6 Best Gravely Quick Attach Snow Plow Mounts For Beginners For First-Year Success
Find the right Gravely Quick Attach snow plow mount. Our top 6 picks for beginners ensure a simple setup and a successful first season of plowing snow.
That first heavy, wet snow of the season always seems to arrive overnight, turning your manageable property into an impassable white landscape. Suddenly, the path to the barn, the chicken coop, and the woodpile is buried, and getting your truck out of the driveway is a distant dream. This is the moment every new hobby farmer realizes that a shovel is a tool of last resort, not a primary strategy. Choosing the right snow plow and mount for your Gravely tractor isn’t just about convenience; it’s about maintaining access, ensuring you can care for your animals, and saving your back for more important work.
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Understanding Gravely’s Quick Attach System
Before you even look at a plow blade, you need to understand the heart of the system: the quick attach mount. Gravely’s design is brilliant in its simplicity, typically involving two main connection points at the bottom and a locking mechanism at the top, often operated by a pair of levers. This system allows you to drop your mower deck or bucket and hook up a plow in minutes, without wrestling with bolts in the freezing cold.
The real magic is in the time it saves. On a busy morning when you need to clear a path to the livestock before heading to your day job, fumbling with tools is not an option. The quick attach system turns a 30-minute ordeal into a two-minute task. The key for a beginner is to practice connecting and disconnecting your attachments a few times in good weather. Getting a feel for how the levers work and how to align the tractor will prevent a lot of frustration when the snow is flying and your fingers are numb.
This standardized mount is what makes choosing an attachment relatively straightforward. Whether you stick with a Gravely-branded blade or explore aftermarket options, they all connect to this same front-end interface. Just be certain any aftermarket plow you consider specifies a mount compatible with your particular Gravely model series, as there can be slight variations between them.
Gravely 48” Dozer Blade: Simple and Robust
The standard Gravely 48” Dozer Blade is often the first plow a new owner considers, and for good reason. It’s a no-nonsense piece of steel designed to do one job: push snow straight ahead. Its simplicity is its greatest strength, as there are very few moving parts to fail, bend, or freeze up during a storm.
This blade is ideal for someone with a relatively straight and simple driveway. If your main goal is to clear a path from the garage to the road, this is a cost-effective and highly reliable tool. It’s built to match the tractor’s capabilities perfectly, so you don’t have to worry about overloading the hydraulics or frame.
The major tradeoff, however, is the lack of a power angle feature. To change the blade’s angle, you have to stop the tractor, get off, pull a pin, manually swing the heavy blade to a new position, and re-insert the pin. While this is fine for a long, straight shot, it becomes tedious if you’re trying to clear areas around buildings or windrow snow precisely.
Gravely 60” Power Angle Blade for Versatility
Stepping up to the Gravely 60” Power Angle Blade is a significant upgrade in efficiency. This model integrates with your tractor’s hydraulics, allowing you to change the blade’s angle from left to right without ever leaving your seat. This feature is a game-changer for properties with curves, turnarounds, or multiple buildings to clear around.
Imagine clearing snow in front of your barn doors. With a manual blade, you push a pile, then get off to angle the blade the other way to clear the other side. With the power angle, you simply press a lever, change the blade’s direction, and continue your pass. This capability cuts your clearing time dramatically and allows for much more precise snow placement.
The wider 60-inch blade also means you clear more snow with each pass, which is a huge benefit on longer driveways. The primary consideration here is cost and ensuring your tractor’s hydraulic system is up to the task, which is a given for most modern Gravely models designed for these attachments. For anyone with more than a simple, straight driveway, the investment in a power angle blade pays for itself after the first two or three significant snowfalls.
KFI Pro-Series 54" Plow: A Durable Aftermarket
When you start looking at aftermarket options, KFI is a name that consistently comes up for its sheer toughness. The KFI Pro-Series plows are typically built from thick-gauge American steel, making them exceptionally resistant to bending and damage from hidden rocks or frozen ground. They offer a great balance of durability and price.
A 54-inch width is a sweet spot for many hobby farms. It’s wide enough to clear a path for a vehicle in a single pass but still maneuverable enough to get into tighter spaces. KFI offers model-specific mounts for Gravely tractors, which is crucial. Avoid "universal" mounts that promise to fit everything; they often require drilling and modification, which is a headache you don’t need in your first year.
The main advantage of going with a heavy-duty aftermarket option like KFI is longevity. This is a plow that can handle the abuse of a gravel driveway or frequent, heavy snows without showing signs of wear. The tradeoff is that they can be heavier than the stock options, so just confirm the weight is well within your tractor’s front-end capacity.
WARN ProVantage 50-Inch Straight Blade Mount
WARN is a legendary name in the world of off-road equipment, and their ProVantage plow systems bring that same engineering excellence to the table. While slightly narrower at 50 inches, this blade is known for its well-thought-out design, including features like a tapered blade that helps throw snow farther and a robust mounting plate that distributes force effectively across the tractor’s frame.
This plow is an excellent choice for someone who values precision engineering and long-term reliability over raw brute force. The WARN mount system is particularly noteworthy, as it’s designed to be both strong and easy to use. This focus on the connection point helps protect your tractor from the intense pushing forces generated when you hit a patch of ice or a hidden obstacle.
The 50-inch width, when angled, provides a clearing path of about 44 inches. This is perfectly adequate for most driveways and paths. Think of the WARN system as the refined, highly engineered option. It may not be the heaviest blade on the market, but it’s one of the smartest designs for protecting your tractor investment.
MotoAlliance DENALI 60" for Heavy-Duty Use
If you live in an area that gets hammered with deep, wet snow, the MotoAlliance DENALI series is built to handle it. These are some of the most robust aftermarket plows available, often featuring a taller blade height and reinforced structural supports. The 60-inch model is a serious tool for moving large volumes of snow quickly.
The DENALI plows are designed for heavy use. They typically feature adjustable skid feet and a heavy-duty wear bar that can stand up to scraping on asphalt or concrete season after season. This is the plow for the person with a long, winding driveway or a large area to clear who cannot afford to waste time making multiple passes.
The primary consideration with a plow this large and heavy is the tractor itself. While Gravely machines are tough, a 60-inch blade full of wet snow puts significant strain on the hydraulics, front axle, and frame. This option is best suited for the larger, more powerful Gravely models. You’ll also want to consider adding a rear counterweight to your tractor for improved traction and stability.
Kolpin Switchblade 48-Inch Adjustable Plow
The Kolpin Switchblade offers a unique and clever solution to a common problem. This plow system allows you to adjust the blade width, typically from 48 inches out to as wide as 60 inches, by pivoting the outer sections of the blade. This is an incredibly useful feature for properties with varying path sizes.
Imagine needing to clear a narrow 4-foot path to your woodshed, then immediately needing to clear your wider main driveway. With the Switchblade, you can do both with the same tool without compromise. The stamped steel blade is also designed to be strong yet lighter than some of the heavy-duty competition, making it a good fit for a wide range of Gravely models.
The tradeoff for this innovation is complexity. More moving parts and pivot points mean more potential areas for wear or failure over the long term. However, for a beginner with a diverse property layout, the flexibility it offers can be a massive advantage, allowing one plow to do the work of two.
First-Year Mount Maintenance and Storage Tips
Your relationship with your plow doesn’t end when the snow melts. Proper off-season maintenance is what ensures your mount and blade will be ready to go for year two. After the last storm, thoroughly wash the entire plow assembly to remove salt and road grime, which are incredibly corrosive.
Once it’s clean and dry, inspect all the welds on the mount and blade for any signs of stress cracks. Check that all pins and levers on the quick attach mechanism move freely. Apply a quality grease to all pivot points, including the angle adjustment mechanism and the trip springs. This prevents rust and seizure over the summer. For any chips in the paint, sand them lightly and apply a coat of rust-inhibiting paint to stop corrosion in its tracks.
Storage is just as important. Don’t just leave the plow sitting on a dirt or damp concrete floor all summer. Place it on a wooden pallet or a couple of concrete blocks to allow air to circulate underneath, preventing moisture from getting trapped. A properly maintained and stored plow mount will connect smoothly and perform reliably for years to come.
Ultimately, the best snow plow mount for your first year is the one that best matches the specific challenges of your property. Walk your driveway, measure your paths, and be realistic about the kind of snow you get. Choosing the right tool from the start transforms snow removal from a dreaded, back-breaking chore into a quick and satisfying task, freeing you up to enjoy the quiet beauty of your farm on a winter’s day.
