ATV’s are very versatile tools and if you live in a northern climate that receives a decent amount of snow, you be looking at it and wondering if you can use an ATV to clear snow. There are snowplows that you can mount on the front of your ATV but clearing snow by plowing it isn’t always a great idea. What about a snowblower? This ATV snowblower guide will show you some options to using a snowblower with a your ATV.
Snowblower features to consider
It may seem like a simple thing – just mount a snowblower to the front of your ATV and you’re good to go but there is more to consider. First you need to consider the size of the path you want to clear. Then you need to consider the weight along with the mounting bracket to make sure that it will fit your ATV. Finally, you’ll want to consider the opening size and the horsepower to be able to clear the snow in your area.
How wide of a path?
First thing to consider is how wide of a snowblower do you need? You might be thinking of your driveway but what about walkways? How wide are those paths? If you get a wider snowblower like 48 or 52″ it means you can clear your driveway in a couple of swaths but will you be able to clear the paths around your house with that? If you go with a narrower swath it will mean more time clearing your driveway. Weigh those pros and cons and determine what is more important to you.
Snowblower Weight
Most ATV snowblowers are mounted to the front winch of your ATV so you need to factor in how much weight your ATV can carry. Most ATV’s ahave a limit that they can carry/pull on their winches so when you look at the models below or at a winch mounted snowblower, keep the weight in mid so you don’t overload the front of your ATV.
How much power do you need?
Most ATV snowblowers are powered by external engines. The engine powers both stages of the snowblower – the impeller which draws the snow in and the chute which throws the snow. The wider the snowblower, the more power that is needed to bring that snow in and throw it.
If your area receives a lot of powdery or fluffy snow, you’ll need less power than areas that receive wetter snows. I like to consider my “worst case” scenario and make sure that I have the power to move that snow. A good rule of thumb it have about 0.37 HP per inch of your swath and that should be more than adequate to handle what you throw at it.
In addition to the width, you need to consider the height of the intake. The hardest area of snow to clear is at the end of your driveway and that pile will be many times larger than your deepest snowfall so don’t buy something with too small of an opening.
ATV Snowblower brands
Keeping in mind all of the factors above, take a look at the comprehensive list below of ATV snowblower manufacturers and see what might work for you. Snowblowers come in all different sizes, weights, and powers. Some are even designed specifically for certain brands.
Bercomac
Berco is pretty much the standard by which other ATV snowblowers are measured. It’s a family owned business that produces high quality snowblowers that can be mounted on many different ATV models. Bercomac uses reliable Honda engines and are available with a 48″ model and a 54″ model. The units all electronically controlled and can be mounted in 5 minutes.
Iron Baltic
Iron Baltic manufactures several snowblowers for ATV’s. They range in width from 49-71″ and are available with several different engine configurations. Engines range from the Honda GX390, the Briggs & Stratton XR Professional series and the Briggs & Stratton Vangard. The chute is electronically adjustable and can throw the snow up to 49′ so you can most likely send the snow clear out of your yard!
Massimo
Massimo makes is a manufacturer of ATV’s, side-by-sides and other equipment for outdoor use. As part of it’s line up that make a 60″ snowblower with a 420cc engine (about 13 HP) designed for UTV’s but might be an option for ATV owners. The snowblower also features a strobe light and a electric control over the shoot adjustment. The unit comes with a universal mounting plate so it can be mounted on other brands than Massimo.
Quadivator
Quadivator makes a 50″ snowblower than can mount to most snowblowers. They feature an 18HP Briggs & Stratton engine mounted to a frame and it becomes basically a PTO engine and allows several different attachments which are connected via belts. Attachments include the snowblower, a lawn mower and a power sweeper so this allows some flexibility.
Rammy
Rammy is a company based in Finland so it knows how to deal with snow. The Rammy Snowblower 120 ATV comes with a Briggs and Stratton engine and universal mounting for different brands like Polaris, Can AM, Arctic Cat and Click&Go
Other brands
There are some companies that over time that used to make snowblowers that would attach to ATV’s. In addition to national brands, there may be region or local shops making models that might show up on Craigslist or eBay. The key components are the performance which is driven by the engine and how well built the unit is. If you’re willing to work on something or work with a local shop, it might be worth taking a look if it can do what you need it to.
Concluding thoughts
Hopefully this guide has been helpful in letting you know what to look for in an ATV snowblower. There’s clearly some options out there with a number of companies producing high quality products that will give you years of use and allow you to put your ATV or UTV to use at a time of year when sometimes they don’t get used. Additionally, it makes the job of clearing snow that much easier.
In my guide for Snowmobiles for Heavy Riders I mentioned that there are several manufacturers that make track systems to replace your ATV tires as an alternative to a snowmobile but that option could also extend the life of your ATV into winter and combined with a snowblower can make for a formidable tool in the winter.
I hope you enjoyed this guide. If there are any ATV snowblowers we’ve left off this list, please email Dave at dbroer@lincon.com with your suggestion!
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