4 High Or 4 Lo For Plowing?

[sonjaab]

So now your the plowing expert too huh?

 

Funny don't see any push bar aka mounting carton on the frame of any of the pics you posted.

 

No wait your last truck got 300k miles and never needed a repair either......

 

Sure is gettin' deep!

[jro909]

4 hi.. 4 lo is overkill for most situations

[black_bird]

4hi if snow is light and not much load on the truck. otherwise i use 4lo as its easier on the transmission

[mcali17]

4 Hi in Tow/Haul Mode for 99% of the time. Our tranny guy told us that you should use 4 low when backing up under a heavy load. So when our sanders are loaded up and you have to back up a parking garage ramp or situations similar we slip them into low.

 

Family has been plowing since the early 1950's, this will be my 15th season in the business. Not counting riding shotgun in the truck since I was 5.

[CasualButJiggy]

I only use 4LO when I absolutely need it to get up an incline or out of a situation.

[cmrebel5]

I dont know what type of snow you are plowing, or where you plow, but anywhere in New England you need to push the snow back OFF the lots or driveways your are trying to clear. So unless you are one of those people who plow a lot and you lose 1/2 of the parking spaces, you must not get much snow. Once the banks are established, they freeze solid and will not be moved until spring, thats why its important to push them far enough back that further storms snow will have a place to go.

 

4Hi is fine, and 4lo is only needed for the extra heavy/wet snow, there is no reason to overwork your engine to push snow. Auto 4x4 is an awful idea for plowing, your putting too much stress on the differential and clutches with the torque being put out

.

 

 

I plow and have for years , I have never used 4lo for any reason at any time ever .. You are not a loader and you should never push such amounts of snow you need to horse the truck..I can only remember 2 times my block ever reached 1500rpm or beyond when snow plowing in the last 10 years ...

 

4Hi is all ya need,,matter of fact I now pow in Auto 4wd which is about the best way because when you drive job to job and are on dry pavement you do not have to select 2wd .. To me the auto 4wd is about the best feature i ever had on a plow truck

[wierdo124]

I use 4HI. And i use Auto4WD when driving around town, unless there's lots of snow.

 

My 6.0 has never had any issues as far as having the balls to push the snow. I've plowed through 2'6" of slush with this thing and that appears to be as much i'd put it through. That was fighting to keep traction on all fours. But the first plow i did with this thing i knew auto 4wd was a bad plan. I knew i didn't want to be able to feel it jerk into 4wd

[Kodiak450]

I prefer not to use 4wd unless I really need to. The ballast in the bed (2000lbs) loaded with rock salt really helps with traction. When no ballast is used and you used 4wd all the time, you will eventially see the PSF tire wear down more then the DSF tire. I only use 4Lo if I need to. Like the blizzard we had at the end of Feb this year, I got hung up alot during end of Feb's storm where we had over 22". 4Lo got me out everytime.

[Griptruk]

I agree with DieHrd's original post, you shouldn't need 4 lo in the vast majority of plowing situations. Your plowing technique should be such that you are pushing the snow to the side and using the momentum of the truck to push the snow, not brute force. If you have a V-plow or a push box and you are pushing deep wet snow then you might need it, but in most situations you really shouldn't need it. Also, you should be trying to stay ahead of the storm so you're not pushing a foot at a time. Obviously, there are situations where it builds faster than you can keep up, but even so, I've never found myself in a situation where power is an issue, I'm usually out of traction way before that would be an issue.

 

-Jer

[Kodiak450]

Also the size of the plow helps out alot. I used to use a 7.5 on smaller driveways that had tight areas which worked well for me, but after getting an 8.0 (9 3/4' with wings on) and the optional back drag edge, I no longer use a 7.5 blade. The 7.5 was too light as well and alot of times i had to replow areas over and over. The heavier 8.0' plow really cuts plowing time in half also does a much better job pushing the snow and getting up what the 7.5 would leave behind.

[kurt1993]

i would suggest plowing in 4HI and then shifting into 1 like DONT plow in drive.... its just bad to have your truck shift when you plow.... ive been keeping it in 4HI and leaving it in 1 for idk 5 years maybe? never had an issue... but if youre dealing with really tough snow i would shift it into 4 LO and probably keep it in first gear

[Kodiak450]

I use the tow haul mode option when plowing and driving between accounts. I only used 4 lo if I got stuck in the deep snow, or plow frame got hung up from stacking. You want ballast in the rear, my plow manufacturer recommends at least 450 lbs. I like to carry about 1500lbs, which bascially gives me much better traction thus not needing 4wd most of the time (depending on the type of snow). When you use 4wd all the time and have no ballast, you will wear down the PSFT from the tire spinning out on the icey surface. No need to keep it in 1 when plowing, unless ofcoarse you have some real heavy wet snow and are having trouble pushing it in D. I never had any transmission problems on any of my trucks in the past from plowing, and I've been in the business for well over 20 years. Also I've used 3/4 ton trucks or higher when plowing.

 

You also want to stop every once and awhile and stick your head out the window and see if you can smell burnt tranny fluid. If you do, I recommend you get a flush and new fluid. I get mine flushed every year basically. Cheap insurance will go a long ways.

[wierdo124]

i use 4hi.

[s mondeau]

I live in New England and have only missed 1 plowing season since 1982 to take care a sick farther. I also use ballast & plow in 2wd whenever possible, there is no way to get around using 4wd completely but 4lo for me only when in & around tight areas & the snow is wet & heavy.

[08 2500 HD]

I use 2WD whenever I can, with about 1200lbs of ballast, mostly logs and about 20 to 25 bags of rock salt. When I use 4WD it is always Hi. I don't remember the last time I used Lo. But then again, I've only been plowing for about 25 years.