Which ATV?

[centraltxturf]

Yeah I'm selling it to buy a Permagreen unit. It's a really nice set-up, but I dont use it that much. The spread is fine with it on the front, if i go a little slower. I prefer it on the back, hwever, but that means I have to take off the sprayer. I switch it around based on the time of the year and what kind of jobs I have lined up.

[grassaholic]

Originally Posted by MikeKle

I am looking at ATVs mainly for doing residential snow plowing, but also plan to use for pulling aerators, dethatchers, and maybe spraying. I was told to stay away from any automatic trannys because they could not handle the plowing duty. Obviously the bigger the engine the better, but I am thinking of one around 500cc. Will this be enough for snow? If I dont need a 700cc+ atv, I surely dont want to spend the money for one, plus every ATV I have seen that is over 500cc has the automatic tranny,anyone know of one that is manual? I know I will need a 4WD as well. Thanks for the help.

Whoever told you to avoid the automatic quads is sadly mistaken. I've got an 01 Sportsman 500 with a snowplow and never had a problem. With all the forward/reverse shifting when plowing, an automatic is the best. Some guys just don't like automatic quads and like to talk trash about them.
Someone else mentioned the Brute Force automatic, thats a nice quad. A friend of mine has one and I really like it. Overall I would have to say that an automatic transmission is the BEST option for plowing.

[cgaengineer]

I agree with grassaholic, auto is the way to go...these quads are made for doing work.

[Supertiger]

you might consider one of the new side by side Units like the Kawasaki Mule or Polaris Ranger it has a unlocking rear differential so when you make a turn on the lawn you wond tear up the lawn and you can haul all of your extra fertilizer or chemicals in the bed while your making your applications without returning to the truck for more chemicals. And last but not least on the weekend when your not working you can go trail ridding still and carry plenty of beer in the back.

[AI Inc]

Even for running thru the woods an auto is better. Racing I would go shift , but all around 4 wheeling Ill take an auto. My polaris is just a cheapo 4x2 auto , but a blast.

[cgaengineer]

I have a Recon ES, I guess you could say it is semi auto as you have to change gears, but all of the clutching is done automatically. They call it a 250cc but its actually a smaller engine then that, only 4x2 but is great for around the house pulling a little garden trailer or moving my lawn care trailer. Mine needs tires right now but I actually prefer them bald in the rear so they don't dig up my lawn.

Whatever brand you get make sure it has a standard sized receiver hitch.