Plowing with a 200es... or maybe not

[tripledog]

Tried plowing with the trike today and redefined the term "epic fail". This may be due to the fact that I dont have any tire chains. But I did remove the plow and go out and play in the snow, and had a blast doing so. The little trike is perfect for packing down the snow that my tractor leaves in my badly rutted driveway, but I think I will leave the plowing to my Farmall. And I will leave doing donuts to the 200es. I don't see myself putting the plow back on the trike.

[kb0nly]

Takes chains... And some extra weight if your not heavy enough... LOL

I have no problem moving snow with my 200ES and plow, but i would definitely sit and spin without the chains.

[kebby28]

All the 3 wheelers I have seen successfully plowing snow has been the 200es. They're a heavy machine. But, you have to keep up with it. And it probly won't do well on a rough driveway. Did you make the plow? Have any pics?

[kb0nly]

My driveways arent exactly smooth, gravel and ruts. But what you do is the first few times you plow you leave a skim of snow and let it pack down, build a snow road. That will give you some ice and snow for the chains to get traction on and a smooth surface you can then plow to each time.

Tires are a factor too.. I run the despised TP tires, but i tell you what they are perfect for this, hard, heavy, dont flex much, strap some chains on and it will go through anything. I have plowed through deep drifts no problem.

[tripledog]

Thanks for your input, guys. My driveway is rougher than my second year of kindergarten, but I was trying to plow paths through my relatively smooth yard. I guess I owe it to the 200es to buy some tire chains before I make a snap judgement on whether or not to ditch the plow. For the fleeting few seconds that it didn't spin around in circles, it actually moved snow quite well. I have to do some tweaking, as the lift handle on the Cycle Country plow interferes with the handlebars and the plow frame prohibits travel of the shifter lever when the plow is in the raised position. And KB, I think have enough anatomical ballast that further weight will not be necessary. Sorry, Kebby, but I already took the plow off, but I will post pics after I get my chains and reinstall the plow. Plow or not, I love my little Big Red!

[kb0nly]

Oh i got plenty of ballast here myself... LOL

For my plow i loosened the set screw for the lift handle and slid it down in the rest of the way and it cleared the handlebars, if its still a problem you can cut a bit off the bottom end of the lift handle so that it will be shorter.

Mine interferes with the shifter as well in the upright position, last year i just removed the shifter from the shift shaft and rotated it up farther to give me room, made up shifting harder though because i had to lift my foot higher to get on the shifter. This year i bought a moose hand shifter and put that on instead, now i can wear my insulated winter boots and not worry about getting under the shifter. The universal shifters are available on Dennis Kirks and Ebay. I can link you to one if your interested in what i have.

Also run the plow angled if your not, im sure you probably are but just mentioning it in case. Pushing with the blade straight is a lot more work, flipping it off to the side at all times is a lot easier.

[tripledog]

Thanks for the tips, KB. I was kind of hoping you would offer some suggestions, and as per usual, you provided some very useful and much appreciated info. I might actually score a set of TPs... I bet they would outlast me!

[kb0nly]

Your welcome! I have done a lot of plowing with my ES... I have up to a dozen driveways i take care of every time it snows. The TP's are awesome tires to put chains on, the regular knobby ATV tires just don't cut it for winter in my opinion. They are too spongy, they are great for playing in the snow but when you want to minimize bounce and maximize traction with a set of chains they aren't that great.

Eventually i think i will get a second set of tires, knobby or otherwise, for summer use and just leave the chains strapped on the TP's and pull them off like snow tires in the spring. LOL

[tripledog]

KB, I forgot to ask if you would still be willing to post or send a link to the hand shifter you mentioned. It seems like a great idea. I also like the idea of having another set of wheels and tires, but I haven't been able to find a decent set of used 200es rims, and I think aftermarket 200es rims may be nonexistant.

[CRAZY70MAN]

50 lb steel weights over each tire on mine with only carlisle strykers and it is a mini dozer. I use weights on the plow for downforce. Throw on the chains and it is an absolute monster in low range......

[kb0nly]

This is the one i have on my ES...

https://www.denniskirk.com/moose/universal-atv-hand-shifter-22-in-handle.p571138.prd/571138.sku

Works great with the plow on, i will probably take it off when i take the plow off though in the spring.

[tripledog]

Thanks again, KB. I have an extra shift lever, some random steel rod and tubing, and a friend that knows how to weld, so I may have him copy the design of the DK hand shifter. I tried to find some trail pros thinking that they were a reasonably priced tire, and I almost schat myself!!! Not only is the 25x12-9 size almost impossible to find, I don't see where $138 each plus shipping is reasonable. I tried searching Walmart.com, but, as always, I came up with just about everything but what I was looking for, no matter how many different key words I used. I did find a pair of 4 ply (should be heavy and stiff) Duro knobbies on ebay for about $160 shipped, so I may go with them. Also tossing around the idea of running Kenda Bear Claws or Scorpions, which seem to be some other "affordable" options.

[tripledog]

Think I may go with these...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271392008049?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[kb0nly]

Those are pretty good tires, and very common on the 200ES... There is dozens on here with those exact same tires.. LOL