I need help convincing my mom snowplows are better then snowblower...

[kanechart]

I have a diesel ATV and I want to get a snowplow for it. One the reasons I got this beast was to ride in the forest and to do my driveway. The beast fits inside my garage fine and I have a standard double car driveway with a bit longer length since I'm in a court.


I need a list like reasons why a plow is better then a snow blower. My mom thinks she should get a snow blower out of no where when she said plow be fine even one reasons spending 6000 bucks on a Arctic Cat 700 diesel machine and paying 300+ in insurance a year.

Anyways I hope you can help me out.

Some of the things I would say for sure is:
- cheaper fuel
- more green
- faster
- can also use it in the court during a bad storm to pull people out and also used to plow part of the court since they don't always plow it during storms.
- it can ram through the end of the driveway like candy where a blower may not be able to do to ice and such.


Anyways thank guys.

[mcplar]

List is good... only draw back I see is where are you going to put the snow? When I lived in North Bay, you where not allowed to leave it on the street..

[kanechart]

List is good... only draw back I see is where are you going to put the snow? When I lived in North Bay, you where not allowed to leave it on the street..

were in a court not sure if its legal not but the dawn of time in our neighborhood we could blow or plow the snow into the center of the snow pile. They even come every 2 weeks or so to rebuild the hill.

[fastlayne]

I have a diesel ATV and I want to get a snowplow for it. One the reasons I got this beast was to ride in the forest and to do my driveway. The beast fits inside my garage fine and I have a standard double car driveway with a bit longer length since I'm in a court.


I need a list like reasons why a plow is better then a snow blower. My mom thinks she should get a snow blower out of no where when she said plow be fine even one reasons spending 6000 bucks on a Arctic Cat 700 diesel machine and paying 300+ in insurance a year.

Anyways I hope you can help me out.

Some of the things I would say for sure is:
- cheaper fuel
- more green
- faster
- can also use it in the court during a bad storm to pull people out and also used to plow part of the court since they don't always plow it during storms.
- it can ram through the end of the driveway like candy where a blower may not be able to do to ice and such.


Anyways thank guys.

Given that you already have the ATV, any argument about helping people in the court is moot. You are going to do that regardless. You want to compare the absolute utility (and cost differences) of an ATV with plow versus the snowblower.

If the plow attachment is cheaper than the snowblower (that you would be considering), then ignoring everything else, the plow would seem to be a better solution. Why spend more money on a blower?

In my opinion a plow is more useful for clearing the bottom of the driveway (where the street plow has piled the slush). A snowblower working on the slush mound at the bottom of the driveway can be very time consuming.

However, if there are areas on your property that could only fit a snowblower, then the plow may not be as useful.

[stealth]

I thought of getting an atv and aplow, but ended up getting a snowblower instead. For us it makes more sense as we have a long walk way and a sidewalk, and i dont think an atv would be as suited for it. Great for driveways though.

In your case, the selling points for the atv are: 1 less motor to store, and maintain thereby saving $ and space in the garage.

[gman]

Snowblower can blow snow high up and far away.
Plow can only move snow up to where you can drive it to.

[stealth]

Snowblower can blow snow high up and far away.
Plow can only move snow up to where you can drive it to.

Good point...although that can actually be in favour of the plow as well. When its windy, the snowblower shoots it into the air where it can swirl around uncontrollaby, or worse, go back in your face. A plow can put it exactly where you want.

[jed]

Not helping the argument, but I found most ATV plows don't put any pressure downwards, so you're riding over a skim coat of snow. Have to follow along afterwards with a shovel.

[CaptSmethwick]

I think the OP has his rationalization list - there are some advantages but they're mostly related to storage space. I personally do not see the maintenance and storage space requirements as being that different but concede that it's a YMMV situation.

To the question at hand, though, I think the choice depends on your circumstances - as others have already mentioned, if you have space to put the snow, a plow will work well. Personally, I prefer how blown snow gets distributed over the lawn vs creating banks / piles and I find blowers to be better in tight spaces and areas bordering landscaping features, garage doors, etc.

I considered a scoop for our tractor and passed after giving it some serious thought - I went instead with a separate snowblower (which was approx. the same price as the blade BTW).

[The Granite Specialist]

I plowed my driveway last winter. Its okay, but really run out of space quick. It is a blast, but still have to shovel 10' from the house out because the plow doesn't drag the snow well. It is fun to bomb around in the snow. The legal system does not permit use of an ATV on city streets even with a blue light. I have had no complaints yet. If I could afford it, I would get the blower simply because I have no space for the snow.

[kanechart]

I plowed my driveway last winter. Its okay, but really run out of space quick. It is a blast, but still have to shovel 10' from the house out because the plow doesn't drag the snow well. It is fun to bomb around in the snow. The legal system does not permit use of an ATV on city streets even with a blue light. I have had no complaints yet. If I could afford it, I would get the blower simply because I have no space for the snow.

yeah I have a place to put the snow. That is to bad with the blue light though I was hoping to do just that :(

[Bazooka Joe]

I own an ATV (gas honda though), and was looking at exactly this thing last winter. Ended up going with the snow blower. My reasoning was that the plow was too fast (more likely to damage house/landscaping), too large/wide, couldn't climb the single step to my deck, couldn't cut back a bank and also was worse on the lawn (you have to drive over it instead of throwing the snow onto it).

Also, plowing made piles which distributed the snow in such a way that when it melted in the spring it drained towards my house instead of along the driveway. With a blower I can shape piles on my lawn however I like.

Diesel is not easy to start or keep running in the winter, and maintenance is a lot higher on the ATV (different oils for winter, brakes, etc). With the snowblower there's less to go wrong. If you need a winch, mounting kit and blade it will run you close to the same amount as a decent snowblower (I bought the Ariens 927DLE on a great sale last year).

It's your call (or more specifically, your Mom's), but for my personal needs it was much better to get the blower. YMMV on this though.

[zeddy]

Maybe your mother is hoping you will be moving out soon and the ATV won't be there any more. She probably wants a snowblower she can handle so she can do the driveway/walkway herself.