HELLO
I know absolutly nothing about plowing snow and snow plow equipment. Can anyone let me know what would need to be done to my 88 4x4 f-150 in order for it to support a PLOW and equipment? Also is there any kind of special licence I may need? Does anyone have a complete plow for sale? Any advice about plowing equipment(which is the good and the bad)
Thanks for any help you can provide.

Luke in MN

 

Look down on the list and read previous post "To plow or not to plow" last posted earlier today. This should answer most of your questions.

 

if you buy the plow from a dealer, let them install it. its worth the money they charge. auto trans is better for plowing than a stick shift. if you stall it with a stick shift and your battery is weak from lifting the plow, your stuck. install an external trans oil cooler to keep from burning up your trans. and replace your alternator with a higher amp rated one. a larger alternator wont hurt your truck, because alternators are designed to supply power only when needed. Im not sure of where you live, but in PA you dont need a special licence to plow snow. you may want to call your dept of motor vechicles and check.
eden

 

here in iowa no license is needed well just your regular of course. i wish i had put a trans cooler on my truck 93 150 ext cab 4x4 e4od 302. i have a complete plow 8.5 ft western uni-mount with wings and complete wiring (still in truck) as with every thing it is for sale for the right price lol. upgrades i made on my truck where a 130a alt. and rv824 coil springs it still needs some support in the front but seeing as i didnt have a cooler on my trans i am not plowing with my truck this year cant afford the 1800-2000 dollar trans rebuild. oh one more mod i made was a four core radiator big ole honkin bassturd lol too little too late but oh well. just a thought and it is what i did plow for someone else to learn b4 beating your rig. post back...

 

every winter i do alot of plowing of snow
but i use a 20000 lbs backhoe to do it
last year one of the guys at work hit a manhole that was stickign out of the pavement about an inch and a half
the impact of hitting that manhole lid at about 10 kilometres an hour sent him through the window bent the lift arms on the bachoe and split the 1 inch thick steel bucket in half
now this damage was done to a 20000 lbs machine doing 10 kmh but this machine is also made and designed for doing alot of hard work and getting a good beating throughout its life span

there is alot of hidden crap under the snow
curbs manholes speedbumps pot holes pavemant that has been overlaid and there is a ridge left

f 150 were not really designed as a work truck
just a truck to get you to work pack some grocerys carry the occasional trailor or camper
light duty kind of stuff
pushing fresh snow isnt to bad it is light
pushing wet snow is a different story all together
now imagine yourself out plowing at night making good money trying to really hustle so you can make even more money in the short time you can stay awake and oops
you just hit a curb bent the plow bent your frame or broke something

but it is not for me to tell you how to take care of your stuff
but if i was going to plow snow with a pickup it would be a minimum of an f350 maybe possibly an f 250 but not a f150

 

Snow plows are not made like backhoes.

A snowplow is on a pivot with springs holding it up so that when you hit something (uneven pavement, curbs, manhole covers) it will break over and absorb the impact then spring back up.

There are many people around my area that plow with Broncos and F-150 and have never had a problem. You should also add 500-600# of weight in the rear just for better traction.

You will as previously stated want heavy-duty springs in front, and most snowplow system come with dual battery kit, if the truck is not a diesel.

 

well mike i have to say i disagree with some of your points. for one there are alot of 150's plowing mine can push thru 14 inches of heavy wet snow with out complaining. and as far as hitting things i hit a manhole cover with a deere 310se at alot more than 10 km and it didnt hurt a thing. another point the backhoe is solid mount no give anywhere the plow has springs and a shock absorber so damage is limited you really have to hit something super hard. unless you are running a V-plow then you will bend a frame easy for the same reason of damaging the back hoe there is no give at all. all the things that can happen to a f-150 can happen to a f-250-tandem axle state dot rig. but to each his own

 

i agree with the slave on this one. I plow the township's roads when it snows with a 40,000 gvw dump and a 11ft side throw plow. the main thing when plowing is to take it easy and be careful. also, be prepared to repair your equipment. everything breaks in time. when i was younger, i used to go as fast as possible to see how high i could put the snow in the trees. then every spring i would spend a few days repairing my plow. now that ive calmed down a little, i spend considerably less time repairing the equipment. except for the time i hit that plate steel mailbox on the cut off telephone pole.......
good luck,
eden

 

i suggest a good tranny cooler and a trans temp guage at 250 degrees a auto does not work anymore. if it gets warm stop and let it cool with the engine running if that doesnt work change the fluid and try again watching that trans temp guage.

 

> i suggest a good tranny cooler and a trans temp guage at
>250 degrees a auto does not work anymore. if it gets warm
>stop and let it cool with the engine running if that doesnt
>work change the fluid and try again watching that trans temp
>guage.


as far as bringing the temp down i would not go as far as changing the fluid on the job. use what you are pushing park on a wind fall. and further more todays engines normal operating temp is around 210 degrees and the trans fluid is being "cooled" by the engine coolant so 250 is not a fair number to claim that an automatic trans will not work i would say once you hit 300 you need to get it cooled off

 

Out of all of these replys there is one thing missing Check with your insurance. Because if you clip someones garage door or parked car you want to make sure you got coverage.

Dan :-X12

 

good point cody.. lol i forgot to mention that it would run me about 300 more a year but my insurance guy is a buddy of mine and he says i dont have to pay that and he could get the claim pushed thru i got full coverage on my truck as it is but it will cost ya more

 

I think you guys might be able to help me with my own problem. I don’t plow snow with my f150 but I have a problem with the springs sagging from too much weight. With the plows I know you need some kind of suspension stiffener. What do you guys recommend?
'89f150 3+4" lift
Thanks
Lig

 

lig,
whats sagging, the front or the rear?
what truck do you have?
the easiest and cheapest way is an add a leaf kit, which wuldnt help you if you havea 150 sagging in the front. I'll keep checking this post, as im sure slave will, and one of us will be sure to help.
eden

 

My problem is upfront if the truck was a little older it would have leafs in the front. In short I have a '89 short bed 4X4 with a 4" suspension lift. This is the third set of springs because I have a brush guard and winch sitting almost 3' in front of the wheels. I know my little weight problem is nothing compared to a snow plow but I thought you guys might be able to point me in the right direction.
Other than this problem the truck is almost finished w/ 4" suspension and 3" body lifts, Lockers w/411's front and rear. After I straighten this out I can shop for some tires.
Thanks for the help
Lig