Ideal Plowing Vehicle
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Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Sarnia, Ontario, CANADA!
Ideal Plowing Vehicle
I plow snow for a living and just thought I would let you guys know what I thought the ideal plow vehicle was. You guys can also let me know your experiences and what you would recommend.
First it would have to be a Bronco. They are short, heavy (equally balanced over-all), excellent turning radius and BUILT FORD TOUGH. The suspension is definetly built to have a plow on the front of it! Any engine would do but preferably a 5.8L V8 EFI. It would have to have an automatic transmission with an excellent cooler. If it had overdrive it would be preferable to have an overdrive OFF button so you don't have to shift from Reverse to neutral to overdrive then to drive. (NOTE: don't ever plow in overdrive!) It would have to have a manual transfer case and manual locking hubs (lets you KNOW you are in four-wheel drive and less stuff to break. trust me, you don't want your auto locking hubs or transfer case motor going out onyou at 3 am in the morning!) That's all I can think of for now but if I can think of more I'll let you know..........
-Matt
First it would have to be a Bronco. They are short, heavy (equally balanced over-all), excellent turning radius and BUILT FORD TOUGH. The suspension is definetly built to have a plow on the front of it! Any engine would do but preferably a 5.8L V8 EFI. It would have to have an automatic transmission with an excellent cooler. If it had overdrive it would be preferable to have an overdrive OFF button so you don't have to shift from Reverse to neutral to overdrive then to drive. (NOTE: don't ever plow in overdrive!) It would have to have a manual transfer case and manual locking hubs (lets you KNOW you are in four-wheel drive and less stuff to break. trust me, you don't want your auto locking hubs or transfer case motor going out onyou at 3 am in the morning!) That's all I can think of for now but if I can think of more I'll let you know..........
-Matt
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Joined: May 2003
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From: South Ga
Re: Ideal Plowing Vehicle
Originally posted by Beast12
First it would have to be a Bronco. The suspension is definetly built to have a plow on the front of it!
-Matt
First it would have to be a Bronco. The suspension is definetly built to have a plow on the front of it!
-Matt
Of course i don't ever see snow here............
Why skip the EFI?
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Joined: Sep 2003
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From: N. Florida - The "No 4x4
I'm thinking . .
71 bronco 4x4
4V92TI Detroit, Allison automatic trans.
Almost a 1000fp torque at about 1800 RMP - and will probably get 35 MPG in that Bronco.
Of course . . you'll need to make some spring modifications to hold the weight, but who wouldn't like having the 8-10" diameter tail pipe??
P.S. You CAN make your own fuel, too.
71 bronco 4x4
4V92TI Detroit, Allison automatic trans.
Almost a 1000fp torque at about 1800 RMP - and will probably get 35 MPG in that Bronco.
Of course . . you'll need to make some spring modifications to hold the weight, but who wouldn't like having the 8-10" diameter tail pipe??
P.S. You CAN make your own fuel, too.
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Post Fiend
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From: Sarnia, Ontario, CANADA!
Originally posted by mistercmk
Wouldn't a manual tranny almost be better for plowing? That is assuming you can handle working the clutch all day without your leg getting tired.
Wouldn't a manual tranny almost be better for plowing? That is assuming you can handle working the clutch all day without your leg getting tired.
But that's just my opinion. As with the EFI: much more reliable and your vehicle will run better. I would not skip onthe EFI. I plow with a 79 Bronco and the front end definetly can handle the plow. It doesn't even drop at all! I would think the newer Broncos would be just as good but I could be wrong. Our 79 has one coil spring and 2 shocks on each side on the front.-Matt
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From: Southwestern Michigan
I plowed commercially for several years with my 79 (see "ugly old reliable truck" in gallery). It has an NP435 trans and 4.11 gears.
The manual tranny is great when plowing and gets off the pile and backing up much quicker than an auto.....however, The gear ratio is reverse is so low that it takes forever to back up any distance.
I could keep pace with the automatic trucks if I didn't have to back up more than 40 yards for the next pass.
I really enjoyed plowing with the NP435.
The manual tranny is great when plowing and gets off the pile and backing up much quicker than an auto.....however, The gear ratio is reverse is so low that it takes forever to back up any distance.
I could keep pace with the automatic trucks if I didn't have to back up more than 40 yards for the next pass.
I really enjoyed plowing with the NP435.
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From: inver grove heights MN
from my short amount of plowing, ive personally gotta say, ill take a regular cab 3/4 ton or 1-ton pickup. i just find them to have less vision obstructions when looking over your shoulder. im sure they dont turn as good as a bronco though....
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From: Texas panhandle
In have a plow on my 79 F-150 swb 4x4, 400, c-6 and it works pretty good. I ran my brother-in-law's 78 F-250 4x4, 4 spd manual and thought it sucked big time. My leg was hollering after a short while and the slow reverse was a pain. My back tires spend most of the time spinning if I'm not in 4x4 but his has better traction in 2wd. I've got to put some weight in the bed.
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From: Racine WI
I dont think anything with twin traction beam is ideal to be honest, unless you added good springs or helpers so that it dont sag under the plows weight...........solid front axle seems best with leave springs, 78-79 broncos had coils tho i've seen them used quite successfully
New trucks it would have to be a Ford or Dodge, since the have soild front axles, not many trucks with standard trans in this category
I would say Ideal for Fords is pre 80 since having an indestrucable drive trains is ideal, i.e. np435-np205 and dana 60's...I can see the slow reverse dilema, tho I rather change a clutch than rebuild an automatic, cheaper and easier, also takes more abuse
I would also say less wear and tear on axles u-joints and knucles with a good operator since you cant get into reverse moving forward so your not banging reverse while still rolling into the pile which has to be hectic on those parts
New trucks it would have to be a Ford or Dodge, since the have soild front axles, not many trucks with standard trans in this category
I would say Ideal for Fords is pre 80 since having an indestrucable drive trains is ideal, i.e. np435-np205 and dana 60's...I can see the slow reverse dilema, tho I rather change a clutch than rebuild an automatic, cheaper and easier, also takes more abuse
I would also say less wear and tear on axles u-joints and knucles with a good operator since you cant get into reverse moving forward so your not banging reverse while still rolling into the pile which has to be hectic on those parts
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Post Fiend
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From: Sarnia, Ontario, CANADA!
Originally posted by otto
I would also say less wear and tear on axles u-joints and knucles with a good operator since you cant get into reverse moving forward so your not banging reverse while still rolling into the pile which has to be hectic on those parts
I would also say less wear and tear on axles u-joints and knucles with a good operator since you cant get into reverse moving forward so your not banging reverse while still rolling into the pile which has to be hectic on those parts
-Matt
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From: Iowa
heres the real deal on a snow blower, my gradpa made it out of his old IH combine, took a big 15 foot snowmblower and mounted it to the front of the combne where the head would go, works great spitts the snow right out of the back, he uses this for his 2 mile lane and also helps out the county when we get major snow falls and the roads get drifted to deep, nice invention.
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From: Racine WI
May I add central hydraulics are a beatiful thing on any serious plow rig
I hate to add this since its a chev, but this is supposably a $96,000 dollar snowblowing truck
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2448551029
I hate to add this since its a chev, but this is supposably a $96,000 dollar snowblowing truck
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2448551029
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From: inver grove heights MN
otto- id hope someone out there could recreate that with a real truck. and if they used a ford they could do it for wAY less than 95,000 dollars. how? they wouldnt have to rebuild the whole drivetrain like they need to with a chebby*
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From: torrington,ct
We used an 84 or so f-350 with the 460, C6 and I dont know what transfer case, but try as we might to kill it we couldn't. Hit piles at like 30 mph, transfer case managed to kick into nuetral. other then the fact that we couldnt keep a good carberator on it it ran like a champ and was never down for anything other then a dead battery or the carb. I think the ultimate as far as unstopable goes would have to be a 1st gen. expedtion. we had a 99 with the 5.4 3.73 l/s 17 inch rims, and awsome cooper tires. there balanced so well and have so much raw weight behind them(more so then bronco) that it should push any pile. as far as reliable well, its not a 84 f-350 but its a ford.(read: torsien bar IFS) we made our own parking spots on top of and in the middle of snow banks, it was great. Its gone thru snow in spots that got a toyota landcruiser(maybe 94-95ish???) stuck.