Cheap dedicated plow truck?

[LD48750]

In about two months we'll be closing on a property at the end of a 1/4 mile gravel road that I'll be responsible for maintaining. We're coming from a half acre lot on a public road so I have some equipment (lawn tractor, chainsaw, other OPE, etc...) but I don't have a CUT yet and and will probably need to get by without one for a little while. A buddy has an old 2.8L V6/Automatic 4x4 S-10, similar to this one (body is in much rougher shape):

View attachment 510784

He'd have to dump $2000 into it between an O2 sensor, new catalytic converter, exhaust, etc...in order to get it to pass NJ inspection, so he's willing to just give it to me. I'm thinking of doing the following:

-Weld up spiders in the rearend
-Fill all four tires with liquid ballast
-Fit v-bar chains to all four tires
-Build a weight box out of lumber that I can load with rocks, concrete, etc...that would be secured between the cab and the rear axle
-Fit/adapt a cheap plow

The idea would be to just keep it as a dedicated plow truck that will never leave the property, plus I'd probably find some other odd jobs like pulling, etc...to do with it. I think I'd certainly have enough weight and traction, but would the 2.8L give me enough power for snowplowing? We're in Northwest NJ, so most of the time I'll be pushing off 6-8" at a clip. If I know we're going to get feet of snow I'll be out there during the storm to get ahead of it. Not to mention it would be nice to have heat and windshield wipers

Keep in mind that MANY MANY people plow snow with just a 4 wheeler.

Pushing 6" of snow 20 yds is no more of a problem then pushing that same 6" of snow 200 yds.
That S10 will have plenty of power to push a 6.5' or 7' plow without doing anything to it other then maybe rear chains and some extra weight in the back.
My F150 has pushed over 14" of wet snow with only the rear chains, no extra weight.
If you have a problem, just take a smaller bite and make a few more passes.

 

[1stDeuce]

Lots of posts here from people who've never plowed saying this won't work and you need a 3/4 ton truck. Rubbish, I say. I have a 6' Meyer on my Jeep Wrangler and it is awesome! The Jeep has no problem pushing it, and I actually wish it was a 6.5'. In college I plowed a church and many fraternities/sororities with a'78 Chevy with a 250 straight six. That was in Houghton MI. (Not many places get more snow than that!!) It also had plenty of power and weight, and made a great plow truck, while being good on fuel.

A little S-10 would make an awesome driveway plow. You'll ideally want a 6.5' plow for it. A 6 or 7' would also work, but a 7.5' would be too big. The front end will be fine. Grease the balljoints and tie rods, and crank up the bars a bit to account for the weight and it'll probably never give you trouble.

I'd recommend against liquid ballast in the tires. It's not a tractor, and they're not big enough for it to make a difference. Skip the V-bar chains too, unless there's a LOT of ice where you live. Just put a set of cheap winter tires on it and toss about 300lbs in the box right at the tailgate and it'll push snow like a champ.

I'd also recommend against welding the rear up... If you leave it open, and you spin a bit, it'll probably still push straight. When you weld up the rear, it'll head downhill or whichever direction the plow is pushing if you spin at all. Not so cool when that happens, and you'll end up spun into a snowbank.

Good Luck!

 

[ch1ch2]

I say go for it and have fun.

 

[3930dave]

Being from Texas, it took me some time to figure out what you meant by a plow truck. I was originally thinking you were talking about pulling a disc or grader blade and I was thinking you were crazy.

Big belly laugh from me, reading your comment...... yep, definitely an up Nawth thing

We northeners tend to forget what Winter sears into our heads..... I was in Houston years ago on business and woke up to hear people talking about "Ice Storm" on the news. Got even more confused when I went outside..... turns out in that neck'o'woods that just meant that puddles had frozen.

Context is everything.

Jeeps were marketed with ag attachments, but that was a long time ago.... but I do recall full-service garages here years ago using old (pre-Wrangler) jeeps to clear their lots - did the job, and something that short of wheelbase can be handy clearing a car lot, or any other tight spots.

Rgds, D.

 

[Groo]

Lots of posts here from people who've never plowed saying this won't work and you need a 3/4 ton truck. Rubbish, I say. I have a 6' Meyer on my Jeep Wrangler and it is awesome! The Jeep has no problem pushing it, and I actually wish it was a 6.5'. In college I plowed a church and many fraternities/sororities with a'78 Chevy with a 250 straight six. That was in Houghton MI. (Not many places get more snow than that!!) It also had plenty of power and weight, and made a great plow truck, while being good on fuel.

A little S-10 would make an awesome driveway plow. You'll ideally want a 6.5' plow for it. A 6 or 7' would also work, but a 7.5' would be too big. The front end will be fine. Grease the balljoints and tie rods, and crank up the bars a bit to account for the weight and it'll probably never give you trouble.

I'd recommend against liquid ballast in the tires. It's not a tractor, and they're not big enough for it to make a difference. Skip the V-bar chains too, unless there's a LOT of ice where you live. Just put a set of cheap winter tires on it and toss about 300lbs in the box right at the tailgate and it'll push snow like a champ.

I'd also recommend against welding the rear up... If you leave it open, and you spin a bit, it'll probably still push straight. When you weld up the rear, it'll head downhill or whichever direction the plow is pushing if you spin at all. Not so cool when that happens, and you'll end up spun into a snowbank.

Good Luck!

Your old jeep had a straight axle. That is a big difference in my book vs. a S10. The IFS is why keeping the plow as light as possible is needed for such a project.
Using a winch to raise and lower the plow like 4-wheelers do instead of hydraulics might be a big step in the right direction with regards to saving weight.
a modern Vee plow is right out of the equation.

I agree skip the tire chains and welded dif. Fill the bed with firewood or something.

 

[Cat_Driver]

My advice is buy something from a government auction. They have great equipment with low low low hours or miles on them and sell then at ten cents on the dollar. Look at this BEAST. I dare anyone to say this 6x6 won't be able to plow whatever mother nature throws at you
Year: 1968
Make: Kaiser
Model: M35a2 6x6
Vin: 000022523406
Mileage: 16837

2,186 USD
GSA Auctions, General Services Administration, Government Site for Auctions

 

[Clint S]

Your old jeep had a straight axle. That is a big difference in my book vs. a S10. The IFS is why keeping the plow as light as possible is needed for such a project.
Using a winch to raise and lower the plow like 4-wheelers do instead of hydraulics might be a big step in the right direction with regards to saving weight.
a modern Vee plow is right out of the equation.

I agree skip the tire chains and welded dif. Fill the bed with firewood or something.

An electric over hydraulic unit will not weigh much more than a winch and be more versatile and reliable. Think angling the plow to push it to the side instead of straight ahead. For a lone drive it is a must.

 

[Groo]

An electric over hydraulic unit will not weigh much more than a winch and be more versatile and reliable. Think angling the plow to push it to the side instead of straight ahead. For a lone drive it is a must.

a hydraulic pump, reservoir, valves, cylinder(s) and hose(s) will weight a pile more than a 1500 lb winch.
when I plow, I almost always plow to the same side.

 

[yomax4]

A friend has an S-10 blazer with a 6.5' poly plow. he hardly knows it's on there. I'd vote for rear chains anyway. I run rear chains on my old F250 with Boss V. The chains just give a little extra at the end of a push.

 

[aczlan]

a hydraulic pump, reservoir, valves, cylinder(s) and hose(s) will weight a pile more than a 1500 lb winch.
when I plow, I almost always plow to the same side.

Then put the pump and resivour and pump in the bed (could even run a small hydraulic pump off of a little gas engine (or a second power steering pump on the truck engine) if you wanted to, then you could use a standard cylinder to raise/lower and even add down-pressure if you wanted to).
Thinking of it, that might be the ticket. Half the problems with plow trucks are from the wiring, if you ran live hydraulics off of the truck engine (find a GM pickup with Hydroboost brakes and get the PS pump off of it) or a small engine in the bed through a loader type joystick valve you could eliminate 3/4 of those issues. If you hit the right junkyard, you might find a pickup with a hydraulic pump mounted on it to run a plow...


Aaron Z

 

[Streetcar]

My concern would be an old truck running when you need it. I had old 3/4 ton ford as work truck on the farm and parts broke at worst time

 

[SkeeterFood]

Howdy folks, first post here! :wave: Coming to you from literally the middle of nowhere in extreme NW Minnesota. We get enough snow to have been snowed in so bad on 2 occasions that even the county couldn't get us out. ...You know, those end-of-season whoppers!

A lot of your answer is going to depend on where you live; how much snow do you get on average, is the snow dry (like here usually) or heavy and wet, do you get much ice there, etc. For several seasons now I've been using a 1/2-ton Dodge truck with automatic and a 7' Western poly plow with Ultra-Mount. The 1/2-ton suspension is a little light for lifting even the poly blade, but that problem was easily corrected by the use of aftermarket rubber pads that replace existing rubber bumpers with Timbren rubber suspension parts (Amazon.com: Timbren DF254B Suspension Enhancement System: Automotive) - no more sag in the front end, yet still drives like normal. We also have 20 miles of gravel roads to get to our place, so when I say these things do not change how the truck handles, I mean it! Is only stiffer if you hit large holes or bumps that would normally cause your front suspension to bottom out.

For traction, as we normally have dry snow, I use no chains but have new tires with great tread. I plow in 4hi, but this is where the Dodge really excels - there are times when I get stuck in the yard, usually when backing up after pushing into a snow pile, and the tires will spin. With the Dodge and on-the-floor shift, I can go from 4hi to 4lo without the truck moving one bit!! As soon as I'm moving again, I shift back to 4hi. As it turns out, I just bought another Dodge 1/2-ton but a year older (2000, to replace the 2001) for $3,800 with low miles.This truck runs and shifts magnificently!! I use no additional ballast in the truck. My driveway consists of 1/4 mile of driveway in my yard plus 1/4 mile of minimum maintenance road, with nearly a 90° turn in the middle with deep ditches on both sides. Very little room for error here!

As for the S10 or Ford Ranger, I would think they'd be a bit small if it's not uncommon to get 6" of white stuff, especially if it's wet/icy or has been packed down by other traffic. Tractors are great, but expensive, usually open station (burrrr!), and slow! Plowing with the Dodge has been a dream come true!! Actually planning on using the 2001 Dodge to build a homemade tractor eventually, as I've never really liked how it handled on the road. However, it has worked fabulous for snow for several seasons! Actually anxious for next year and the new, slightly older truck!!

 

[MinnesotaDaveChalmers]

Apologies, didn't read all the posts.

I've been plowing since 1996 with 80's 1/2 ton f150 pickups (cheap, inline 6, 4 speed stick).
Respectfully, in my opinion none of your modifications in the opening post are really needed.

I've run the same 8' Meyer pro on each truck with Timbren overloads as my only modification.

Sometimes if it's a blizzard and people get drifted in real bad I'll load the bed with some firewood.

I've seen many people over the years plow with just a 4 wheeler.

 

[Clint S]

a hydraulic pump, reservoir, valves, cylinder(s) and hose(s) will weight a pile more than a 1500 lb winch.
when I plow, I almost always plow to the same side.

Let's talk Meyer which I know. Meyer E47 weighs approx. 35# That's everything minus angle cylinders. Winch and mount probably weighs 15#. 20# is worth angling both ways. Not to mention modifying for the winch mount and making a pin system to angle the plow. Is it worth the 20# or so to modify a system that was made by Meyer to well? If even 50# would '' push the weight over the edge'' it would probably break anyway. Not saying a winch won't work well but the weight savings vs modification and loss of function is not something I would consider.
.

 

[jack707]

There was a reason I didn't buy a kiddie plow for the ranger to plow my 1/4mile drive because if I did I would be outside for hours and that not even talking about the HP or TQ. So I bought a used 2500HD with a 8' boss plow that's what you use to plow snow

 

[milkie62]

We have bout a 1/4 mile drive way. I have it plowed by a local excavator. It costs approx $300-$400/yr to get it done. We don't have him plow everytime it snows, just when we get over 2-3 inches.

I don't see why you'd waste your time and money plowing yourself. Especially if you have to buy equipment that you don't have. If you already had equipment that would be different.

I have read some of the posts. Some I just laughed at. IMO a dedicated "cheap" plow truck does not exist. I have been plowing for 27 yrs and the guys that have an old plow truck sitting in the weeds usually has a dead battery,plow will not work because of moisture issues and the brakes are either seized up or the lines are rotten. Either pay someone to do it or invest into a 4wd tractor with rear 3 pt snowblower.

 

[jcbGM]

1/2 mile driveway owner in PA here. Our farm is on top of a ridge. The road is relatively flat/rolling. IMO, an RTV with a plow works great. We only have a 500 and it works way better than the tractor. The tractor sits on the barn most all winter. 2 passes (1 out and 1 back) is sufficient, but I usually take 4 to push it way back. We have a top, windshield and canvas back. Blocks the wind very well.

Our tractor gets about 50 hrs/year whereas the rtv gets about 150. It's just way more handy for so many chores.