New To Plowing

[SilverBulletSS]

Hen you seem very knowledgeable about these older trucks and plows. Would it be an inconvenience for me to ask for your help with any issues I may have?

[sonjaab]

If thats the controller you have it is a cable operated conventional Western.

(I knew it wasn't a uni-mount....That other controller pic had me stumped~!)

 

Those conventionals are simple and bulletproof !

 

Sure you could swap it right over to another gmt-400 truck with no problems

but to mount it to a gmt-800 or 900 is gonna take some major fabricating.

I don't think Western offers any mount/push bars for a gmt 800-900 truck.

 

As far a spare parts you will need a spare lift cable, a spare solenoid and a plow

mount pin. These parts are avail. at most Farm and Tractor stores a lot cheaper

than the Western dealer.

 

Sure they won't be genuine Western but 1/2 the price !!!!!!!!!!

 

I bought one of these plows new in 1990 ran it 10 years and sold it to my bud and

hes STILL running it !!!!!!!!!!!

It works fine but the blade is like Swiss cheese.....................

[SilverBulletSS]

I decided I'm just gonna keep this plow on this truck. I do want to replace the controller as the one in the truck is pretty old and crappy. If all goes well this year I will purchase a newer truck and buy a brand new plow for it.

 

I'm just having issues with the truck mechanically. The fuel gauge is stuck on empty, worked when I picked up the truck, showed an 1/8 of a tank ran over and filled her up and the gauge dropped passed empty lol wrong way.

 

Seems it needs a battery and alternator, whenever I move the plow the volts gauge drops all the way past 7 volts. I know it needs a tune up, the muffler is shot and its missing the tail pipe. And the oil pressure gauge is always at 60 psi...

 

It's kinda making me nuts all these little things.

[sonjaab]

As far as replacing that cable controller your not gonna find anything NEW or better.

There is no alternative controller avail. for that old conventional.

Lubing the cables will help if smooth out its operation.

 

And yes the plow is gonna tap out the alternator when in operation.

I can assume your truck has the stock 100? amp. or less unit on it.

Mine would do the same thing and I didn't have any issues either.

As long as your not having any dead battery or other electrical issues i wouldn't

worry about it......................

[SilverBulletSS]

I was thinking of just replacing the controller with the same one, but newer. I found tons of them for sale.

[Kodiak450]

@ GrapeSoda thanks man, it really was.

 

 

@ Hen this is the controller I have currently in the vehicle.

 

 

I never seen a controller like that , that is ancient.

[SilverBulletSS]

Lol I said it was old! The controller is still available though.

 

Lol I said it was old! The controller is still available though.

[Kodiak450]

^{Yea, you can find alot of spare parts in the auto part stores in NJ and PA. And most likely all around the country. I guess you'll have to play with the tripometer after fill ups and reset everytime you fill up to give you an idea of how much gas you have used. Only thing is plowing causes more fuel to be used when working the engine. I probably would get that fixed for peice of mind reasoning. I know not having an operatable gauge would drive me nots and make me paranoid as to how much fuel is left in the tank. Problem most likely is the pump and meter that measures the fuel in the tank, which is not a cheap fix. You have to do what you have to do in keeping tht truck running as it is a money maker when it snows.}

 

^{What bothers you the most about the controller? It looks like it can be positioned anywhere where you feel comfortable using it. Is it a PITA in general? By looking at it, it doesn't seem practical to use double sided tape and positioning it where a comfortable reach for use is good for you, as it has a long metal pole that will move the controller box if not fastened downed tightly. You could try moutning it to a peice of wood, then shove the reamaining wood under the middle bench seat between the floor and seat. This will give it stability when operating it. The only only question is reach for you. I would probably build the mounting area up higher if it doesn't feel comfortable as far as reach goes by adding pecies of wood to the mounting area, bringing the controller stick part up to at least the height of a manual transmission shifter height. Cramming the end of the wood by leaving 6" or more under the seat console area will ensure it won't move around alot.}

[sonjaab]

Why spend $200 on a new controller? Is the existing one broke? If its operation is just sticky a good lubing and check for cable binding and routing will smooth it out a lot.

Heres the plow pin link and I mentioned in my previous post. Its smart to have a spare one of these for $5 bucks........... http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/unimount/plow-parts/western-hitch-pin.html

And the cables: http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html'>http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html

http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html

And spare hoses: http://www.plowpartsdirect.com/western-parts/conventional/western-control-cable-adjustable.html

[SilverBulletSS]

The controller on my truck is actually bolted to the underside of the dash, literally as you said Hen looks like a manual trans. It's right there in reach, the problem is it feels so loose, when I raise the blade and let go of the controller it doesn't stop at center, it slides down causing the blade to slowly drop, at times it causes the blade to quick drop. I guess cleaning it up and replacing a few parts is cheaper than replacing the controller.

 

As for the fuel gauge I've narrowed it down to 2 things, A) the ground on the sending unit has corrosion build up, therefor blocking the signal to the gauge. B) The sending unit itself crapped out and I need to replace it, it's a cheap fix, the sending unit is only $50, I just don't want to go through the hassle of dropping the tank.

 

Edit: I'll snap a pic of the controller mounting location in my truck tomorrow.

[SilverBulletSS]

sonjaab, that site is amazing, i didnt know about that place. I can get all i need there if anything ever breaks, minus the hydraulic hoses.. Thanks!!

[sonjaab]

Note that the conventional cable controller will not center itself! You must move it to the center position to stop movement. Open it up and see how simply its made and the few parts inside it. There is also a different mount aval. so it can be mounted on the floor instead of the dash. But since its already mounted to the dash I would just check for cable routing and binding.

 

There are only a few places that sell genuine Western parts at a discount

but like I mentioned Farm & Tractor and NAPA sell knockoff brand replacement parts for most plows.