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8 Things to consider when choosing a snowplow for your UTV

So here is the situation? You have a UTV and you have been thinking about putting a snowplow on it either to make money, to plow your own driveway or for your organization is considering up fitting some UTV’s. Well the good news is you are in the right place because we will go over all the options you need to consider if you want to make your UTV into a wintertime workhorse.

To start, we should consider exactly what type of UTV you own. Recently we conducted a survey of over 800 snow removal contractors and below are some of the brands they are using for snow removal. Our research showed that Polaris is a popular brand and beats out the competition by almost double. One model in particular, The Ranger XP 900, which is a full-size model with High Output 68 HP ProStar Engine and what Polaris states on their website as “The Best Selling Utility Vehicle of All Time” stood out as a great option for contractors. Nevertheless, no matter what brand you have or choose you will want to make sure your UTV has enough horsepower.

35% Polaris

20% Honda  

14.5% Yamaha

10.2% Kawasaki

9.2% John Deere

8.7% Kubota

HORSEPOWER - In general, machines under 450cc should not use above a 54" UTV Snow Plow. Snow is heavy. A snowplow is also heavy. Your UTV must have enough power and weight bearing down on the front wheels to be effective. Without it, you will not be able to push or turn the UTV Snow Plow while loaded with snow. Machines 500cc or more can usually handle a 60" blade.

V or STRAIGHT - If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow and you think you will need to make paths when the snow is over 3-6 inches you would definitely want a V-plow. When the plow is in v-mode it will, turn your UTV into a hot knife that will cut through snow like butter. In addition, the scooping and stacking that can be achieved with a v-plow is great if you do not have many place to push the snow piles. V-plows have become sort of the gold standard for pickup trucks and if you have ever used one, it is hard to switch back. The two drawbacks to a v-plow are price and more moving parts, which can make maintenance costs higher too.

CLEARING WIDTH - Depends on what you are plowing. Most sidewalks are 60’’ or 66’’ and most driveways are 120’’so unless you plan to reseed the landscaping around your sidewalks in spring you would be wise to choose a plow that fits both. You also need to consider the width of your UTV. It is important to know the width of your machine from the outer edge of one front tire to the outer edge of the other. You want to purchase a blade that will span the width of your tires. This ensures a nice clean path for your tires for the best grip while plowing. Keep in mind that when you are in a full left or right turn, a plow will not clear the full width of the blade. Make sure you allow for some loss of width when turned.

MATERIAL - Steel, Stainless or Poly. Both stainless steel and poly will reduce the amount of snow that sticks to the plow, but they usually cost more than a regular steel snowplow. If you have a powerful UTV then it just personal choice, however if you have a UTV that is not as powerful the extra weight from the sticking snow could prematurely wear on your vehicle. If you do choose regular steel, it is a good idea to spray the blade with Fluid Film to help prevent the snow from sticking.

LIFT SYSTEM - Hydraulic, Manual or Winch - Traditionally winches have been the most popular lift system option for UTV plows mostly because people usually already have a winch they use for other utility purposes. One drawback to a winch system is they can give you problems in extreme cold and it will take more time to complete the job. Manual on the other hand will give you a nice workout. If you have more than one property or a large area to plow, I would just stay away from a manual lift/angle system.  Hydraulic lift systems are more expensive, but worth every penny. If you factor the decreased time plowing with the better scraping and back dragging abilities a hydraulic system will pay for its self with the one thing we all want…more time!

CONTROLS - Handheld or Manual Angle. If you’re only planning on plowing your own driveway a manual lift/angle plow will work just fine, however if you plan on using your UTV for commercial applications then you should upgrade to a plow with hand controls. Some plows, like the SnowEx model, have control systems that are plug-and-play with your UTV and some have more wiring that can be complicated if you are not good at electrical stuff.

MOUNTING - There are several mounting options available with most mounts being vehicle specific, however you will find some that claim to be universal. Two of the most common mounting styles are the front receiver mounted or receiver pockets. A receiver hitch mounting system usually will sit higher and give more ground clearance. On the other hand, receiver pocket mounting styles will give you more stability because they will have two points of contact verses the hitches one point of contact.

TRIP SYSTEM - Full-trip or Trip-edge. If you have ever driven a pickup plow and hit a hidden object, you know a full-trip (Whole moldboard trips) moldboard will give you a good jerk and toss you out of your seat if not buckled in. Full-trip moldboards are fine for pickup, but for a UTV you might want a trip-edge (Only the bottom 6 inches trips) moldboard. For one you loss less snow when you hit something and two you will cause less damage to your equipment and your person by opting for the trip-edge

Full-Size UTV V-plow Comparison

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