For the first time since we moved to Montana 5 years ago I broke down and purchased a full size snow plow (7.5 ft straight steel blade) for my full size truck (2010 Tundra) so I can now efficiently clear my driveway without freezing to death. I had to have 4 inch lifters installed all around because of the weight of the plow blade and its associated hydraulics were too heavy for the front end of my truck.
The plow works great, and I’ve had no problem with it, but I noticed that the front tires are a little more squat then I would like (and compared to the back tires). This is due entirely to the weight of the plow. When I remove the plow the tires look the same front and back. The tire pressure all around is 35 lbs. Should I beef up the pressure in the front by 5 lbs. or so, so the fronts look like the backs, or just leave things alone and not worry about it?
it depends on what the max pressure and load range is for the tires on the truck. Look at what’s printed on the side wall and post it here (the 2010 Tundra had several different tire sizes available.) It’ll say things like “Max Press. xx PSI cold” and “Load Range y.”
then I wouldn’t increase the air pressure by more than 1 or 2 psi. Radial tires always have a minor “bulge” at the bottom; back in the day when radials were new people always thought they were underinflated compared to the bias-ply donuts of the day. as long as you’re not exceeding the maximum load rating per tire you should be OK.
Curious about trucks/plowing. Is not you Tundra a half ton truck? And is not a half ton a bit light for plowing? I would have thought a 3/4 ton would be the smallest used for plowing.
I’ve got an 04 Dodge 1/2 ton short bed regular cab. I bought it used 2 years ago. I don’t believe they make a short bed regular cab in 3/4 ton. That’s the key for me. My drive is tricky. Very steep with switchbacks. The shorter wheel base is key for me. Even with that, I chain up all 4 wheels, and have a winch mounted on the back for when I inevitably get stuck. Or to pull out one of our SUVs. I have Nitto tires on it. Basically Mud terrains. Rated at 4080@80psi
Anyway, I have a Western 7.5 foot steel blade that is made specifically for 1/2 tons. It’s still a lot of plow, and I put timbrens on it for the front suspension. Great rig really.
Are you driving it on the highway with the plow attached? If not, definitely don’t worry about it. Heck, you might even want to let more air out to give you a little bit better traction. Some people will “air down” truck tires to single digit PSI for off-road work which is perfectly fine so long as they’re not going fast enough to allow heat to build up in the sidewalls.
Even if you are driving on the highway, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Do be careful though. All that weight hanging off the front of the truck will have the effect of taking weight off the rear wheels which serves to further accentuate the weight distribution issues that make unloaded pickup trucks super squirrely on wintry roads. Toyota bumped up the towing capacity and bed payload of this truck with that big V8 and a beefier suspension, but that doesn’t really have any relevance to how it’s going to handle the weight distribution issues created by the plow. The only thing that really matters is how heavy the truck itself is, which is why (so-called) 3/4 and 1 ton trucks are preferred if you’re going to be driving on the highway with the plow attached. A 1/2 ton truck is fine as a dedicated plow vehicle, just take it slow and careful if you have to drive it on the highway. A generous helping of traction sand tubes over the rear axle would be a good idea too.
Thanks for the advice GreasyJack. I’m fairly new to plowing with a truck, and so I appreciate the advice of people who have done this for a while. Up until now I was using my ATV with a mini-plow to clear the driveway, but it’s not a very efficient or comfortable way to do it… especially when the temperature drops below zero. I already put tube sand in the bed over the back wheels (120 lbs. per wheel) to help stabilize things and that made a big difference.
As far as driving on the highway goes, I do use this vehicle as my second car and sometimes take it on the highway where the speed limit is 70 mph, but I am very careful not to push it too hard or too fast. It has 4WD and with the added weight on the back it feels pretty stable even on icy road surfaces, but you can’t be too careful.