Installing a Moose Plow on a Yamaha Grizzly 700

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This winter after a large snow storm where it took over two hours to clear the driveway, even with a snow blower, I finally got fed up enough and decided it was time to get a plow.  The blower I had was a really old one I got from my parents, most likely from the 80’s.  It works, but not very well.  I could have just got a new blower, but what would be the fun in that?  Plus, for the size blower I’d want it cost about the same as a winch and a plow for the quad and the quad did need a winch regardless so it was an easy choice!

To put a plow on the Grizzly I picked up the following:

  • Warn XT25 2500lb Winch
  • Warn Winch Mount Kit for Yamaha Grizzly 700
  • Moose 60” Standard Plow Blade
  • Moose Rapid Mount 3 Plow Frame
  • Moose Plow Mount Plate for Yamaha Grizzly 700
    Installation is fairly simple but will take some time if you’ve never installed a winch or plow on a quad before.  It was the first time I had and took me roughly two evenings to get it all installed and running.  Knowing what I know now I could probably do it in half the time.  Below are some tips that I learned during the installation that can save you a lot of time if you ever find yourself installing a winch and plow on your quad.

Tips

  • Be very careful not to over tighten the nuts securing the wires’ lugs to the contactor! The bolts on the contactor are copper core and break easily. (Trust me!)
  • The directions tell you to connect the wires to the contactor then to the winch motor then mount the winch to the plate. It’s easier to do it in the following order:
    • Connect the yellow and blue wires to the motor
    • Mount the winch on the mount plate
    • Connect the wires to the contactor
  • Put some split loom tubing over the yellow and blue wires that connect the motor to the contactor before installing the winch/mount plate assembly into the frame of the quad. The wires will be close to or in contact with some sharp edges of the chassis when installed and the tubing will keep the wire from being cut over time. Also, put the red and black wires that go to the battery together through a piece of split loom tubing. This will save you time when you realize you need this after you’ve already put the assembly into the frame and no longer have easy access to the wires.
  • The instructions say to install a wiring harness that is "provided with the ATV" to connect the on/off wire to the ATV’s on/off key assembly. I certainly didn’t get any special wiring harness with my ATV so I connected the wire as follows.
    • Going from the wire harness toward the key are two wire assemblies. One has two wires and a smaller two pin connector, the other has three wires and a large block connector. The two wire connector is actually for the quad’s auxiliary port (cigarette lighter) and is turned on and off with the ignition. The winches on/off wire can be connected to this.
    • With the two wire assembly, shave a small piece of the insulation off the red wire until an 1/8" of wire is exposed.
    • Solder the winch’s on/off wire to the exposed wire.
    • Tape the shit out of the connection or coat the connection with some silicon sealant to "waterproof" the connection.
  • The thumb trigger assembly has a lot more wire than is necessary for installation in the Grizzly however, the ends of the wire are terminate with bullet connectors that plug into the bullet connectors of the contactor so cutting these wires down is not ideal as you would have to re-solder the connectors back on. The Grizzly has enough space to fit the excess wire but you should be aware of where you mount the excess. The area under the hood of the Grizzly is also where the engine’s air intake is. Mounting the excess near the front of the space may block the front intake.

Overall I’m  really happy with the Moose Plow System.  The weight of the blade is good and keeps itself planted on the ground as I push.  The quick release of the Rapid Mount system is great and makes put the plow on and taking it off a cinch!  It also holds very securely, never giving me any problems while in use.  Even after pushing snow into some iced over piles, hitting them with enough force to cause the rear end of the quad to slide sideways a foot or two I never had the quick release let go on me.  The system works great!

I must admit, before I had purchased the system I was slightly nervous about the 60” blade being a little too large since I didn’t have any chains to put on my tires, but the Grizzly in 4WD pushed it along just fine.  I was really happy about this as the blade width is perfect! At full angle it sits just a few inches wider than the quad, keeping my tires from running over unplowed snow.  My neighbor has a 48” blade on his quad and suffers from this problem because of it.  It’s also wide enough that I can clear the long section of my drive in two swoops!  I just put the blade at full angle and it tosses the snow right up and off to the side.  It’s great!  A rough clearing of the drive can now be done in just minutes with a full clearing taking between 15 minutes to a half hour depending on how critical I’m feeling about it.  It’s way quicker than pushing that crappy old snow blower around and a lot more fun too!

If you’re looking for a plow for your quad, I recommend the Moose Plow system.

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