Plowing with my 00 Z71

dougs01gt · January 11, 2005

I was just wondering about the tranny in this truck. how well do they hold up and should i be doing anything special so that it really lasts?? BTW i dont do much plowing , just 2 driveways. Mine and my sisters. Also what tranny do i have??

2000 Z71 5.3L

Reg cab short bed.

mcreyaufmiller · January 11, 2005

Depends on your tranny, if you have the 4L60E, that is a weak tranny, if you have a 4L80E, that is a little better. I would say that is you are going to plow, add a tranny cooler and have the fluid changed on a regular basis.

elgineddie · January 11, 2005

Doug,

Sorry, don't know what tranny you have but I can tell you that I've been plowing with my 2001 K2500 Suburban for 4 years and haven't had a problem yet. I only do driveways, too, for myself and my family, not any commercial plowing. 2 things you need to be sure of...

1) Be sure you are clean with your shifts, i.e., don't toss it into reverse when you're going 5 miles-per-hour forward

2) Get a trans cooler! I notice my trans temp rising when plowing so that's a must.

Enjoy!

catiaeng · January 11, 2005

My brother-in-law has plowed 4 winters on his 00 Serria. He has three parking lots and a number of driveways...no problems. He likes it better than his new 2500HD CrewCab with D/A.

You should be fine with your truck and just a few driveways. Shoot, I still see guys with S-10's and Jeeps plowing ! BUT it is how they are driven and used to plow, just be careful and take your time, you dont have to set any records plowing for family

BJ

builderpaul · January 11, 2005

Reg cab short box. That is a great plow truck for small places real manuverable.

If you got the plow prep option (VYU) than you have the coolers needed. If not than you should add a trans cooler and a set of Timbrens to help the front end.

You have the 4l60e trans. The 80 was only available in the 2500 and HD trucks. Stop before you shift.

For they small amount of use (2driveways?) you will be fine.

ctfan · January 12, 2005

Check out www.plowsite.com or http://www.snowplowing-contractors.com/forums. There are alot of great guys with great information about plowing on there.

William

99silveradoz71 · January 12, 2005

Everyone hit it right on. You've got the ligther duty tranny in the 1/2 ton. The key from what I've heard when I tossed around the idea of getting a plow on my truck at one point was it's how you shift and drive. If you're not doing lots, you should be ok. It's the repeated forward and reverse that'll do it in. Also, if you're making your day plowing, when you start getting tired, you're going to be throwing her into gear before the truck is at a complete stop too.