Don't be clouded by the cheap prices of the Canned Ham and Polaris, do a bit more research and you may well find they take more repair time than the others. Stick with the Yamaha, Honda Kawa and Suzuki lines. Some still have solid rear axle(Honda), makes for a rougher ride. Modern fuel injection is the cats meow for cold weather. Power steering is not for wussies, it makes rough terrain a lot easier to handle. 400 size is about as small as I'd go for plowing, 450/500 would be a bit better. Going crazy with engine size doesn't really provide anything more than a lighter wallet and bigger gas bill. We have a couple of older Yamaha Kodiaks at work, trails in summer, plow in the winter. They work, period. 8,000km on one almost 5000 on the other, nothing more than oil changes and a new battery each.