Snow blower on a side x side UTV ?

Hendey T&G · Apr 8, 2023

I know this isn't a tractor but I bet some here will have experience with one. If it's not allowed moderator, please delete. How well could a 28hp 4x4 utv handle a 60" snow blower? I've got lots of hills with a dirt driveway/road.
All the controls are in the cab. The blower has it's own gas motor. I plow mostly with a truck but there are a few places it would be nice to get the snow farther back. I know nothing about utv's or even 4 wheelers for that matter. Seems like I see them with plows fairly often but not blowers. I haven't bought anything yet, just thinking.
Thanks for any wisdom.

groundcover · Apr 8, 2023

If you're feeling flush check out the Toolcat from Bobcat. No separate gas motor needed. Sit down when they tell you the price !

oldnslo · Apr 8, 2023

As long as front suspension will handle the added weight of the blower the UTV should push the blower same as a plow. You might need chains. Since I have no experience with UTV will the gearing allow you to travel at a slow steady pace for the blower?

jfsawatzky · Apr 8, 2023

Kubota has a front mounted blower for their rtv, but they’re not cheap.

Rustyiron · Apr 8, 2023

I would think that your UTV would probably handle it with no problems. But snowblowers love and need horsepower, the more the better. When you go shopping this is key as I imagine that you'll need about 60+" of cut to clear the Utv.
I would be a little concerned about how slowly the UTV can move along in low range without worrying about the belt and "burning" it. You will need a very slow travel speed blowing all but the driest, fluffiest snow that's maybe 6"deep.
This is for a belt driven UTV that for a very few exceptions, are all belt driven.

Sprinkler Fitter · Apr 8, 2023

Rustyiron said:
I would think that your UTV would probably handle it with no problems. But snowblowers love and need horsepower, the more the better. When you go shopping this is key as I imagine that you'll need about 60+" of cut to clear the Utv.
I would be a little concerned about how slowly the UTV can move along in low range without worrying about the belt and "burning" it. You will need a very slow travel speed blowing all but the driest, fluffiest snow that's maybe 6"deep.
This is for a belt driven UTV that for a very few exceptions, are all belt driven.

Honda is not belt driven

deserteagle71 · Apr 8, 2023

Rustyiron said:
I would be a little concerned about how slowly the UTV can move along in low range without worrying about the belt and "burning" it.
This is for a belt driven UTV that for a very few exceptions, are all belt driven.

^This. Even in Low Range, all UTVs I've been around move fairly fast. They don't have a "creeper" gear. Even the Hondas with the dual clutch transmissions (no belt) have problems moving at crawling speeds without having clutch problems.

That being said, I've no experience with something like the industrial Kubotas with diesel engine. Maybe someone who owns one can tell us if they are OK to use at creeper speeds.

jjeff · Apr 8, 2023

20+ hp minimum for a 60" blower in my opinion and experience using a 60" 14hp blower on a 4wheeler for 2 years now. It's Slow going and hard to keep a steady slow crawling speed forward motion as others pointed out. I usually have to move forward stop let the augers clear out briefly and repeat especially blowing around a foot of snow. But if you don't have a good place to push and bank snow with a plow it will blow it 20-30' pretty well.

Hendey T&G · Apr 9, 2023

Thanks for all the good input.
I'll keep it in mind.

Paystar · Apr 9, 2023

Hendey T&G said:
I know this isn't a tractor but I bet some here will have experience with one. If it's not allowed moderator, please delete. How well could a 28hp 4x4 utv handle a 60" snow blower? I've got lots of hills with a dirt driveway/road.
All the controls are in the cab. The blower has it's own gas motor. I plow mostly with a truck but there are a few places it would be nice to get the snow farther back. I know nothing about utv's or even 4 wheelers for that matter. Seems like I see them with plows fairly often but not blowers. I haven't bought anything yet, just thinking.
Thanks for any wisdom.

Should handle it just fine. Even if your UTV is only 28 h.p. you say the blower has it's own engine. I see lots of people that use them with their ATV/UTV's.
A blower will be much easier on it than a plow.

As for belt driven CVT's, I see all the hate from some people, but my 2004 Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O. plowed my 300 foot driveway and transport parking for 8 years straight, plus all the trail riding in summer and it's still going today. I recently changed the belt not because I had to, only because I figured maybe I should. It had a 60 inch plow.

Besides my tractor/loader/blower I now use a Kubota RTV-X1100C with a Boss 6.6 vee plow.
It works awesome. No power or traction issues. Only had steering traction issues when I let days of wet snow build up.
That's why i prefer blowers over plows. But here in Canada, the K-Connect and front blower for my RTV was $24,000!! No thanks.

Rustyiron · Apr 10, 2023

No hate from me on belt drive, and the last non belt driven I owned was 25+ year's ago. But in my experience doing what they're designed for (5mph+) is one thing, but creeping at barely a walking speed was not in the design criteria.
Plowing, where speed and inertia is important to a 500# "vehicle" is critical and it won't harm a belt drive.
I was only trying to caution the OP about possibly being disappointed pushing a blower at very low speed.

Paystar · Apr 10, 2023

I made that one mistake in the past with my 500 Rustyiron. I got caught up in all the ATV magazines saying how much faster and more powerful the 500 is when you clutch it.
So I did, then soon realized it was horrible plowing as you could no longer smoothly inch along.

I put the stock weights back in and never looked back.

jjeff · Apr 10, 2023

I can see how hard it is on belts and clutches not to mention producing a lot of friction related heat by barely engaging the sheaves on belt to slowly move along. You can probably gear it lower on the difs but that would be a little extensive and you'd lose your top speed.

Rustyiron · Apr 10, 2023

I wondered if there were a difference spring or weights (whatever controls the engagement) kinda the opposite of paystar's setup although I understand the principle of the variable sheve belt drive.... a little. I've never had one in front of me on the bench and DKS* beyond they're a pretty slick setup.
* don't know *hit

leonz · Apr 10, 2023

Hendey T&G said:
I know this isn't a tractor but I bet some here will have experience with one. If it's not allowed moderator, please delete. How well could a 28hp 4x4 utv handle a 60" snow blower? I've got lots of hills with a dirt driveway/road.
All the controls are in the cab. The blower has it's own gas motor. I plow mostly with a truck but there are a few places it would be nice to get the snow farther back. I know nothing about utv's or even 4 wheelers for that matter. Seems like I see them with plows fairly often but not blowers. I haven't bought anything yet, just thinking.
Thanks for any wisdom.

The only ATV/RTV/UTV snow thrower you should even consider buying
is the RAMMY 155 single stage snow thrower, it is a single stage machine
that has V belt drive.

The Rammy single stage snow thrower has many fewer parts than a
2 stage ATV/UTV/RTV snow blower.

The drive system is simple and operates at 600+ rpm.
It is much lighter than the 2 stage machines on the market
and has a Briggs and Stratton engine.

There are a bunch of youtube videos with the owners clearing deep snow,
they have a dealer network in the northeast and in Maine as well from
what I remember.

I have uploaded a lot of information about them here on the TBN forum previously.

www.rammy.fi/en/rammy-snowblower-155-utv-pro/

jjeff · Apr 10, 2023

leonz said:
The only ATV/RTV/UTV snow thrower you should even consider buying
is the RAMMY 155 single stage snow thrower, it is a single stage machine
that has V belt drive.

The Rammy single stage snow thrower has many fewer parts than a
2 stage ATV/UTV/RTV snow blower.

The drive system is simple and operates at 600+ rpm.
It is much lighter than the 2 stage machines on the market
and has a Briggs and Stratton engine.

There are a bunch of youtube videos with the owners clearing deep snow,
they have a dealer network in the northeast and in Maine as well from
what I remember.

I have uploaded a lot of information about them here on the TBN forum and

www.snowblowerforum.com

Rammy, never heard of them til now made in Finland so it's probably sisu lol they make lots of other ATV attachments like front mounted ATV rotary mowers and a flail.
Interesting but pricey.

leonz · Apr 11, 2023

Thier simplicity in design and ease of maintenance is what makes them better in my examination of them.

I have looked at many 2 stage snow blowers since 1995 and I just shake my head as the people that design
these things have never seen a single stage belt to chain drive single stage snow blower.

I have told people to avoid the simplicity single stage snow thrower as it is nothing at all like the simplicity lawn
tractor mounted snow thrower sold in 1972 and the quality of build is of no comparison with 1972 simplicity single
stage snow thrower as heavy sheet steel was bent and welded to build them.

When I was tractor shopping I really wanted a tractor with bolted wheels and when I looked at the Simplicity that
sold me until I saw the pictures of their single stage snow thrower and the stamped and folded metal it was
constructed with.

The Rammy units are very well built and have a simple easy to maintain design and they use thicker steel to build them
and thier dealer network in the United States is expanding.

ArlyA · Apr 11, 2023

These UTV blowers do come in on FB marketplace and atv sized ones I see as well.
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Massimo 60” UTV Snow blower