Ive been throwing around the idea of picking up a used 4 wheeler to use for snow plowing my driveway. I've been using my lawn tractor with tire chains and weights with satifactory results but I am concerned about the strain it puts on the Hydo transmission. I found a Honda TRX300 4x4 fourtrax on craigslist for $1600. I would have to find a plow to put on it .Anyone have any input on this idea? I would also use the Honda for hauling wood as well.
4 wheeler question
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A 4x4 ATV would be words appart from a tractor in power & traction. It'll push and pull a lot better + you can hunt / play, etc with it. Win win if you find a good deal on one.
What is the year and what is the usage (hours or miles??)
Honda make solid machines and as mustash said, it will be WORLDS apart in terms of ability to plow...
Honda make solid machines and as mustash said, it will be WORLDS apart in terms of ability to plow...
I've been using my tractor for about 5 years to plow. Works well since I put on the chains.
However, I've also used a friend's and my brother's 4X ATV to plow.
I'd rather use the ATV.
My brother kept putting off getting the plow for his, and now wonders why he didn't do it sooner.
It mounts with 2 pins on the frame, it's pretty easy to put on and off.
Be prepared to pay a bit for it though. Worth every penny.
However, I've also used a friend's and my brother's 4X ATV to plow.
I'd rather use the ATV.
My brother kept putting off getting the plow for his, and now wonders why he didn't do it sooner.
It mounts with 2 pins on the frame, it's pretty easy to put on and off.
Be prepared to pay a bit for it though. Worth every penny.
It's an 88. It didn't come with a hour/milage meter.
I don't know much about 4 wheelers but I am a backyark mechanic so I should be able to work on them. I just have never really given them any thought until now.
I have a 86? or 89? honda 250 fourtrax. 2 wheel drive but it won't die. Easy to tinker on. As others have said here, plowing with a 4 wheeler is the way to go vs a garden tractor.
You can also buy a snow plow that mounts under the machine so when putting it on, 2 pins under the running boards and one pin up front. Quick and easy and you don't even need a winch. They have a lever on the left side that you use for raising and lowering. I used one of these for several years before getting the one I have now. The only problem I had was if the snow was deep and was that heavy wet sticky stuff. Then raising the blade could at times be work. I found that if I first put the machine into reverse and backed up just a couple inches before raising the blade made things much easier. I also would spray wd-40 on the blade sometimes to keep the snow from sticking.
Pretty much how the plow on the tractor is setup.
The dang handle broke at one of the bends, so I had it reinforced and welded. Stupid design.
The dang handle broke at one of the bends, so I had it reinforced and welded. Stupid design.
Those old 300's are good bikes. They just run and run. It would have to be in excellent shape to fetch $1,600 around here though.
Good solid machines, easy to work on, and parts are still available. $1600 seems high for it unless it's pristine. I'd start at a grand, bring $50 dollar bills and go from there.
All 4x4 atv's have more robust and powerful transmission than all hydrostatic garden tractors?
As mentioned . . . an older ATV, but solid. I plowed for a couple of years with a TRX 300. Price as listed seems a bit high. This is a solid, no-frills work horse. It's not quite as beefy as I like in a machine nowadays -- 400-600 cc is a better size in my opinion . . . but the 300 cc will still get the job done. As mentioned before I bought my 450 Foreman I ran the TRX 300 I bought off my brother for a number of years. My brother wasn't easy on it . . . he had the machine submerged in deep mud so that the muffler was blowing bubbles, had it upside down in a stream, etc. When I sold it to a kid everything was shot on it, but the engine started and purred with only two cranks.
A real garden tractor is going to put an ATV trans to shame. The current crop of lawn tractor transmissions that you find on the floor at HD/Lowes/Sears, etc. barely move the machine they're in.
There are plenty of examples of robust hydro trans garden tractors out there. Old (pre '81) Cub Cadet, Deere 300 series, 400 series and newer X500, X700 series machines....
One thing that garden tractors do in the snow much better than ATV's is BLOW IT! Why push it around and fight the ever encroaching snowbanks all winter when you can pick it up and fling it 50+ feet?
I have a Honda TRX (something like that) 300. 2 wheel drive sport version. Lite, fast enough and can go thru any mountain woods trails. Mine is a 2003 with a clutch. But I don't think a 300 is big enough to plow with. I assume the 4 x 4 version would have lower gears. Plowing takes a lot of power, weight, chains. If you have a paved surface I would consider a blower. I had a 36 inch blower on a tractor. Nothing slowed it down.
You want at least 500cc for plowing, IMO. Look around. If you can up your price range to about 4K, you can probably pick up a nice 500cc+.
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