What Are the Different Types of ATV Plow Accessories?

Many homeowners or business owners use ATVs, or all terrain vehicles, to do snow plowing in the winter where a full size plow would not fit or would not be feasible. Such ATVs feature smaller plow blades, usually made from metal or fiberglass, to clear sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots. ATV plow accessories can increase the usefulness of such devices. The most common ATV plow accessories are plow markers, which are antennas attached to either end of the plow to indicate where the blade ends; this is useful in deep snow in which the user may not be able to see the blade through the piles of snow.

Using such ATV plow accessories prevents the user from accidentally placing the blade where it should not be. The plow markers can help the user avoid hitting grassy patches, lamp posts, curbs, and more by showing the user where the blade ends. Aftermarket lights can be mounted on the ATV to further enhance the user's ability to accurately see where the blade is positioned. This is especially important for plowing at night or in heavy snow.

Other ATV plow accessories include wear bars and skids, sidewalls, and lift ropes. Many ATV plows are raised or lowered by hand rather than a motor, and a rope is necessary in some cases to activate the plow blade. These ropes can wear out and break after time, so replacement ropes are available. Skids and wear bars are mounted to the bottom of the plow blade to prevent excess wear of the blade's bottom. A wear bar is long and straight, and it mounts across the bottom of the blade. Skids are usually round, and two of them are mounted on the blade, one at either end.

Sidewalls are flaps that are mounted at either end of the blade to help contain the snow. This prevents the snow build-up from sliding sideways. These ATV plow accessories are useful for precision plowing, such as along the edge of a lawn or garden. A snow control flap mounted at the top of the blade will help prevent snow blowback that can strike the driver of the ATV during the plowing process. This flap helps improve visibility and also helps keep the ATV driver drier during the plowing process. Such flaps are usually made of rubber or another composite material, and they are usually fairly inexpensive.