Im planning on putting a 8.5 fisher plow on my f350 7.3 stoker. What should i know before i do it? I live in connecticut we had 6 plow able storms last year is it worth the wear and tear on my truck? Any thoughts.

 

i dont think you will wear and tear that truck! but is it worth it to do that ?thats something u have to deside!

 

well there is is alot more to plowing than most think. You need to get the correct ins, and youll have to deal with getting accounts, then when it snows making sure you get to all your accounts on time. What happens if you have a break down? you will need back up plans. Then of course you need to do the billing and then wait to get paid all the whill still filling up at $3.65 a gallon. There is a decent amount of expenses that go into plowing. Will it put more wear and tear on the truck? well of course it will. All the up and down action on the front springs will eventually result in a cracked spring (seen it 4 times), the extra wear on the front ball joints and all the steering components up front. And of course we cannot forget about the transmission!

I know it sounds like im trying to talk you out of it but since I do plow i am aware of all the extra costs you dont really think about. Also you cannot forget about the 5 to 6 grand you are going to spend on a plow. It will be quite a few years before you really break even and make a good profit. This winter should yield me a good profit since last year i was big time in the red (and fuel prices were only $2.30-50 per gallon for diesel). There is also alot of good reading on www.plowsite.com.

Plowing is a ton of fun but it does not come free!

 

I have the plow prety much rigged and ready to go. My insurace is commercial plowing included it was cheaper for me to go that route dont ask why. Im not sure seeing its my first year. Maybe just getting a few acounts and see what happens. Thanks for the help.

 

You better check with your insurance co,beacuse your only insured for traveling
with the plow to and from jobs.you need inus for the lots.Unless you sub for someone than you work off there insu.check out plow site.com good luck.

 

If you have never plowed before, I would recommend that you work for a plowing contractor that has been in business for a while.
He can teach you tricks of the trade that can save you money and time.
Also there is someone to service accounts that you can not do if you break something.
Yes there is more wear and tear on everything, ball joints, tie rod ends, alternators, batteries, U joints, tires, clutches, transmissions, springs, shocks, wipers and wiper motor and the list goes on.
If you plow long enough, you will break something that will have either your truck or plow out of commission.
Every customer you did not plow before you broke down will be mad, they don't care that you broke something.
The only thing they care about is their lot is not plowed.
Don't ever expect a vehicle to cut you a break, you are just in their way.
You also have to look out for people that try to get you to hit them so they can sue you.
Sneak in behind you while you are backing up or popping around a corner right in front of you.

Do you need a contractors license?
Not needed for snow plowing here, but I do have a contractors license anyway.
Do you need a business license?
We need to have a state business license and a business license for every town we work in here.
What about taxes?
We have to collect sales tax on every plow job and send it in to the state.
Are you required to have warning lights?
No requirement for that here, but I have two strobes anyway and am looking at more.
Even commercial insurace will probably not cover plowing snow unless you have a rider on the policy for customer liability coverage.
I carry liability insurance on my company and commercial insurance on my truck.
Do you have work lights that shine to the rear?
Stock backup lights are not much good at 3 AM when the conditions are almost white out.

Know the area you are plowing.
I hate to plow a place I have never been, you have no idea what you may run over or into that is covered with snow.
Every year I walk every account's lot while there is no snow on it before the season starts to see if anything has changed from last year.
I saw a guy run into a curb at 20 MPH in a mall parking lot that was covered with snow.
Totaled his plow and bent the frame on his truck.
That could have been avoided if he had walked the lot a few times looking for things like that.
When you walk the lot, you also have to remember to look for landmarks that will not be burried in a snow fall at least three times as deep as a normal snow for your area, never know when the big one will fall.

www.plowsite.com is a good place to get lots more info on everything related to snow and ice removal.

 

I put a 8.5ft Western Pro Plow on the F250 back in 01. Thought it would generate some extra money in the Winter months. To date it's earned me a whopping $20. Luckily I bought it when it was two years old and only paid $1,700 for it.

Three years ago I used it three times.
Two years ago I used it two times.
Last year I didn't use it once. My neighbor plows me out and I trade him fresh fish fillets.

I'd sell it but when the big snow year comes I'll be ready.

 

what a awful predicument, hitting an unseen curb at 20, plowing.
Tell that to the insurance claims guy and I'm sure you'll see him try his hardest not to bust a gut.

 

Be careful installing ANY plow on the front end of a Ford Diesel. You will run through ball joints every year. In fact, this is why ford doesnt put factory installed plows on their diesels, too much weight. Plus, i have been told that the size of the fan on this engines will slow down or actually start to try turning backward at highway speeds when the plow is in the right position. Other than this Go Get Em'

 

I used to work for the Public Works and we plowed the city in beefed up F250s and GMC 8500s.

First, it will beat the crap out of your truck. Even the 8500s have tweaked front frames and loose steering. One of the F250s now sucks to drive over 55MPH as it takes constant imput to keep it going straight, even after new front end parts.

Second, if you hit things and have the springs set right, the plow just flips down and/or bounces up. I've hit plenty of curbs going way too fast.

We went through a whole bunch of ball joints but the fan never turned backwards or anything like that and I drove them on the highway in every position possible at speeds of 70MPH plus.

Honestly, I can't see how people make money plowing privately. We broke crap nonstop when we plowed. Alternators, lights, wipers, not to mention all the springs, pins, hydro lines, and even an A-frame or two on the plow itself. Then there's the insurance, occupational license (If you get one), and taxes (If you report the profit).

But it is fun. Well, maybe when it's not your truck.

Mike

 

Yeah i wondered about the whole fan thing. this was a dealer tech that told me about that story.

 

That is all hear say. I work in my family business and we have 2 early 99 7.3 trucks and they are at 230K and 280K miles, The ball joints have been replaced only one time on each truck and the trans has been rebuilt recently on both of the trucks. Original everything, bone stock, used and abused, never washed. The batteries get replaced every 2-3 years. My 03 7.3 has been plowing since 03, still on the original BJs, new batterie this year, well maintained, recently rebuilt trans, but look at mods in sig. everything else is original. Plowing can be very profitable if you take care of your equipment and actually know what you are doing. Also, you have to quote your accounts accurately otherwise, you will lose money.

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...ht=ball+joints
I am just quoting what the dealer said and take a look, Ford will sell factory equiped trucks but NOT on their diesels.

 

Thats crazy tecman, my 03 with the 6.0 is on its 3rd set of ball joints with never even having seen a plow on it

 

Thats because of the weight rating on the front springs not because of balljoints. Not to mention, its not on all diesels either, when we ordered our reg can, longbed 99s from the dealer we ordered them with a monroe steel V bed salter and a western 8'6" pro plow on our F-350 from the DEALER. However with my 03, you could not order it with a plow on it because it was a crew cab short bed. So we bought a boss plow and installed it ourselves. They even warrantied the balljoint despite the fact it has a plow on it. the leather steering wheel was also replaced from all the use it got from turning, haha