Hydraulic or Winch?

[ghia1]

I've been shopping around for a snow blade and the associated hardware for my 2001 John Deere 6X4 diesel gator and have run into a question that didn't cross my mind until this past weekend...

Should I use a hydraulic system to raise and lower the blade or should I use a winch?

I was at a "Polaris" dealership inquiring about an after-market snow blade setup when the salesman asked me what type of winch I was interested in. Until that moment I was only thinking hydraulic because that's the setup John Deere uses with their snow blade system.

I thought I had better do some thinking on the subject before making that decision. My immediate thought is that a winch setup offers itself to various uses other than merely raising and lowering a snowblade. I'm not certain that a hydraulic setup offers as much once the snow blade is removed when the season ends.

The salesman suggests a Wren brand winch and says that he would typically use a 2500 lb capacity winch for this purpose but a 3000 lb capacity Wren wouldn't cost much more.

Any thoughts or suggestions on any of this would be appreciated.

 

[cat2]

Go with the 3,000 pound winch. End of story

 

[FatTire]

With the winch, do you get any down pressure other than the plow's weight?

 

[ghia1]

Wow, good question FatTire.

Yet another thing that I didn't think of. But, now that you mention it, I would think that the weight of the plow is the only down pressure present when using the plow.

How about a hydraulic system? Is one able to direct the blade down further to cut into snow that might be packed? I can see how a blade that is lifted and lowered with a winch would not cut into snow that has become packed but instead would ride above it.

 

[claykin22]

I have not done the research on a deere plow, but the plows we have on our farm trucks have a seperate button to add hydraulic down pressure to the blade. This doesn't always guarantee you can pick up packed snow, but it really helps when trying to drag snow back away from an object with the back of the blade, as opposed to pushing with the front edge.

 

[cat2]

even with the hydraulic you don't have any down pressure

 

[rfmr]

My mule is at the dealer getting a 72" blade and 2500lb winch installed this week. Opted to go with the winch because of its usefulness when the blade is removed.

 

[FatTire]

With my Deere hydraulic plow, you do get down pressure. The plow can be lowered 3 inches below level, meaning on level ground the front of the XUV lifts up 3 inches if you lower the plow fully. (This is not enough to lift the front tires off the ground, but there is not much weight on them when you do this.) THis really helps for close scraping.

I think this is a shortcoming of the winch system, but of course it is more expensive. If you really want a nice system, go with the new Deere Powertach Plow. It adds power angle control, which would save a lot of time. I think it is going for about $2500, so it is a lot more than the other systems.

 

[FatTire]

I should mention that on the XUV, the front hitch receiver must be removed to mount the hydraulic plow, otherwise there is interference with the cylinder. I don't need the winch in the winter, so this hasn't been problem. (My winch is hitch mounted.)

 

[Westendorf-RR]

Third Option? Ball and Screw Actuator for Electric or Hydraulic units. More power (rated at 750# lift), wears much better over long term. Built-in quick hitch to change out attachments.

 

[steeryourite]

Heres a new plow on the market
Unisteer: UTV SNOW PLOWS

 

[jcmseven]

That looks like a nice plow, but unfortunately, all these hydraulic plows are cost prohibitive for those who live in a sporadic snow area. Where I live, we may go two or three years with only small snows then have a year like this one with 3 15" snows so far and likely more to come. I like having the versatility of the winch but must admit I have not been really well pleased with the durability of the winches when operating plows. I have broken three winch ropes and one cable and also popped (broke) an anchor bolt on a winch mount. I am not abusive on equipment and feel this is most likely a result of placing the winch in a difficult spot. Lifting a 100# blade 10 inches multiple times is probably harder on a winch than pulling a stump 20 feet out of a hole or pulling a vehicle out a few times. As long as the purchaser recognizes this concern, he/she should be happy with the winch operated system. Although there is no down pressure, most of these blades plow at a downward angle making them pretty good for cleaning snow, unless very icy, down to pavement.

John M

 

[KeithT]

I have a plow raised by a winch. My issue is not lack of down pressure, but rather the switch that stops the winch when the plow is raised. When fist going out to plow from a heated garage snow melts around this switch and then freezes. This has several times made the switch inoperable until I heat the switch (usually just blowing on it).

Not a huge deal but that is the reason I would go hydraulic for my needs. I do have a long drive and get a lot of snow though.

 

[Bedlam]

Ill give then credit they demonstrated with some crusty wetish snow. Not the usual powder stuff