Are HD springs really necessary?

[swampdonkey1982]

Hey Guys, been reading some older posts on the forum regarding plowing. Seems like people like to upgrade to HD springs because of the weight of the plow. I have a plow rigged up and with the weight of the plow and me (260 lbs.) the front end of my ATV only sags 2 inches. Is there really any advantage to getting HD springs with only 2 inches of sag???

Also, do you guys that plow up your air pressure at all on the front tires? Thanks.

[AKStew]

The OEM springs will eventually sag 1-2" even without the plow. If all you do is plow, there should be no issues with keeping the OEM springs as long as the plow can be lifted high enough for decent clearance. If you intend to ride recreationally you will have lost 1-2" of ground clearance, your front end will nose-dive sharply when braking, and it will bottom out when hitting sharps dips in the trails.

I don't plow with my machine but the previous owner kept a plow on it all the time which made the springs sag. I thought about going with OEM replacements but when I added a 30-pound fuel container to the front I went with HD versus OEM.

I'm glad I did. The ride is only slightly stiffer and now I can ride much more aggressively on rough trails.

Since I usually have a passenger on the back of mine, I'm about to put HD springs on the back as well.

Stew

[Trucker]

They are easy to install and will take the sag out of the front end. Bike looks better also.

[Mike B]

I put HD springs in all four corners of my 800. I put a front mount plow on and with the added weight and fatigued springs the front end would sit bottomed out. I'm guessing your springs are newer or maybe a belly mount plow, but if it is only sagging 2 inches I would leave it alone. Some one correct me if I'm wrong, but i believe the Polaris front HD springs have a little less spring rate than EPI or High Lifters.

[swampdonkey1982]

Originally Posted by Mike B

I put HD springs in all four corners of my 800. I put a front mount plow on and with the added weight and fatigued springs the front end would sit bottomed out. I'm guessing your springs are newer or maybe a belly mount plow, but if it is only sagging 2 inches I would leave it alone. Some one correct me if I'm wrong, but i believe the Polaris front HD springs have a little less spring rate than EPI or High Lifters.

Yeah it is a new ATV and also a belly mount plow. I'm sure that makes a big difference.

[cdgoodling]

they sell spring rubbers that go in between the coils to stiffen them up. not sure exactly what they are called, but you can add and remove them when you want to. you can add them for plowing then remove them for trail riding. seen them on ebay, the price is fairly cheap.

[cdgoodling]

ok just checked ebay they are called "polaris snow plow coil spring spacer kit" cost is $20. may be worth looking into if you dont want to spend alot of money.

[shui5612]

might want to get some moose progessors or something...
wont regret it and will stiffen up your suspension or free it up just by turning a dial like on your rear suspension!

Pregressor from TM2
they can stiffen and soften the suspension.
polaris sells them aswell. (about 79.99$ here)
i always leave my plow mount on (summer and winter) as i plow in the summer (level sand ) and winter (clean driveway)
it really added some stiffness that the nose doesnt dive, and i can sit 2 people on the front rack and the A-Arms are about 2" from level (240 pounds one person and 250-265pounds the other )

best part, they are adjustable, so you can have a soft ride if you want to and stiffen when you plow...
another good point about it is (lets say OEM springs are 80#) you can adjust from softest setting to 90-100-110-120 (just numbers, not sure about the real mesures) but it has 5 settings or so...

hope i helped!