Which one's better for plowing?

[AKRoadkill]

I have an '01 Honda Rubicon and an '03 Polaris Spotsman 400 I'll be bringing up to Alaska with me. The Honda is definitely my choice for the hunting machine, I had it up there before and it did very well in the mud and could haul more than most of the other quads I saw up there. Besides, the Polaris is my wife's ride and She wouldn't be too keen on my taking it through the places I took the Honda.

I plan to buy a house and will probably have a fairly long driveway, which I have no desire to shovel. So, I'll need to get a plow for one of the ATVs. Right now (in Colorado) the Honda doesn't like starting when it's cool, no such problem with the Polaris so far. I'm not sure what the deal is, maybe as simple as needing to change a plug. Anyway, which of the 2 would be better for plowing, or would it really make much difference in the real world?

The Honda will have 27" Mud Bugs and the Polris will have stock tires for awhile anyway. I have a winch on the Honda, but not the Polaris. I don't want to add brackets to the Honda if it reduces clearance, or if they'll get torn up on rocks/logs, etc.

Another factor might be the price difference, if any, in the hardware for the different machines.

This isn't a Honda vs. Polaris question, I already know which one I prefer, just want opinions on advantages/disadvantages of each for plowing.

[AkHunter45]

I think you already answered your own question!

[AKRoadkill]

Actually I was leaning toward rigging the Polaris for plowing, even though I like the Honda more, so I could keep the excess stuff off the Honda, while not affecting the Polaris too much to use it for trails and a backup hunting rig.

It'll probably come down to which one I can get a used plow setup for first.

[Paul H]

You'll want to put chains on it as well. The other thread went kinda haywire, but back to the subject at hand.

You'll get ice buildup for a couple of reasons. One is once in awhile you'll wake up with snow on the ground, and not have the time or desire to clean off the driveway before heading into work. That packed down snow will stay till April. The other thing that gets you is you'll wake up to a few inches of snow, it won't seem to be worth clearing it, then you come home, it's warmed up to slush, then freezes hard.

I've always used a snowblower so I can't attest as to the benefits of a blade on a wheeler. I'd image the blade would be good for slushy conditions, where you can't use the blower. On the other hand, where are you going to put the snow with the blade? You can't just dump it in the street or in city land/easements. With a blower you can dump the snow on either side of the driveway.

[Snowwolfe]

If you live in a residential neigborhood you quickly run out of room as to where the snow will be pushed to.
I went back to a snowblower for the reasons Paul mentioned.

[Dirtofak]

Use the Polaris for plowing.

1. Easier to shift fwd to rev. (If it is like my Foreman.)

2. True 4 wheel drive.

3. The stock Polaris tires are better than the stock Honda tires. If you Put MudBugs on the Honda, it will be like a pig on ice. Good tires for mud do not necessarily make good ice tires.

4. I prefer to have a winch on all my machines. While a bit spendy, if you lose a winch in the woods, you have a backup.

Check the Honda choke for proper adjustment. Sometimes the cables get stretched.