Some Maintenance Tips When Plowing

[Kodiak450]

When snow plowing, it is very common and a given that you will be using reverse gear more often then normal, which results in your tranny working harding then normal. I always leave my truck running after plowing even if all the plowing is finished and waiting for laborers to finish up. I'll sit in the truck and do the invoicing, talk to clients, check current radar if I find a WiFi spot, ect. It is important to allow your tranny to cool down, and by simply turning off the engine it is not the right way to do so.

 

Make sure you allow your truck to idle after plowing, so that the tranny cooler will help the tranny.

Also when plowing, if you smell a burnt smell, it is time to flush out your tranny and also should change the diff fluids as well. I call this cheap insurance and a wise investment. I like to go no more then 12 months between tranny flushes, or under 30,000 miles for a truck used for plowing. Some contractors I know will go shorter, or little bit longer, and some don't care and will just take a chance. I look at it like this..If you have snow plowing accounts and cannot service them in a particular storm due to a break down, whether it be a truck problem, or a plow realted problem, you will loose alot more money then what this simple, inexpensive service maintenace will cost you.

 

So do yourself and your truck a favor and get that tranny and diff fluid changed annually!

 

Plow maintenace-- Todays plows are built better and stronger, but that doesn't mean the fluid should not be changed annually or go on your 3rd season without changing the fluid. I use regular ATF fluid you would find in a Walmart along with some dry gas. I'll add a couple of cap fulls of the DG in the pump at the beginging of the season, to assure that if any moisture gets in, it will not freeze up. The older plows were more prone to this because many people (including myself) left the pump on all year round, which also exposed it to moisture all year round. With the newer style plows (the kind that the entire plow system comes off) I store mine under an over hung roof, so that the pump will not always get rained on when it rains. It would also be a good idea to cover the plow with a tarp, or if you got a big enough garage, store the entire set up in the garage if you can manange to push it in there. Also not a bad idea to keep spare parts with you so in case you have a break down with your snow plow, you are not left scratching your head 2am in the morning.

[jro909]

just thought i'd peep in and say i've seen the rear gears shred themselves into a metal fur ball from being poorly maintained....in a way i wish gm would throw a manuel transmission option out there for plow trucks

[Kodiak450]

I would never use a manual transmission to plow, I would not want to have to get a new clutch alot sooner then normal. There is a reason why you never see manual transmissions in full size trucks no longer.

[jro909]

I would never use a manual transmission to plow, I would not want to have to get a new clutch alot sooner then normal. There is a reason why you never see manual transmissions in full size trucks no longer.

 

clutch is cheaper then a new tranny

alot easier to pick a gear then worry about trying to manage an auto, they quit putting them in because in reality there isen't a huge market for manuels anymore because most people don't know how to drive them, and the percent of people with plow users would not be able to sway the market enough to keep the option alive. alot of people i've talked to would love a stick bolted to their v8

[Kodiak450]

I would never use a manual transmission to plow, I would not want to have to get a new clutch alot sooner then normal. There is a reason why you never see manual transmissions in full size trucks no longer.

 

clutch is cheaper then a new tranny

alot easier to pick a gear then worry about trying to manage an auto, they quit putting them in because in reality there isen't a huge market for manuels anymore because most people don't know how to drive them, and the percent of people with plow users would not be able to sway the market enough to keep the option alive. alot of people i've talked to would love a stick bolted to their v8

 

 

I've been plowing for a long time, never once did I or anyone that I know who also owns a snow plowing business with multiple trucks have ever had to replace a tranny because of plowing. If you have to replace a tranny because of snow plowing, then that person should not be plowing snow in the first place. It would take someone who likes to rush through driveways and parking lots and do it all the time, not coming to a full stop when shifting into reverse to damage a tranny. If one prefers to use a certain gear when plowing, you can easily accomplish that with a auto. I would venture to think if you plowed with a stick, you would be replacing the clutch every 2-3 years (if you plowed alot of accounts all the time). I had a stick in my Ford Ranger which was fun to drive, even off road. I also had to replace the clutch under 50,000 miles. I was a moderate off roader with the truck too! I remeber driving an F250 that had a stick, it wasn't a very fun experience, also felt like the truck was too held back in acceleration. For some reasons manual trannies and full size trucks just don't go well together. I'll take a manual tranny in a muscle car though, I have one in my Mustang GT. Snow plowing, there is too much stuff going on to worry about having to shift gears. I keep the plow controller in my right hand when plowing and also with my right hand I am operating the in cab controller for the spreader, so I physically would not be able to have a stick when plowing. A manul would totally slow you down in time for plowing. To back drag would even be more of a headache. Pick up the controller, push a button to lower the blade, put down the controller, then shift into reverse, feathering the clutch with your foot so you don't start spinning the wheels and wearing down the tires, and repeating all this well into the night and finally the fatigue sets in which will all get from having to service so many friggin accounts and getting them all done in a timely manner so every customer is happy.

[04hd]

very well said dave i agree 100% i used to have a f350 1982 with a 4spd wat a pain in the butt...and these 4l80 are so strong i have not had any problems knock on wood...what do you think about upgrading the tranny cooler.mine gets like 200 when plowing for a while not that its horrable just not a big fan

[sgrah230]

good tips on the tranny fluid. And I might have to try the ATF fluid with the Dry Gas...never really thought of using that. I will have to give it a try this coming season.

[Kodiak450]

very well said dave i agree 100% i used to have a f350 1982 with a 4spd wat a pain in the butt...and these 4l80 are so strong i have not had any problems knock on wood...what do you think about upgrading the tranny cooler.mine gets like 200 when plowing for a while not that its horrable just not a big fan

 

 

200? Thats lower then normal. Mine gets to 210, used to want to over heat so I changed thermostats and problem went away for good! Oh man, plowing with a 2500HD is so much more powerful then a F250. The 96 F250 I had that is. I'm sure todays F250's are better, at least I hope they are better now. The tranny cooler doens't need upgrading, it was that thermostat which was a round metal device that was held on with one bolt. Before I changed it, i used to have to constantly position the plow to make sure the fan would kick on. Are you getting the same problem with over heating or something? This simple swap will make a world of a difference. And furthermore i can drive with the plow all the way up in any postion without temp spiking. Seeing you have an 04, you might also have this problem, cause GM came out with a better thermostat sometime in 2004.

[Kodiak450]

good tips on the tranny fluid. And I might have to try the ATF fluid with the Dry Gas...never really thought of using that. I will have to give it a try this coming season.

 

It's also cheaper rather then spending $10 a quart on your plows brand recommended fluid (which is basically ATF fluid). Just remember, i only use 2-3 cap fulls of dry gas (isoheet in the red bottle). Walmart was having a good deal on two bottles of isoheet a couple weeks ago I saw. The ATF is in a blue bottle I buy.

[Kodiak450]

Also when I apply the fluid film to my snow plow, it prevents snow from sticking from it most of the times, so you are not carrying around that extra added weight from the clumps of snow that sticks to the blade.

[04hd]

Yes last year I put in the upgraded fan clutch if that is what your speaking of. Or if you mean the engine thermostat... No I did not change that. The fan clutch did wonders I can tow a car in traffic on a 90 degree day with ac on no prob. That wasn't the case with the other fan clutch.

[04hd]

O I also have a had a e47 pump for 3 years this year I will finally put on the 58. This is a meyer plow btw.

[Kodiak450]

Yea fan clutch, that was it! I also added this stuff called water wetter which helps you run a couple degrees cooler. It states it makes it run more cooler then that, but all I noticed was a couple degrees.

[04hd]

I'm looking forward to this year hope we get large amounts of snow...good overtime.

[Kodiak450]

I'm looking forward to this year hope we get large amounts of snow...good overtime.

 

What state you live in? It's been slow the last 3 seasons here in NJ. Luckily I live in the elevated area of the state and got snow instead of rain like lower elevations did all winter basically. I think we are going to do just fine this winter. Including lower elevations. I'll tell you what, I miss having those nice big snow storms, the kind that dump over a foot of snow during a single storm. I'd love to see how good that Western pro plus 8.0 will do pushing 14" or more.