Friends, my brother is thinking of getting a snowplow for his 1996 Dodge Ram 4WD
PU TK. I was wondering if anyone who had snowplowing experience could give me a few pointers on what he can expect or watch out for. I would appreciate your expertise.
A few pointers I have gathered from riding along in a snow pusher:
Don’t ram into it. It only breaks stuff.
If you can’t push it, lift the plow a little bit, then get it on the next round.
Don’t try to plow in circles. It doesn’t work.
Wreckers make good snow pushers, because you can winch yourself out when you get stuck.
Don’t plow if there the more snow comming soon, or if it s windy. Plowing the snow to the side just leaves a big wall followed by a depression where you will accumulate much more snow than if you had left it alone.
Don’t try to put the plow in the bed of the truck on ice.
I’ll second the motion for a winch, you’ll need one.
Power angle plows are real expensive, but not much more useful than a manual
If you’re truck is an automatic you need to have a transmission cooler installed.
If it’s a stick, make sure your clutch is tight.
As a general rule of thumb, I wouldn’t advise putting a plow on a nice truck. Plowing is really hard on them. You are better off putting one on a junker.
Resist the temptation to adjust your skid plates so the plow is close to the ground. It doesn’t help, and you are liable to get hung up and hurt your truck, and plow. Two inches is about right. Once you start pushing snow, it’ll grab all of it.
Don’t try to plow ice, or especially ice crusted snow.
In a big snowstorm, resist the urge to plow repeatedly. Wait till it stops snowing, and then plow. I fyou plow repeatedly, you will pack snow along the sides of where you are plowing. When more snow falls or wind fills in the area you plowed, you won’t be able to push this new snow aside, and you will probably get stuck.
Snow must not come over the top of your plow. It will fall down into your mount and you’ll be stuck.
Four wheel lock is a nice feature in a truck for plowing.
Cinder blocks in the back of the truck give you good traction
Don’t go faster than twenty miles an hour while plowing.
Have a heavy duty radiator, and be careful while driving on the highway with the plow mounted. It will impede airflow over your radiator and risk overheating. A powerful fan helps, and you might want to remove the fan clutch, (or install a switch if it’s electric.
I have a big drive (1/2 mile), and I’ve ruined two trucks plowing. I repeat, don’t put a plow on an expensive truck. You’re better off with an old but serviceable Chevy.
Everything Uneasyrider said is true.