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Offroad => Side By Side => Topic started by: pa-outdoorsman on February 02, 2021, 04:04:52 PM
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Well, my area of Pennsylvania got absolutely hammered with snow yesterday. All told, we ended up with about 27 or 28 inches. Thank God I bought a KFI plow kit for this machine last winter. I used to dread snow storms like this; now they are actually kind of fun. Plowing is hard on equipment though. The machine doesn't seem to mind it too much, but it definitely puts a lot of work on the winch. Earlier this winter, my winch rope broke while plowing; no big deal, I just cut off the worn section and re-tied it. And this morning, the nylon tow strap that connects to the frame and allows you to attach your winch hook snapped. To be honest, the strap that came with the plow kit wasn't super heavy duty. Fortunately, I had some much beefier straps in my vehicle so was able to just walk over and get one. I'm betting the one I installed today will last much longer.
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the nylon tow strap that connects to the frame and allows you to attach your winch hook
???, my winch hook grabs a steel eye welded to the frame, I have a Moose plow setup
storm tracked northwesterly from original prediction, we only got 6" instead of 24 predicted, Vermont is getting pounded
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???, my winch hook grabs a steel eye welded to the frame, I have a Moose plow setup
storm tracked northwesterly from original prediction, we only got 6" instead of 24 predicted, Vermont is getting pounded
Interesting. The KFI plow kit just came with a nylon webbing strap that loops around through itself on one of the cross bars on the frame behind the grille. Works fine, as long as the webbing holds. Like I said, today it just ripped apart while plowing. Not sure what the rating on the strap was, but it was not as heavy duty as the one I replaced it with. The one I have on there now is a 5,000-pound working load strap. So, I don't think I'll have that problem again.
Sounds like Vermont is getting about what we saw here. I grew up in Rhode Island, so I'm familiar with New England winters. Closer to the coast where I grew up was hit or miss. Being so close to the ocean, you pick up a lot of moisture, but it can also keep snow totals down. Just depends on the storm track. We had some doozies in my day. I still remember the Blizzard of '78. I was 5, and the snow was over my head. I have three older sisters, and when we went outside after the storm, they say I stepped off the deck and just disappeared! I don't remember that, but apparently mom was not too happy. I do remember we were out of power for about a week, and Dad got his camping stove out and we cooked on Sterno in the kitchen. Those were the days...
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ya, blizard of 78, I lived in Wolfeboro, NH, just a little further away from coast, we only got 2 feet, but we all ready had 4+ ft of snow cover, blizzard was straw that broke camels back, for surveying that winter, by time we dug holes to ground, tripod wasn't tall enuf for transit to see out of hole, I lived in 2nd floor apt, and could step off my deck onto snow.
blizzard of 93. we got 40"
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Gotta agree with you, as much as I hate cold, playing in the snow makes it enjoyable!! Glad you could solve your issue, but my plow has a steel ring to attach the winch hook to also. If you spend time outdoors in the cold on your machine, you might want to consider a soft side enclosure. I have the one from Pacific Eagle, keeps that cold blast of air off, so much more comfort, keeps heat from engine trapped inside. Been out in 0 degree cold and was comfortable with my mini propane golf cart heater. The enclosure goes on or off in an hour or so after initial install. Held on with strong 2" wide commercial velcro. We only got about 8" but gave me a couple days of fun in the snow! Supposed to have more comming.....cant wait !!
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we got another 3" flurry at the end of the storm, after I plowed, went out again today and cleaned up, and finished the areas I didn't do yesterday. With the Trygg chains I have, my 450i is a tank
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we got another 3" flurry at the end of the storm, after I plowed, went out again today and cleaned up, and finished the areas I didn't do yesterday. With the Trygg chains I have, my 450i is a tank
I imagine it is! I am pretty impressed with how well my machine does in the snow without chains, just using the 4WD Lock. I mentioned to my wife the other day, if I got chains for this thing, it would be unstoppable. Or virtually so.
As for the cab enclosure, I don't really have much interest in adding one. The windshield and roof do a pretty good job of keeping me protected in the cab, certainly enough to keep me comfortable while plowing. I'm not a big fan of the cold, so I don't really do a lot of joy riding in the winter. Spring will be here soon!
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I don't even have windshield, or roof, but I have got smart enuf, to cover my utv with a tarp, it was nice to not have to shove snow out of the utv abd have a floor clear of snow & ice
I have a windshield a frind gave me, from a CanAm, I'm gonn make it fit
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Cant Imagine my machine sitting outside in this snow...yep, at least a tarp. You should be able to make a windshield, I made my own folding windshield. You can but rubber lined SS strap clamps from Amazon and even some hardware places. They go around the roll cage and keep the windshield in place. Fairly cheap... You might consider making a roof as well, that lexan stuff is easy to work with. Just dont use " plexiglass" that stuff will/can shatter while cutting it, where "polycarbonate" (lexan) will not crack or shatter. I held my plastic up against the front roll cage and traced around it with a marker then cut it. Kept 12" for the lower half and the rest is the folding upper. Add a nice piano hing, I screwed mine right to the plastic, btm section has 4 clamps and top section has 2 clamps near top with a threaded stud sticking out to use a couple big plastic nuts to keep it in place. Just be sure to squirt it hard with water first when cleaning, then a silicone sqeege to wipe away excess water. Mine is over 3 yrs old and still clear, only scratches is from tree branches. Easy enough to trace over and replace when the time comes. Good luck....
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I'm gonna start by making a paper template of the dash profile, and cutting that out, to let it rest more tightly
The Can Am shield I have, is larger in all dimensions, so I can trim it to size
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Yep, that is what I did, only I used cardboard. The extra rigidity made the job much easier. There are a number of rubber gasket styles the fit the edges of the plastic to cushion where it sits on the dash.
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All that snow and only one (1) picture?
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Are you having any trouble with the KFI mount bending? I am speaking of the tab where the plow attaches to the machine.
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If your having an issue, I woukd contact KFI, they appear to be a reputable company and should be able to resolve any issue. Olease keep us posted
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Well 12 plus inches here in NW ohio, overnite, the bad part was 30-35mph winds causing drifts of 3 plus to 4 ft high drifts !! Way to much snow for the 450i to push...had to get out the big snow blower to knock them down. Once I got rhe worst of the drifts knocked down, spent a fun hour plowing and smoothing out my gravel drive, calling for minus 8 degrees tonite, couldnt let a rough drive freeze into a solid ice cube...Snow is fun but it would be nice to get a few inches at a time rather than get dumped on all at once.....I know...quit complaining, at least I am getting to play !!!
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Are you having any trouble with the KFI mount bending? I am speaking of the tab where the plow attaches to the machine.
As a matter of fact, yes, but not as a result of normal use of the plow. As you may or may not be aware, having that plow mount on the front of your machine serves as one heck of a skid plate during the summer riding season. It's great armor for the front underside of the machine. Unfortunately, when you come down on big rocks and such, it also definitely has a tendency to bend those little tabs where the plow pins attach. And they are a bugger to bend back. Fortunately for me, mine are bent in such a way that I can still attach the plow quite easily. Yeah, it's a hair off center, but I just use washers on the pins to prevent the plow from being able to slide side to side once mounted and it all still works just fine.
Not sure if you can get away with a similar solution, but even at the worst-case scenario, that mounting plate alone is only a $50 item. So, you could easily install a new mounting plate at a very reasonable cost relative to the $700 or so you paid up front for the entire plow kit. I know I bent mine doing off-road riding, which is my own fault. If you bent yours just using the plow, you could always contact KFI as another responder said and they may help you out by sending a replacement mount.
Good luck. If I get a chance, I'll try to take a couple pictures of how my plow is mounted with the bent tabs and washers to take up the space.
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Today, our UXV500i got a workout and it was a payday in that it was worth having the machine. Water froze in the house so had to get water from next door to....ah...take care of necessities. Had to dump the trash, too. It started reluctantly because of the cold. The lawn and garden battery is better than the OEM but it worked. The snow was the big obstacle and did NOT want to play in snow with the car. Steep driveway. I spent the morning and early afternoon in it running water can and whatnot. It earned its keep. No snow plow. Might need to consider a blade in the future....
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wish we got 12" snow, instead, this storm, we got 6" slush, the 450i plowed it ok, but tomorrow, my snowbanks will become concrete walls, I am quickly running out of room to push snow
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I hear ya, had that issue a few years back, ended up buying a big blower to use for drifts and when snow gets pild deep. The blower will throw about 40 ft. Used it this last srorm to move the 3 ft drifts, then finish plowing last couple inches with utv, that helps keep large piles from developing along edges. I even use the blower out in the yard to move or reduce size of drifts out there. I keep the skids set high so it doesnt tear up grass.
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Quite interesting. At this side of the pond I obviously do not know much about snow and snow blowers - but my son in Bondurant IA also had to buy a snow blower a couple of years ago.
My daughter in law is a nurse and to my understanding the local outhorities in their area make a spesial effort to clear roads for medical staff to get at work in time during heavy snow on the roads. Problem is, aparantly the trucks or whatever they used to remove the snow in front of my son and daughter in law’s house actually blew the snow from the road on there driveway - then they were completely stuck.
So my son had to buy a snow blower to clean their driveway - ontherwise none of them would be able to drive out of their driveway.
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Here are some photos of how I attach my plow with the bent ears on my mounting plate. As I said in a previous reply, it is bent in such a way I can still line up the holes and get the pins in without issue. However, the plow no longer fits in between the "ears" on the mounting plate but rather sits outside them. I just use the washer to take up the excess space on the pins, which prevents the plow from sliding side to side while in use.
I have been using it this way all winter, and so far, so good. As I said, trying to bend the ears on the mounting plate back to their original position proved futile -- at least with the plate still attached to the machine, and I really don't feel like taking it off. Maybe in the summer (though I doubt it, since this seems to work just fine) but not during plowing season.
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my problem with plowing, is that I have confining retaining walls, I quickly run out of room to push snow, a snowblower works better blowing the snow up and over the wall. But, I have a large gravel drive & parking area, it eats snowblowers, what I really need is a tractor with a front end loader. I have a "Toe Hoe" backhoe that I can awkwardly move snow, but somehow got water in the hydraulics, and need a couple days well above freezing, to drain & replace
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No rest for the weary. I gotta go out and plow agsin right now. Next week though we are supposed to get a couple days in the mid-40s. Some melting would be good.
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I don't know howmuch damage I have done, plowing, I've bent my plow 2 both top corners, I got one corner bend back, but having a hard time getting the other side done (don't have anything suitable to push against)
we haven't got what I call big snow, but 4" last nite, 5" the nite before, that kind of thing, adds up, and I have run out of space, I may have to pay a contractor to come up here with a front end loader, wouldn't be the first time