OT: Snowplows for pickups

What are some good snowplow brands; for 3/4 ton and 1 ton diesel pickup trucks?

Straight blade or v-plow?

Is it hard on pickups? Just got a 2013 4x4 2500HD diesel Silverado, which is in really nice shape, so do not want to abuse it.

Interested to hear opinions from people with direct experience but I was told in Saskatchewan when working as a field operator, "never buy a used 1/2 ton that's been used as a snowplow". In general it was said ladder frames were OK and unit bodies weren't, so maybe the 3/4 ton is ok but it's probably still hard on them compared to say towing.

Plowing is very hard on trucks. The weight of the plow, mount, hydraulics etc is enough to droop the front end of a 1-ton 3-4 inches when you raise the blade. I've had plows on everything from a '56 CJ to a 1-ton and it's hell on everything. The CJ's frame cracked just before the front shackles on driveway duty.

The transmission, frame and suspension will take a beating, not to mention you'll likely want a salter in the bed. I've never heard of plowing with anything unibody other than an old ZJ, and those won't last long in the salt. Straight blade or V depends on what area you'll be clearing most often. Most (all?) of the V's have provision to hydraulically straighten the blade and then tilt to either side. The convenience comes at the cost of considerable mass, however. If I made plow blades, they would have a steel skeleton and a thick plastic blade (ala the old playground slides with semi-circular cross-section). It'd be light. The highway plows around here use a variation of that design.

I absolutely do not have the answer to the original question, but I do have fond memories of snowy nights in Rochester, NY, in the 1980's. At that time (possibly still), the city would issue a snowplowing contract to anyone with a truck who wanted the business. The city had a large fleet of equipment (appropriate for a place that gets huge amounts of lake effect snow) but needed the "auxiliaries" to keep up with the accumulation. I would guess there were dozens, maybe as many as 100, individual contracts.

As a result, every late night and (very) early morning when the wind wasn't blowing, the air would be filled with the "beep-beep beep-beep" of trucks backing and filling throughout the city. Parking lots would end up with 30 to 50 foot high hills of snow. The plows would ram it to about 6 to 8 feet high, then the places with more money would have a power blower come in to chew up the lower drifts and dump it on top of the piles.

Spud said:

What are some good snowplow brands; for 3/4 ton and 1 ton diesel pickup trucks?

Straight blade or v-plow?

Is it hard on pickups? Just got a 2013 4x4 2500HD diesel Silverado, which is in really nice shape, so do not want to abuse it.

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You didn't say how much or what you plan on plowing but any truck you put a snowplow on is going to get abused. Unless you are only going to do a small driveway, the best way to keep your truck looking nice is not to put a plow on it.

Biggest issues are hitting things. This puts the full stress of the impact into points on the truck frame that really weren't designed for the amount and frequency of the hits. Yes, plows to do have a spring trip that helps but a shock load is still transferred into the truck frame.

The drive train also takes a beating. The transmission is being cycled from forward to reverse with each plow pass. The transfer case is also seeing a high torque load that is even greater than most towing applications. The brakes also get a work out.

Since most plow cycles are 50% forward and 50% reverse, the odometer will register basically zero miles for amount of plowing distance traveled. This means that truck service intervals will need to be monitored as hours operated instead of miles driven.

The V-plows work nice for doing large lots with a heavy snow as you can put the Vee forward and move a decent sized pile of snow without the typical spill off a straight blade.

We used to use Western plows. Had a local dealer for parts support and had good luck with them.

As you can tell, I do not like plowing snow. The snow plowing we did was more as a favor or service then for profit.

If your goal is to help pay for your truck and make some side money, I would suggest to open a snow cone stand. Seems like most guys are pricing plowing at $60hr. Not a lot to work with after fuel, repairs, insurance, damage claims like lawn damage, etc.

I can't think of anything that will tear up a truck faster than plowing snow. Hang 800-1000 lbs in front of the front axle, constantly raise and lower it, working the shit out of the front suspension, think about the side load while pushing the snow with the blade tilted, then hit a few curbs. Back and forth, back and forth, over and over The transmission takes a beating as well as the rest of the driveline. You are running it in the worst weather, always the risk of a wreck not mention the salt damage. I had as many as 4 plow trucks at a time when I lived in Minnesota. I just worked them through a broker and was never short of work for them. plenty of unemployed construction workers to drive in the winter. Nearly a full time job keeping them all running. After I moved to Ohio I used to work on machinery for a landscape company including their plow trucks. They kept them 2-3 years max, by then they were ready for the scrap yard. They had salt spreaders on them as well, you can not imagine how rusty they were after 3 years. They would sell them for good money at 3 years old but the new owner was getting junk, endless electrical problems with bad grounds because of rust, bodywork about to have holes all over from rust. Interiors trashed by wet and snowy feet in and out constantly. Holes drilled everywhere for the plow, wiring and control. As far as the V type plow goes it is a lot of unnecessary complexity for very little gain. 99% of the time you want it straight anyway. you may want it v shaped to bust out a driveway but you need it straight most of the time. I had 8' Western straight blade plows on all my trucks.

Ziggy2 said:

Since most plow cycles are 50% forward and 50% reverse, the odometer will register basically zero miles for amount of plowing distance traveled. This means that truck service intervals will need to be monitored as hours operated instead of miles driven.

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Any modern vehicle will have an electronic speedometer that registers accumulated milage regardless of direction travelled.

On the ‘56 CJ, valid point.

RC Mech said:

Any modern vehicle will have an electronic speedometer that registers accumulated milage regardless of direction travelled.

On the ‘56 CJ, valid point.

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Good point. I was still thinking back in the late 80's.

Ziggy2 said:

You didn't say how much or what you plan on plowing but any truck you put a snowplow on is going to get abused. Unless you are only going to do a small driveway, the best way to keep your truck looking nice is not to put a plow on it.

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My own driveway, which is about 40 feet x 30 feet.
Was thinkin of plowing other residental driveways in the immediate vicinity. No commerical spaces. All just you typical ranch style home and McMansion driveways.

Spud said:

My own driveway, which is about 40 feet x 30 feet.
Was thinkin of plowing other residental driveways in the immediate vicinity. No commerical spaces. All just you typical ranch style home and McMansion driveways.

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So at about 4500.00 for a plow you could pay your local plow man 40.00 to do your driveway 112 times. that's 6 times a year for almost 19 years! Do you see the folly of owning a plow?

I have a Western straight blade plow. Ran it 6 years on a 2002 gas F250. For clearing area around shop, 600' driveway at home, and very occasionally family and friends. Probably put on less than 100 miles of snow plowing. No issues with the truck that I would attribute to plow usage. I did break the main up down pivot on the plow. I attribute that to the endless hitting of things.

6 years ago that plow cost over $6k installed on the truck. No way would I do it for your tiny driveway, unless there are other mitigating circumstances. In my case, I had to get it because my area at work is small. About 6 parking spaces worth. But the snow has to be pushed about 500' to get it on to a neighbors lot. Hired out, I was paying over $100 a shot and they would show up multiple times per day when it was snowing.

Even with that little area and 6 years of practice, it takes me about 30 minutes to do it. When I am gone and an employee does it, it's over an hour. It's actually not easy to plow. And residential McMansions are hard too. Getting up to doors. Trying not to hit things buried in snow. Trying not to peel up the grass where you push the snow. It sucks. If you are dead set on doing little driveways, buy a Jeep or short wheelbase 4WD and use it.

Do you really want to get up at 4AM and on days when it keeps snowing ... staying up for days on end? And drive around a 25' long truck that you can't park anywhere. Or deal with taking the plow on and off. Which the dealer says takes 30 seconds. Which sometimes it does. But sometimes it takes 30 minutes and involves another vehicle or a forklift to get the f'er back upright and into the quick attach.

If I recall correctly, you are also planning on jumping your new truck. Perhaps fit the plow to the truck and take it to the dunes. Then you won't have to worry about plow, jumping, or your truck again ... but you'll still have to worry about the payments.

So I bought a '95 F350 about 5 years ago that had been used as a plow truck (with a salt spreader) and it had been used as part of a fleet of concrete business trucks. It was very rusty. Bed was rusted out, rear gas tank rusted out to the point of not being useable, and like Moonlight said, unending ground issues because of everything being so rusted.

I bought it for a plow truck for our own lot. If I were going to drop $20k to $40k on a newer used truck, I would hang on to this one for plowing. As every one else has said, they really take a beating.

Since I bought it I have replaced both front fenders, the left door, the left rocker panel, the left floor pan, the rear gas tank, the oil pan, and probably some other things that I can't remember at the moment - all for rust issues (although it WAS a 15 year old truck in NE Oh so it probably would have been rusted anyhow - but not that rusted).

The biggest reason I bought it was because it has a lift gate. We have used that 100's of times. One of the best things a machine shop can own.

Anyone have a '93-'97 8' bed with dual gas tank doors that isn't rusted out? I have been looking to replace this one.

What is the goal? Plow your driveway and a few friends and neighbors?

My dad used to plow snow (commercially) in the winter. As others have said, it's about the worst thing you can do to a truck outside of performance motor sports (taking your street truck to the track, or pulling it etc). Dad sold almost everything off a few years ago; he was tired of the long days/nights. Unlike just about any other type of work, you have no work until a snow-storm comes, then you have ALL of your clients you have to take care of before businesses open in the morning. Which means you will do MOST of your work from 9 pm to 9 am. Typically you're plowing parking lots, the best time to do that is when there are no cars in them. If the snow storm is bad enough you will have to go back throughout the day and touch-up the lots of customers you already hit at 1 am. Multiple storms expected in a few days, I hope you like the thought of getting 1 hr of sleep every 48 hrs because that's what you'll become.

Now, plowing for yourself and a few neighbors is no big deal. Dad kept 1 snow-plow for this purpose. He farms and one of the things he does for the landlords he rents farm-ground from is plow their driveways. He'll spend 3-4 hours the morning after a storm hitting all of them, several neighbors, and some elderly friends driveways. He doesn't do it for money, he does it out of the kindness of his heart (my dad is an amazingly kind & caring man). Doing a few driveways, especially if they aren't paying clients is MUCH less stressful on you and your truck. You don't have to have it done before businesses open, as a matter of fact, many of the driveways will be open (no cars) after businesses open and people are out and about.

lastly, v-plows are a gimmick used to separate you from money. The is almost no purpose for them. If you want to run it as a reverse V to be able to clear more snow per pass through a lot, then you need to look at a scoop plow with side-shields. If you're looking for a good driveway plow check into a C-plow; the top 60% of the blade folds over for a cleaner back-drag. My dad has one and that's the one he kept after selling everything else because it lets him get RIGHT next to garage doors and back-drag the snow away from them.

Spud said:

My own driveway, which is about 40 feet x 30 feet.
Was thinkin of plowing other residental driveways in the immediate vicinity. No commerical spaces. All just you typical ranch style home and McMansion driveways.

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That is firmly into "Walk behind snowblower" territory.

As Far as doing the neighbors ? You will now be on that treadmill, of having to
do it every time, whether or not you have the time.

moonlight machine said:

So at about 4500.00 for a plow you could pay your local plow man 40.00 to do your driveway 112 times. that's 6 times a year for almost 19 years! Do you see the folly of owning a plow?

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Only getting a used plow. Have seen used straight blade decent condition plows for around $1300. Just more convenient to have my own plow, so I can do it as soon as I want and when I want.

digger doug said:

That is firmly into "Walk behind snowblower" territory.

As Far as doing the neighbors ? You will now be on that treadmill, of having to
do it every time, whether or not you have the time.

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Snowblower is what I have been using for the past 10+ years in this house, which has a longer driveway than the 30' x 40' of the new house. It is such a huge PITA to use the gas powered snowblower; takes about 2+ hours after heavy overnight snowfall.

Spud said:

Snowblower is what I have been using for the past 10+ years in this house, which has a longer driveway than the 30' x 40' of the new house. It is such a huge PITA to use the gas powered snowblower; takes about 2+ hours after heavy overnight snowfall.

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30' x 40' taking qty (2) hours ?

Your doing something wrong for sure.

digger doug said:

30' x 40' taking qty (2) hours ?

Your doing something wrong for sure.

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No, the 30'x40' is the new house (which is just a guesstimate). The current house is much longer and most of the driveway is sloped.

The gas snowblower takes a lot of manhandling to make it turn. It tends to ride over the snow a lot of times. The triggers on each hand take a bit of force to keep depressed, which gets to be a pain after an hour of use.

It is an Ariens ST724
http://www.greenacres4u.com/Power Equipment/724_ariens.htm

Spud said:

No, the 30'x40' is the new house (which is just a guesstimate). The current house is much longer and most of the driveway is sloped.

The gas snowblower takes a lot of manhandling to make it turn. It tends to ride over the snow a lot of times. The triggers on each hand take a bit of force to keep depressed, which gets to be a pain after an hour of use.

It is an Ariens ST724
http://www.greenacres4u.com/Power Equipment/724_ariens.htm

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All can be simply solved with adjustment and proper usage.

"Riding up on snow" ? don't be lazy and let it build up, and drive on it for a week.
Make sure the cutting edge is properly adjusted/replaced.

Ariens are the best snowblowers out there, each spring I see them blowing a solid column of slush,
and they don't clog.

30' x 40' should take you all of 15 minutes.

Smowblower on a lawn tractor. Have good experience with an old Simplicity, but assume other manufacturers are similar. Way cheaper than a truck mounted snowplow. My experience is with dry snow prairie blizzards not wet narely below freezing lake effect smow.

Lucky7