Snow Plowing Negatives?

[want a 2500HD]

hey im looking at picking up a plow kit but im afraid to dish out $5000+ and wreck it by hitting a sewer cover, curb, speed bump. it would be really hard to notice these obstacles since you are the first vehicle to travel on top of fresh snow and it would be almost impossible to notice/remember them. do the plows have like shocks or something built on the bottom to help with this, if it is a problem for you plowers.

[hockeypro1411]

Anyone who plows and hasn't sent a manhole cover flying 50 feet through the air isn't doing it right. Speed bumps you just kind of have to know where they are. They won't destroy anything, but it's not something I'd try to chance. Curbs are mainly the reason people go out and make notes of plowing jobs before the snow starts falling. Curbs can and will wreck a plow, however it's a lot less common than you might think. Also some plows now have trip edges on them that essentially allow the edge to "trip" back when you hit something solid so that the plow isn't hurt. Obviously these wont help if you hit a curb going 15 mph, but they help on small stuff. If you're worried about buying a plow because you don't want to wreck it, I'd say buy a used one until you get a good feel for plowing. These things are built to take some normal abuse.

[REV353]

I agree, check out the places your going to plow before the snow hits, if you pick up a new job, ask the people where the stuff is, take a squirt bottle with some food coloring in it and make marks in the snow where stuff is, or you think it its. Take your time and use your head. One other thing to think of is to push the snow back as far as you can, this will give you extra room for the up and coming snow.

[Kodiak450]

hey im looking at picking up a plow kit but im afraid to dish out $5000+ and wreck it by hitting a sewer cover, curb, speed bump. it would be really hard to notice these obstacles since you are the first vehicle to travel on top of fresh snow and it would be almost impossible to notice/remember them. do the plows have like shocks or something built on the bottom to help with this, if it is a problem for you plowers.

 

 

Some snow plow's like mine have two shock absorbers, usually you have thme on the 8.0 and up plows along with extra trip springs. Speed bumps are not a problem at all, as the plow will glide over it. The only way you could cause damage is if you were to hit something while moving fast. However he blade would trip in this case and make a loud noise as if you got into an accident. If you are concerned about curbs, put up some reflective stakes. Usuaully you know where the curbs are under the snow even if you are not too familar with the lot. You'll see cars parked in the lot, which shows you where the curbs end, ect. When plowing close to a curb, come up to the curb slowly and either look or feel it with the plow, before plowing. When pushing snow towards a high curb, I start to raise blade just before the curb to push the snow up on the lawn and to stack it. It's mostly all instinct for me as to where the curb is. I always slow down to about 1 mph just a few inches away from curb. I plow at 10-13 mph, this way it keeps your line of sight open as if you plow faster, the snow will blind the windsheild, depending on if it is powerdery or not. Wet snow, doesn't apply and with wet snow you need to give it more gas, in order to maintain momentum.

 

Are you planning on getting a plow for personal use or for commericial use?

[want a 2500HD]

Are you planning on getting a plow for personal use or for commericial use?

 

 

Well, right now i am working on getting the truck from the dealership but having much difficulty due to not having established enough credit. I've payed off my student loan, cell phone bills that went to collection agencies, and its been about 9 months since i've done this and got my "pre-paid" visa and made all the full payments on time every month so far and they still wont accept me.

 

I've made a deal after going to about 7 or 8 dealerships throughout the greater toronto area, and the best deal i got for a '10 2500hd crew, SLT 6.0, 6.6ft box, z71, 4x4 (need abit of comfort since im using this as my family car) was $7500 cash incentive, $1000 bonus christmas gift, plus another $4463 on top of the $8500 program going on, plus they are offering $15k+8% for my car. I signed the contract and the next day the finance guy at the dealer called me and said he coulnt do it Im still gonna try, but we'll see how its gonna work out. i dont have my dad living here, and my mom wont help me out, neither will my girlfriends parents help her out and my girlfriend is going through some shit called Equifax because last summer at the cottage, she left her purse in the car while going swimming and someone took her purse and changed her identity. i know its confusing, but thats the situation.

 

But i want to travel to Buffalo because on ebay.com, there is a dealer in illonois who sells Western plow packages for really good prices, and because its pretty far, it says he can ship the package to Buffalo for $225 which would be much more convenient for me, gas and time wise. i want to start getting contracts because i do construction and i get layed off in the winter and seems like there is a good potential for plowing, especially due to the fact that i live in canada. Now i have a few questions:

 

1)Should i wait for the 2011 2500 comes out, from the research ive done, it wont be much different, just minor front end changes and im sure some electronic gizmo's, but if i can get it now, should i go for it now or wait 5 or 6 more months, honestly?

2) there are soo many plow companies out there (the boss, Western, fisher, meyer etc) which are the top 3, in order. i am the type of person to spend abit more cash and get something worth it.

3) whats your opinion on "V" style plows versus the straight ones.

4) what type of shops installs snowplow. i was thinking maybe the truckstop type shops because trucks deal with hydraulics eqiup alot, and roughly whats the price range for a full install. any people in buffalo or surrounding area know any good shops so i can keep in mind. it will be pretty new truck, so i want a very clean job (wires loomed/tucked) no hackjobs, etc. dont even mind travelling up to 500 miles as long as i get a very good job for the right price

5) Timbrens worth the $$ for the type of truck im looking at?

 

thank you very much

 

edit: here is the ebay guy who sells the plow kits: im looking for an 8ft, im just using this link to show you the vendor:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/WESTERN-86-...ultDomainQ5f100

[jro909]

they take a nice beating, just avoid curbs and small children...just remeber that the extra weight means extra braking room is needed and of course extra wear and tear if your planning on doing big jobs

[hockeypro1411]

1. The trucks will be basically the same. Maybe wait and try to get a leftover 2010.

 

2. Hard to go wrong with BOSS, Western, Meyers, or Fisher

 

3. They're awesome.

 

4. The plow dealer will.

 

5. Absolutely.

[want a 2500HD]

4. The plow dealer will.

 

I dont think he works for Western, i think he just gets them somehow and sells em? or he is a distributor for western. and plus, since im shipping it to Buffalo, I would have to find someone in Buffalo to install the kit for me.

 

As for the rigidity of the V models, maybe Hen Avenger could shed some light on this, but i would think that a straight blade model would hold up much better against damage, since its a solid piece. I'm not too sure about the price difference yet, because i am still trying to figure out which model/make would be best for me, but im liking the Western Pro-Plus model. still would like to get some info on the other makes though. thanks

[hockeypro1411]

4. The plow dealer will.

 

I dont think he works for Western, i think he just gets them somehow and sells em? or he is a distributor for western. and plus, since im shipping it to Buffalo, I would have to find someone in Buffalo to install the kit for me.

 

As for the rigidity of the V models, maybe Hen Avenger could shed some light on this, but i would think that a straight blade model would hold up much better against damage, since its a solid piece. I'm not too sure about the price difference yet, because i am still trying to figure out which model/make would be best for me, but im liking the Western Pro-Plus model. still would like to get some info on the other makes though. thanks

 

 

Find a dealer in your area for whatever brand you end up buying and see if they'll do the install. If they won't, ask them where they recommend. I'm sure they know plenty of places. V plows are just as reliable as straight blades. V blades are nice because you always have the option to make it a straight blade.

[Kodiak450]

I'm personally not a fan of V blades, too me it's extra moving parts to go wrong. I remember when a friend of mine got a Fisher V plow, and it would allow snow to push through center point of blade. V's would be ideal for transporting, and pushing deer out of your way, LOL. I don't see the benefit of a V using it on private roads and long driveways. You still have to make two passes with a straight blade, and same with a V. If you plowed with a V, you would have x amount of space cleared, then turn around and put plow into straight and push more snow off to side coming back out. Driveways and roads are wider then a V position, and I always like to push snow wider then area being plowed (this way I can anticipate future storms, and have room to push more snow).

That is a very good price for a V though.

 

Sounds like to me you want to take a very big risk with buying a brand new truck along with brand new plow. I personally would have secured accounts first, I never purchase equipment unless it will pay for itself over a short time. Do you have anything as far as accounts lined up yet? With a new truck you are looking at over $35k and $5k for a plow. You could go used on the truck and get a new plow, this way you have less expensive.

[59ih340]

Most of the time a V-plow is not worth the extra trouble. The only time they are worth it is if you have tight parking lots.but if that's the case you're usually better off with a 7.5 straight blade.

[Kodiak450]

Forget 7.5 blades, unless you just have small driveways to do (even small drives, I can do with my 8.0 and much faster). Once you start doing lots, you're gonna wish you had spent the money on an 8.0 or higher. Time is money, and you need to spend as less time as possible at each account in order to get everyone cleared by day break. I have a bunch of customers, I technically should have another truck out plowing at this point, but manage to get by with one truck and save thousands and thousands because of it. I had a 7.5 once and would never go back to one. the 8.0 totally out performs my 7.5. The only reason I could see getting a 7.5 is because of trucks weight restrictions, for example a 1500 and F150 truck. Get the 8.0 and some timbrens SES and you'll be all set to go. If you are gonna salt get yourself an extra spring added to the rear stack to accomodate the weight of the palet of salt and towing trailers, ect. Real great investment I did was adding a HD spring to my rear stacks.

[want a 2500HD]

by "HD" do you mean adding the 3500 HD Springs to the rear because the truck im looking at is an HD but the 2500 version.

 

Also, i've been doing some research on the snowplowing forums, and it seems that Boss is way better than western. the only thing, is the mounting bracket is super noticeable. any opinions on boss? compared to Western.

[Kodiak450]

You probably read someones personal opinion on Boss, to be way better is a huge gap. Western not only is todays most popular brand plow used , but also is the biggest. They own Fisher and Blizzard brands. Their plows are built very well, right down to the paint finish. There is a reason why I went with a Western plow, and it's not for the looks. Western was always a popular brand used, that and Meyers. Meyers popularity has declined over the years, and the past problems with their pumps put a black cloud over their brand, at least in my state from what I've seen. I hardly ever see any other brand plow being used here, a few curtis's, boss, and blizzard every now and then. But majority of contractors and municiple use Western.

[Fobroader]

here in Alberta Ive seen lots of trucks with snowplows go for under $5k, instead of possibly wrecking a new truck and spending a crapload on one, get a used truck to do this with. It will pay for itself in the first season, maybe even less. just an option.