Snow Plow Questions

[Stihl051master]

Hello,
I'm in the market for a used plow for personal use. I have a 150 yard dirt driveway, and also like to clear down my back lane to make it easier to get back in the woods. Now I'm using a Kawasaki Mule with a 54" blade or a Ford 4000 tractor with a loader. The problem w/ the tractor is that I redid it recently, and I don't have the tires loaded, so traction is a problem. The Mule works fine as long as the snow is not deep.

I'm looking for either a smaller plow for my Jeep, or larger one for my 92 Dodge 1 ton diesel. What way would you guys go? Anyone plow with a Jeep? I'm thinking a 6.5' on the Jeep would make a nice maneuverable rig, but I worry that it might not be heavy enough when the snow gets deeper.

With the Dodge I figure I can probably put whatever I want on there and go to town. I installed a locking diff in both vehicles, Jeep is lifted w/33's and Dodge is stock with 33's if that makes any difference.

What should I look for when checking out a used plow? Any advantages/disadvantages to a Western, Fisher, Meyer, Boss, etc? I'm not looking to spend a bunch, but we do get enough decent storms here to make it worth while. I've seen a few for 500 and under, and would rather go that route and fix/rebuild/ replace whatever is necessary so at least I know what I have.

Working on the hydraulics or fabricating vehicle mounts is no problem for me. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[thejdman04]

Hello,
I'm in the market for a used plow for personal use. I have a 150 yard dirt driveway, and also like to clear down my back lane to make it easier to get back in the woods. Now I'm using a Kawasaki Mule with a 54" blade or a Ford 4000 tractor with a loader. The problem w/ the tractor is that I redid it recently, and I don't have the tires loaded, so traction is a problem. The Mule works fine as long as the snow is not deep.

I'm looking for either a smaller plow for my Jeep, or larger one for my 92 Dodge 1 ton diesel. What way would you guys go? Anyone plow with a Jeep? I'm thinking a 6.5' on the Jeep would make a nice maneuverable rig, but I worry that it might not be heavy enough when the snow gets deeper.

With the Dodge I figure I can probably put whatever I want on there and go to town. I installed a locking diff in both vehicles, Jeep is lifted w/33's and Dodge is stock with 33's if that makes any difference.

What should I look for when checking out a used plow? Any advantages/disadvantages to a Western, Fisher, Meyer, Boss, etc? I'm not looking to spend a bunch, but we do get enough decent storms here to make it worth while. I've seen a few for 500 and under, and would rather go that route and fix/rebuild/ replace whatever is necessary so at least I know what I have.

Working on the hydraulics or fabricating vehicle mounts is no problem for me. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Id get the dodg w/a manual trans, their autos dont work well for pulling hauling and plowing. That would also give you another truck and who cant use one of those.

 

[Rookie1]

Im not sure how well Jeeps hadle plows. That seems like alot of weight on the front suspension. The dodge would do fine. Im not sure about prices but I like Meyers plows. Western are good too. If you are hte only one using the truck thats good too. Letting someone borrow it,well its like borrowing saws.

 

[ohio03trdtaco]

Jeeps with the 6.5 blade aren't bad they work great in tight places. There is going to be a lot of added wear on the front end though, and depending on what year it may not hold up well. In deep snow a heavy long bed tends to be the best when trying to hold strait lines. Also the heaver the weight class of truck the longer it will last with a few extra pounds on the front end. Some times it is cheaper to get your hands on a old used truck with plow already on it vrs. buying a new setup.

 

[dawzie]

I would get a set of tire chains for the Ford. A couple of hundred dollars. Build a counter weight for the 3pt hitch.

A used plow is $1500 or more and then you won't have all the parts to fit your truck. New plow is $4000

Once you get a plow on your truck you wont beleive how many "friends" will want you to "just make a pass up the drive".

 

[mek]

check into sno way plows if you have a dealer close by. I would go with whatever plow with the best dealer.

 

[Brimmstone]

I've plowed with just about everything when I was up in ohio. We ran full 7.5 foot plows on everything. The jeeps would run all the driveways without a single problem and do dress up on the roads where I couldn't get with the big F250 with a plastic bladed Meyers. To make sure the blade would cut through the ice we had weights hanging off the frame of the blade. I also used the F250 as a drift buster. It's a heck of a site seeing a 7 foot tall drift explodes from the truck hitting it at 20 MPH. I think you'll be fine using the jeep with the 6.5 blade but it will take more time. As to the Dodge the transmission could be an issue. The manual is the safest but the automatics can hold up as long as you have a big enough cooler on them.

 

[MOE]

If your ford starts good in cold weather and has a decent loader with hyd bucket,(not trip), I would also anchor it with fluid or wieghts and chains and use that.

 

[Stihl051master]

Thanks for the replies guys. My Dodge has the 5 speed manual, so trans shouldn't be a problem.

The Ford tractor was bought new in the 60's by my granddad. I restored it a year and a half ago (well, basically sandblasted and painted it), and when I sandblasted the rims, and then put new tubes in the tires so now they aren't loaded. I hate the idea of putting chloride back in them in case of a leak as it's corrosive, and loading with beat pulp is just too expensive right now. I do have chains for it, but have to either pull the fenders or run the rims out a bit in the back for clearance. Plus, the tires have a really deep lug and the chains want to settle in those, so don't give much extra gription. I have a big wheel weight, and also a weight box for the back, but I like to have the back blade on there. It's a row crop and has tons of ground clearance, and weighted down it was basically unstoppable. It is slower though and I'm tired of freezing my ass off out there in the cold, I want to plow from inside a nice heated cab!

One advantage I have is that I am in the woods, so my driveway is shielded well and doesn't drift over. I just found a nice 8 1/2' Meyer for the Dodge, but I would really like the maneuverability of the Jeep for getting around the shop and the rest of the drive. The big plow seems like overkill for not doing any commercial plowing, and the Dodge is quite a load for getting turned around. I'm gonna keep looking for a deal on something, maybe it will just come down to if I can find a cheap 6.5 footer it will go on the Jeep, and if it's a bigger one it can go on the Dodge...

 

[Brimmstone]

Again slap that big meyers on the Jeep. At the worst you'll need an extra leaf for the weight but thats easy to do. Yes we normally ran 7.5s on the jeeps which were Wranglers but they have also worn the big plastic meyers a time or two. I liked the big plow on the jeeps because even at an angle it still cut a path wider than the jeep. I could also nose up to a garage door and drop the blade on the run-off ice and break it up enough to back drag it all away from the door. I just wish I had taken the time to make the one jeep into a downforce set-up as I could have really got some stuff done.

 

[Stihl051master]

I just might have to do that. I just put in a clutch and swapped in a new (well, used) tranny in tonight - it's ready to be put to work! Mine is a 92 Wrangler hardtop with a 4.0 and a 5 speed. I put in a 4" Rough Country lift a few years ago. Did you end up putting add -a-leafs in yours for the extra weight of the plow?

 

[Brimmstone]

We put in add a leafs in both jeeps mainly because the springs were about shot. I personally would have a two inch lift pack made for the front as it would level out with the plow on it. As to plowing make sure you are in 4WD Low when plowing and in first gear. The little five speed in you jeep isn't as strong as an automatic in one of them was that is why I recommend first and 4WD Low.

 

[Curbside]

I'd go the dodge as well. I have a 97 Dodge 3/4 diesel that has plowed since 1997 and basically done nothing but pull Bobcats etc. Its still on original transmission (Knock on wood). Most people say the auto's are better for plowing as they have a little more give in the transmission. Have to say I'm pretty impressed with mine. I've only run the Boss V's on my dodges.

 

[stumpgo]

"I hate the idea of putting chloride back in them in case of a leak as it's corrosive".... Chloride is not the only choice, auto anti-freeze works very well. I have a ford dexta as a yard tractor (loader front; worm drive splitter at rear), its now into its 14th winter with no problems.
I think I put 5 gallons of anti-freeze into each tire before topping up with water. In your colder climate, and with the larger tires of a 4000 I would guess that about 10 gallons per tire would be about right.

 

[A. Stanton]

I had both a Western and Fisher plow for my Pu's. The Western seemed to have the worse paint job and was a bigger pain to hitch and un hitch.
I would take a look at using the tractor. My local tractor dealer uses window wash to load the tires. I would recommend getting a rear blade for the tractor and using chains. This way you can keep the loader on the front for hauling and stacking snow. The only downside is you will probably have to keep up with anly big snow storms. But you would have to do this regardless of any plow you have. A good 5-ft rear blade for any tractor sells for about $400. If you already have the 3-pt hitch you are halfway there.

 

[blakey]

Why not hang a snowblower on the 3 pt hitch of your tractor? The weight of the blower helps with traction and a lot less wear and tear on the transmission. Around here plows and blades are used to clear driveways in town but all the farmers use blowers. The nice thing is that is throws the snow so you don't have as much drifting next time. Likely could pick up a good used one for $500 or so. Here is a pic of mine, not a great shot of the blower but it is a 7ft dual auger and the tractor is 65hp.

 

[magna19]

i got a old 79 bronco with a 8ft fisher plow,engine driven hydraulics on it.works great.the only thing i got to do is fix the sagging front end but other than that it pushes great.had 2 scouts before that and they worked good,not enough power,1 a 4cylinder,other a 6 cylinder,engine driven hydraulics.

 

[Brimmstone]

"I hate the idea of putting chloride back in them in case of a leak as it's corrosive".... Chloride is not the only choice, auto anti-freeze works very well. I have a ford dexta as a yard tractor (loader front; worm drive splitter at rear), its now into its 14th winter with no problems.
I think I put 5 gallons of anti-freeze into each tire before topping up with water. In your colder climate, and with the larger tires of a 4000 I would guess that about 10 gallons per tire would be about right.

I hope you're talking about RV antifreeze. Regular antifreeze is way too much of an environmental risk. What happens if you get a leak in one of the tires? I've seen animals go from antifreeze poisoning and it's not pretty.

 

[Stihl051master]

The Ford is normal frame 45hp ag tractor, not a compact or lawn mower - so they take about 60 gallons each if I remember right. I know there was close to 500lbs in each.I'll have to research some more low cost options for loading the tires - I never heard of using antifreeze, it would be fine as long as I didn't use any poisonous kind.

I would need at least a 7' rear blade to clear the rear tires if it's angled. The tractor is 73" wide with the tires ran in. I had one but I gave it to my dad a couple years back which I guess might have been a mistake, but he needed it. I will keep my eye out for a snowblower for the tractor though - that would work good if the tractor has enough snort to run one.

I figure that for the price of loading the tires and buying a blade, I can just buy a used plow set up for one of the other vehicles, then I can always use the tractor and bucket for backup.

I'll keep looking and I appreciate all the info and suggestions so far!

 

[blakey]

That tractor should handle a 6ft or 6 1/2ft blower. Hopefully it has a pretty slow reverse gear so you don't have to clutch a lot. If it is heavy going I lift the blower a few inches. Once you have one pass done you can just take half a swipe the next time. If you have hydraulic remotes a hydraulic hood turner is handy otherwise you have to crank by hand.