?
Click to expand...

Yes. I blather about my L4200GST over there (which is undeniably cooler than Kenny's L4200)... Snapper LT16 over here.

JayC


#10

J

JayC

This is the Moose county plow-equipped ATV I was talking about earlier:

3141867381_6066f432b0.jpg


Incidentally, don't park your tractors/mowers in tent garages during the winter.

3141615496_d90ef51483.jpg


JayC


#11

K

KennyV

JayC said:
...my L4200GST... (which is undeniably cooler than Kenny's L4200)...

JayC
Click to expand...

Hey JayC yours is only cooler during the winter ... I have a heated cab..:laughing:

I guess your back hoe does make it cooler.:cool:
:smile:KennyV


#12

JDgreen

JDgreen

KennyV said:
It is also much better on your concrete ... squeegees the surface as opposed to abrading the top layer..

Tire tread works great but it is a bear to work with.. Once you have it mounted it takes shape well and is a tough blade edge.. :smile:KennyV
Click to expand...

Kenny, I had to use a half inch drill and a 5/8 inch bit to drill the 6 holes for the half-inch carriage bolts that go thru my back blade cutting edge and the tire tread...and it was still really a wrist-twisting exercise drilling through the wire reinforced rubber. I am thinking maybe next time I replace the rubber edge (if ever) I will just go to a retread shop and buy or beg a section of car tire tread...the truck tire tread I found on the shoulder was so thick and stiff from all the brass wires embedded in it, the cutting and drilling took a long time. Somebody told me that the tread I found, because it was still a round doughnut, must have come off a tire not retreaded, because when a retread fails it usually breaks off chunks of rubber and not in one complete section? Anyone know otherwise? :confused2:


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