so much easier using photobucket..

on FTE when editing your post, push the 'mountain' icon to paste the image link into your post..

sam

 

I'll try that. Thanks...

 

For those who have upgraded their springs, where did you get the springs from? Ford? I had a parts guy tell me today that Ford has somebody else do all their springs and you cannot order them from the parts department.

 

I have a 8.5 Diamond with a steel foil on top of the blade on the 02 in sig, what a beast!

I went to a spring shop in the twin cities and bought an extra spring and we did the install, so i have a 3 spring set up with "B" code stockers up front. It drops about 1 inch when i pick up my plow.

We put the same spring set up on a 04 f-350 137" wb with a plow package that has the "X" codes and runs a boss v. It doesnt dip down much at all when he picks up his plow!

 

Hey BTerry, I was looking at the Blizzard power match app. Don't those things weigh something like 1400 lbs? Can your front GAWR handle that or are you running over?

 

It's a LP (Low Profile) model, they are 1075 pounds give or take. Some guys are running them on F250 with the heavy springs. My truck has the 6000 pound springs - so I'm pretty sure I'm legal.

 

With a good bit of ballast maybe... With no balast and the lopro on my 05 F350 Crew Cab V10, I'm at 6,240lbs on the front axle... I'm running 6k coils on that truck along with firestone coilrite 'bags inside the springs. With the diesel, I can all but guarantee you're over the axle rating without ballast.

As for being "legal", DOT looks at the tire ratings and plated weight, not the axle ratings...

A "pre-DD", I doubt it... That would be like finding a brand new plow, never even un-crated, that's been stuck in a barn for 5 years, pretty unlikely... Yes, it may be a power-hitch 1 plow, but very few lopro's were made before DD took over, moved the factory, and started cheapening them up...

 

Here is my 2006 f-250 6.0L with a 9'2"steel Boss V plow. The plow works great in the snow belt of the UP of Michigan



Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - Joks79's Album: 06 F250 6.0L - Picture

 

I bet that sucks backin up with the sled wagon plowin the white gold!

 

09 F-250 5.4L XLT w/ snow plow package. Western 7.6 plow



I practiced with it last year on my own driveways and am looking to plow residential and light commercial this upcoming winter season to help the truck pay for itself.


I am mainly looking for any plowing tips and info as well as some aftermarket info on certain items related to plowing and accessorizing in the warm months. Any info on plowing, hot aftermarket stuff and good F250 info please send my way !

Some items I am looking for help on:

• Contracting advice - pay per push or contract for flat rate for the season? Anyone have some contracts I can view for reference? Not sure what I should have in them to protect myself...
• How is pricing handled? I can ask what others are charging but each driveway is different. Is there a standard pricing formula to follow?
• Looking for advice on a plowing strobe light (LED preferably) and some good floods when in reverse... any suggestions? I see a lot of guys with lights on Back Racks not sure what the advantage is?
• I have an HID kit to put in the Nighthawk headlight system on the Western Unimount. Anyone installed these before with the relay? The ballasts need power from the wires on the plow because the relay is too short to reach under the hood and to the battery. Any suggestions ?
• I really want to get a set of great snow tires for the 18's that come on the 250... need some suggestions

If you have any suggestions please contact me via email at jesse.david.koch@gmail.com ! Thanks !

 

...I practiced with it last year on my own driveways and am looking to plow residential and light commercial this upcoming winter season to help the truck pay for itself...
Sweet, sub contract with someone more experienced in the business before jumping in.

...pay per push or contract for flat rate for the season?..
Depends on the area, pretty sure where you are, most a seasonal. Might be wrong.

...Anyone have some contracts I can view for reference?...
Nope. Join SIMA, they'll let you see thiers.

...Not sure what I should have in them to protect myself...
Get a lawyer.

..How is pricing handled? I can ask what others are charging but each driveway is different. Is there a standard pricing formula to follow?...
You need to know your costs. Be sure to include truck replacement, and commercial vehicle AND General Liability insurance policies, etc., etc.

...Looking for advice on a plowing strobe light (LED preferably) and some good floods when in reverse... any suggestions?...
I have Whelen LED strobes on all four corners, but will add a dual halogen rotator. The rotators can kind of be seen around corners and have lots of pop. Two rotators should be your minimum.

...I see a lot of guys with lights on Back Racks not sure what the advantage is?...
Not sure, easier to mount lights, and to protect cab?

...I have an HID kit to put in the Nighthawk headlight system on the Western Unimount. Anyone installed these before with the relay? The ballasts need power from the wires on the plow because the relay is too short to reach under the hood and to the battery...
Make sure you use the proper size wire - those things use juice.

...I really want to get a set of great snow tires for the 18's that come on the 250...
Round ones, getting tired of typing. Don't ask so many questions at once.

Good luck. Sorry if some of my answers are too blunt.

 

Nice rig, Beast!

I would take bterry's advice with the subbing. You'll learn a lot in one year. As for the tires, I myself will be running General Altimax Artics. I suggest going on TireRack.com and seeing what you like. The BFG All Terrain TA/KO also works really well for snow.

 

Bterry thanks for your expertise

Pinky Demon - thanks for the specifics I'll
look them up!

 

Covered it pretty well. I'll add a few things...

In terms of contracts, I can't stress enough, get a competent lawyer to help you. The sample ones you can find on the internet are too broad, you need a contract written in a specific manner to cover your specific operations, what you do, what they can expect of you, and what you can expect of them.

Pricing... As said, know your costs... And don't low ball just to get work. It does you no good to be super busy and not make any money.

I'll disagree with bterry on the lights. Rotators are effective, but suck an easy 10+ amps, taking up reserve you need to run the plow, salt spreader, defroster, etc. My favorite mini light bar to date is the ShoMe Luminator; brighter than a rotator, sucks little juice. LED's help with fatigue too, as it doesn't bounce around and reflect back into the truck like halogens and strobes.

Back racks slow down theft of your lights, as well as making them easier to install without messing with mounting straps on the cab, running wiring, etc. I like to permanently mount lights using backracks on the employee driven trucks. Too easy for them to forget to take the magnet mount light bar off the truck at the end of the night, and they will grow legs quick if not "screwed down". Also, if not careful, magnet lights can scratch your roof.

Not a fan of HID's for forward lighting. I have some used as work lights for spreading salt, but I would hate to have them on the front in a snow storm. Just what you'd need is more reflection off the snow to further strain your tired eyes; not to mention putting HID's in a housing not designed for them is illegal. Keep in mind, even cheapo plow lights work well when everything is already white, as the light reflects and bounces around easily on the snow. HID's suck juice, but only for the first few seconds they're on, after that they draw less than halogens. I still wouldn't put them in your plow lights. That idea gets a big F from me, keep the money in your wallet or find a better way to spend it than on gimmicky headlights.

I like my BFG AT KO's, Bridgestone Duelers, and Michelin LTX AT2's. Most name brand All Terrain tires will do fine in the snow.

 

I wouldn't worry about your headlights Beast. I had the old sealed beam Westerns on my old Unimount plow and they actually did a better job than my headlights. I would assume that the new Nighthawks are pretty good from all the talking they do about them.