A blade is only half of it. Here is the whole winter rig, blade, winch, traction, and a cab that keeps you out there, built in the order that matters.
The first real storm doesn't send a calendar invite. One morning the driveway's clear and the truck can leave. The next it's buried, and nothing with wheels is going anywhere until the snow moves. A side-by-side with a blade on the front moves it, warm and fast, and without shovelling until your back gives out.
A plow rig is more than the blade, though. Get one piece wrong and you're standing in the cold watching the machine spin while the snow keeps coming down. Here's how the whole thing goes together, in the order that matters: the blade, the winch that lifts it, the traction that lets you push, and the cab that keeps you in the seat long enough to finish. If you haven't run through your fall maintenance checklist yet, do that first. A plow works the machine hard.
Start With the Blade, and Size It Right
The blade is the part everyone pictures, and it's where most of the money goes. We run KFI on the shop machines, and it's what we stock front to back. Complete packages start at $963.99 for an ATV plow package and $1,289.99 for a UTV plow package, each one shipping as blade, push tube, and a model-specific mount. Already have a mount? Standalone blades start around $402.99.
Size it to the machine. A blade wants to be wider than your tire track so you're not driving over the row you just cleared. ATV blades run 48 to 60 inches. UTV blades run 54 to 72. The KFI steel blades are 11-gauge, push straight or angle 25 degrees to either side, and the 66 and 72 inch blades add a 7 inch rubber flap up top so snow rolls forward instead of flying back at you.
Straight blade or V-plow comes down to the snow you actually deal with. A straight steel blade handles the average Newfoundland driveway without complaint. A V-plow earns its keep when you're breaking the hard bank the plow truck left across the end of your road, or cutting a first pass through a deep drift. Poly sheds wet snow a little better and shrugs off road salt. Steel takes abuse and holds its edge. Most people are happy on steel.
The Winch Is Not Optional
The blade has to go up and down, and on a KFI setup that job belongs to the winch. The line runs up over the push tube and lifts the blade off the ground. No winch, no lift. You either add a dedicated plow actuator or you climb out and haul a steel blade up by hand at the end of every pass, which nobody does twice.
For a side-by-side, 4500 pounds is the number. The KFI 4500lb UTV Series Winch is $625.99, in stock, and comes with everything but the model-specific winch mount. An ATV gets by on a 2000 to 3000 pound winch for plow duty. And it's not a one-season buy. The first time you sink the machine to the frame in spring mud, it pays for itself dragging you back out.
Traction: You Cannot Push What You Cannot Grip
A blade full of wet snow takes some shoving, and an open-diff machine on bald tires will spin one wheel and sit there grinning at you. Traction is the cheapest fix on this whole list. Tire chains bite through packed snow and ice for a fraction of what anything else here costs. Put a set on before you throw money at grip anywhere else.
Weight helps too. A couple of bags of sand or a proper ballast weight over the drive axle presses the tires into the snow instead of letting them skate across the top. And if your tires are as old as the machine, sort that out before the season starts, not halfway through the first storm.
The Cab Is What Keeps You Out There
You can own the best plow on the road and still quit after twenty minutes if the cab's open to the weather. Plowing at minus fifteen with a north wind is its own special misery. Two upgrades end it. A full windshield and roof block the wind and the snow the blade kicks up. A cab heater handles the rest.
Inferno is the heater we stock, and the reason is how it works. Inferno kits are coolant-based, pulling heat off the engine the same way your truck heater does, instead of draining the battery like an electric unit. Your battery already has plenty to do in the cold. Every kit is model-specific and tucks in behind the dash, built around a SPAL blower and an aluminum core, and it ships with the hoses, ductwork, wiring, and defrost louvers to finish the job.
The defrost is the part that earns its money once there's a blade on the front. It keeps the windshield clear so you can see the edge of the driveway, and the mailbox you'd rather not find with the plow. Not sure which kit your machine takes? Run it through our Heater Finder and it'll pull the exact Inferno cab heater for your rig.
Fitment Is the Whole Game
Every part on this list lives or dies on fitment. A KFI plow package is a blade, a push tube, and a mount cut for your exact year, make, and model. The mount is what bolts to the frame, and the wrong one simply doesn't go on. When you order, drop your machine details in so the correct mount ships with the kit. A handful of models need extra brackets, and if yours is one of them, the team reaches out before anything leaves the warehouse.
Same deal with the winch mount, sold separately because it's model-specific too. If you're not certain what your machine takes, ask first. That's a two-minute email that saves you a return.
Get the Rig Together
Everything here lives in our Plows and Winches section and ships across Canada, free over $279.99. Start with the plow package built for your machine, add the winch in the same cart, and you're most of the way to a rig that turns the first big dump of the year into a twenty-minute job.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a winch to run a UTV snow plow?
Yes, in almost every case. On a KFI system the winch raises and lowers the blade through the push tube. Without one you need a separate plow actuator, or you lift the blade by hand at the end of every pass. A 4500 pound winch is the standard pick for a side-by-side.
What size plow blade do I need?
Wider than your tire track, so you're not driving over cleared snow. ATV blades run 48 to 60 inches, UTV blades 54 to 72. A 60 inch blade suits most side-by-sides for driveway and yard work. Go wider only if the machine has the weight and traction to push it.
Straight blade or V-plow?
A straight steel blade handles most driveways and angles 25 degrees to throw snow to the side. A V-plow is worth the money if you regularly break through hard-packed banks or cut first passes through deep drifts.
Will a plow fit my machine?
KFI packages use a model-specific mount, so most makes and models are covered, including Can-Am, Polaris, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Arctic Cat. Enter your year, make, and model when you order so the right mount ships. Confirm fitment first if you're unsure.
Can an ATV plow snow, or do I need a UTV?
An ATV plows snow fine with the right blade and a winch. A UTV gives you more weight, more traction, and room for a windshield and cab heater, which matters most on long jobs in bad weather.
Build it in order. Blade sized to the machine, a winch to lift it, chains so you can push, a windshield and heater so you outlast the storm. Get the fitment right the first time and the setup runs for years. The snow won't wait, so beat it there.
