OT: snowplow pickup

Doug in Illinois · Dec 1, 2010

I went ahead and bought a 91 Dodge 1/2ton 4x4, with Meyer 8 ft plow. 318 engine, short wheelbase so maybe not real nose heavy.

Last one I had was a 72 Ford Bronco 25 years ago. It had a 302. Even with it having the weight of the rear seats and fully enclosed it was light on the rear end plowing snow.

The last 30 feet or so of my driveway is kind of steep going uphill, I never plow snow across or into the county road anyhow, BUT wonder if I need some added weight in the box to offset the 8 ft plow.

I also wonder if I should chain up the rears, the driveway is blacktop and the yard by the house/garage is crushed rock.

At my "old" place, which I will still plow, either tractor would spin out without chains pulling or pushing on the slope.

As I said, all the snow will be pushed past the house into the yard, but have to make a curve and hill to do it. I am thinking rear chains at home, and just get a running start off the county road at the other place. DOUG

Anonymous-0 · Dec 2, 2010

Why not just put something heavy(1000 lbs.) in the box of the truck and hold it there with good tie downs? A couple of oil drums full of sand etc. would make a big difference. When the plow is on the ground, so is the weight of it. Dave

Doug in Illinois · Dec 2, 2010

I was thinking about putting one of last years half size big round bales in the back, but don't really want to take the toolbox out. The "extra" parts and supplies for the plow are in it.

Plan "B" is a load of unsplit wood in 16 to 18 inch chunks for weight, about 22" diameter. DOUG

PJH · Dec 2, 2010

I used to have the salt loader heap mine up with snow. Snow is self-unloading.

Paul

ericlb · Dec 2, 2010

i plowed with 1/2 ton ,short bed ford back in the 90's , it did real good, after modifying the front and rear suspensions with air bags, and overload springs respectivly, battery was increased to the maximum cranking amps that would fit in the battery box, and adding 1,000 lbs in the rear to offset the weight of the plow, this was done with 2 55gallon drums filled with sand,layed on their sides and secured in rear of the bed, this rig plowed great i also chained the front wheels up if the snow was over 6 inches deep, this cut down on u-joints breaking due to a wheel spinning , then hooking back up under power, finaly sold that truck with 150,000 miles on it

Bryan inIowa · Dec 2, 2010

You're gonna be heavy in the nose and light in the rear . Just add weight in the box . Sand bags etc. Lot of guys make 2x6 box so they don't slide passed fenderwells . Chian will tear the heck out a driveway and your drive train if used all time time . If you get some weight in the rear you should okay without them . I plowed with 1/2 dodge for many years .

BillinCentralMO · Dec 2, 2010

We put the chain on the front.

JDemaris · Dec 2, 2010

I keep chains on all four wheels on my plow truck, and would not think about using it without. But, it's not registered and never has to be driven anyhwere far from home. I'm on the steepest mountain road in town, and it's all dirt and never gets salted. Any pickup truck I've had with plow and no chains was useeless. Not because it wouldn't plow, more because it wouldn't stop coming down a hill (without chains). K5 Blazers (or Broncos) are better since there's more weight on the back (I've got two diesel K5 plow rigs). I have one that IS registered for highway use and I only keep chains on the rear.

Chains are fairly cheap if you buy the standard type. If that truck doesn't go anywhere far on paved highways, seems like a no-brainer to me.

4 bottem · Dec 2, 2010

Sounds like a good setup Up here in Maine (we seem to get a little snow) no one really uses chain if they can help it, they are toooo rough on the drive train.Pushing snow is hard on a pickup and there is such a thing as too much traction.

Stuart · Dec 2, 2010

I put a 1.5 yard tailings box in the back of my Dodge 2500 Cummins. Balanced the truck out better, and I can go alot more places.

Ken Macfarlane · Dec 2, 2010

If its not on the highway, I love chains on the rear of my plow trucks. They are nice on the front too but you have to be careful when stuck, easy to blow your axle.

I usually chain up the rear with v-block chains and put a good chunk of sand in the back of the truck. A thousand pounds with chains on the rear pretty much keeps me out of trouble.

A little truck chained up outplows my 100 hp 4wd tractor easily. It just can't get the traction once the snow is packy or ice has formed.

JDemaris · Dec 2, 2010

I'm not worried about "going." More concerned about stopping when I need to. I've put a 1000 lbs. in the back of my Dodge truck, and it's still a death-trap coming down a steep icy/snowy road if I try to stop. To be fair, my Chevy or Ford full-size, 4WD, extended cab trucks weren't any better when pointing downhill. Going up is usually no problem, since much weight transfers to the rear.

S2710 · Dec 2, 2010

Doug like the one guy said make a box in the back of your truck and fill it with sand and go that way and also have a set of chains so if you need them you got them. Also if you can get sand with salt in so that it don't freeze you can put some down on the steep part and you will have traction the next time it snows. I live in west central wi. in the hills and very few people use chains here to plow driveways.

JDemaris · Dec 2, 2010

I wondered about snow, salt, and parts of Maine. I bought my 92 Dodge diesel truck from a guy in Rockland Maine a few years ago. Almost no rust on the sheet metal but a 2 foot section of frame was rotted out where the long fuel-tank kisses it. If that truck had been from my area of New York, there wouldn't of been anything left of it from road salt.

Stuart · Dec 2, 2010

I always plow going up hill if I can. Old guy told me once when plowing snow to keep your feet clean.

NEBeef · Dec 2, 2010

Buddy of mine had a Ford pu he plowed with, bed was rusted away, just a shaky wooden platform there instead. He put a piece of pine log on there for ballast, must have been 40" in diameter, maybe four feet long. Held on by a chain and a binder. Pulled up one day and I saw the chain was gone, asked him about it he hadn't a clue, just said "hmmm, wonder where that went..." Evidently the log had frozen on and the ice was the only thing holding it in place. Couple weeks later I saw him and the log was gone, I asked about it he hadn't a clue, just said "hmmm, wonder where that went..."

kopeck · Dec 2, 2010

(quoted from post at 10:41:43 12/02/10) I wondered about snow, salt, and parts of Maine. I bought my 92 Dodge diesel truck from a guy in Rockland Maine a few years ago. Almost no rust on the sheet metal but a 2 foot section of frame was rotted out where the long fuel-tank kisses it. If that truck had been from my area of New York, there wouldn't of been anything left of it from road salt.

The vogue thing in Maine these days is not salt but liquid calcium. I have to admit it seems to work well but it's been killing cars and trucks since they made the switch 5-10 years ago.

The state says there's no proof that it's any worse the salt but any mechanic you talk to will tell you that their main business is not replacing brake lines, fuel tanks and diff covers.

As far as your truck goes, Rockland is on the coast so it see less snow then even I do inland, about 25 miles away. Maine is really all over the place as far as snowfall goes. Western Maine gets a lot of snow due to the mountains, Northern Maine does as well but that's due to the temperature difference between it and the coast. Central Maine can get a lot of snow and the coast is a complete crap shoot.

We have chains for the back of our 98 3/4 ton Dodge. We've never used them but have only had them for a season. After getting stuck a few times last year we finally took the plunge...then it stopped snowing. Go figure. Weight is the key for us, keep the back end planted and you can move some snow.

K

mkirsch · Dec 2, 2010

Chains will tear up your pavement, even if you're careful to not spin the wheels...

I agree with everyone who says to put about 1000lbs in the back of the truck.

Use SPLIT firewood. Weighs the same, but you can stack it nice and tight and keep it below the bed rails. Then you can see where you're going backing up.

chevytaHOE5674 · Dec 2, 2010

Leave snow in the bed for weight (easy to shovel out when you need to put firewood in the basement. Then chains on the rear and it will get more traction than the truck has the power to push...

dbernie · Dec 3, 2010

For me, like a couple others said, fill-er up with snow.
Thermostatically controlled weight...

OT: snowplow pickup

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