Any body plow snow?

[Mark13]

Once you get them, if ya don't mind post them up then those of us who are familiar with plows can maybe help ya out a bit so you make a good purchase.

[CountryChevy15]

Originally Posted by Mark13

Once you get them, if ya don't mind post them up then those of us who are familiar with plows can maybe help ya out a bit so you make a good purchase.

definitely will do you have been SO much help with me just starting this year. Plowsite has also been a HUGE help! thx

[Mark13]

Originally Posted by CountryChevy15

definitely will do you have been SO much help with me just starting this year. Plowsite has also been a HUGE help! thx

No problem. You'll like plowsite more when winter is comming. Right now it's pretty dead over there. Starting around October it will become like FSC where it's hard to keep up with new threads and posts. A lot of guys jump over to another site dedicated to lawncare durring the summer and slowly find their way back to ps in the fall.

[CountryChevy15]

yea kinda figured that might happen. I have gotten a contract that i have modified to fit my business and someadvertising ideas. Im working on figuring out a good price for this area now

[Mark13]

Originally Posted by CountryChevy15

yea kinda figured that might happen. I have gotten a contract that i have modified to fit my business and someadvertising ideas. Im working on figuring out a good price for this area now

Have you ever plowed snow commercially before in a truck? (not trying to sound like a prick or know it all)

[GreaseDog]

i too run a 7'6" Western straigh, though mine is the conventional mount. lights and pump stay on the truck all the time. i've been plowing with the setup since '03, and my grandfather did for several years before. it was an abused setup when he bought it, but it worked. i inherited the problems, and eventually the worn out parts. pumps and pump motors are not cheap.

i run strictly ATF in mine. one less extra fluid i have to carry with me, and it hasnt failed me yet.

problems i've had:
broken A frame (backdrag across a crack in a sidewalk that crossed the driveway)
cleared the fittings off of the pump a couple of times trying to stack a little too high
bad motor
bad pump (caused by the bad motor grounding itself through the pump)

also, how well do you know your truck? my truck being a longbed standard cab OOBS, i've been driving one from day one, i know exactly where the truck ends, how close i can pull up next to things, etc. in the 5 1/2 years i've been plowing, i've had one slip up, and no amount of experience could have prevented it. sure i'll scrape the yard at the edge of the driveway now and then, but you cant see it, so no way to really prevent it.

as for the insurance, dont even think about going commercial without it. my truck sits at my grandma's house 99% of the time. if you look at her house on Google Earth, its sitting in the driveway in the same spot its sitting right now. now because i have a plow on it, and had an accident on her property, my insurance company is screaming that i'm doing it commercially. no... she lives on a private drive that the city refuses to plow. i own the truck specifically for that purpose, it does leave the street, but only to plow for friends and family, and i dont "charge" them, they give me gas money. in their eyes, that's commercial, despite the fact that i'm actually losing money on the deal. i fought with them for a long time on that one, finally won.

if i can get the drivetrain swapped around on the 80, i will be going commercial this year. no way i'm going to attempt to plow commercial with a carburetor and a 4 speed though.

[CountryChevy15]

plowed for another guy last year with his truck and his equipment. This year i wanted to do it for myself and run things how i want instead of working for someone. i can also make more.

also whats a good trans cooler to get. They have the for 11,000 lbs gvw, 14,500 lbs gvm and up. Im thinking the 11,000 would work.

[GreaseDog]

oh, and Mark... the video... I HATE YOU!

[GreaseDog]

the 11K would work, the 14.5K would be better.

you're dealing with an autmatic trans, heat is its worst enemy, the more you can get out of it, the longer it will last.

[CountryChevy15]

aight now looking at it the 11,000 and 14,500 are the same price 55.99 so ill go with the bigger one. But for 5 bucks more they have a 18,000 would that be overkill or extra safe?

[Mark13]

Originally Posted by CountryChevy15

plowed for another guy last year with his truck and his equipment. This year i wanted to do it for myself and run things how i want instead of working for someone. i can also make more.

also whats a good trans cooler to get. They have the for 11,000 lbs gvw, 14,500 lbs gvm and up. Im thinking the 11,000 would work.

You may be better at operating equipment then I am or have more buisness knowledge, but after 2yrs of plowing commercially for another guy I'm still finding out details that would help me run my own buisness better if I chose to run my own "company". When your working for yourself speed and doing a good job is the name of the game. It's a fine balance between plowing fast yet being safe and leaving a lot that's "spotless". I'm not sure what kinda equipment your ran for the other guy but there's a learning curve with anything. The guy I plow for had an 06 f350, psd with a 9.2ft boss V. It was a nice truck, plowed well, and could move crazy amounts of snow with very little effort. However, I think I could plow a lot faster in my truck and do a better job then I could with his in the same lot. Your always more comfortable in your own vehicle then someone elses. His was much harder to see out of and turning radius, stopping distance, etc all come into play while plowing. Since this is your first year with your truck, I would sub contract out for someone else. Then you can get all the bugs worked out, get comfortable with your truck, and improve your plowing skill while not having to worry about your buisness failing or a breakdown preventing lots from getting done. Once you know your truck is reliable and you can do a quick but good job, then it's time to venture out on your own. And don't forget insurance, one slip up can cost a whole lot more then your insurance policy would have cost.

Originally Posted by GreaseDog

oh, and Mark... the video... I HATE YOU!

Haha, why??

Originally Posted by GreaseDog

the 11K would work, the 14.5K would be better.

you're dealing with an autmatic trans, heat is its worst enemy, the more you can get out of it, the longer it will last.

x2. The bigger the cooler, the better off you are.

Originally Posted by CountryChevy15

aight now looking at it the 11,000 and 14,500 are the same price 55.99 so ill go with the bigger one. But for 5 bucks more they have a 18,000 would that be overkill or extra safe?

I'm not sure on gvwr rating of my cooler, its a 7x21" cooler with no fan. Plowing for hours on end my temp guage is lucky to see 170. Usually it stays around 150. However without my plow on and driving around in any weather below 30 it never moves above 100 degrees. I'm not sure what the trans must be running at when it's -20 out and it's straight cold air hitting that cooler.

[sonjaab]

Use caution when buying used ! Look for a set-up that came off the SAME truck as yours. Like trying to find a push bar (mounting carton)for a older truck or older plow is getting darn near impossible as well
as very expensive. Used Western Uni-mount pushbars for a gmt-400 1/2 ton are scarce and $pendy at $700 bucks plus used ! Same for Western conventional mount push bars. I know Fisher MM1s are the same deal.

Same thing with wiring harnesses cuz new Western/Fisher truck side harnesses are $300 each X2. Now most newer setups are the 3 plug deal and have the iso module ($250) set up instead of the 2 plug relay system.

Don't count the Meyers/Diamond plows out either. They
are plentiful and cheap used. Although some guys may
not like them and say they are troublesome they are a good unit!
They say a Meyers owner either swears BY them or AT them!

BUT now is the time to buy a used plow cuz prices are reasonable!

Just as a thought..........It cost me $1600 in parts to swap my Western
straight blade from my 04 gmt-800 to my gmt-900 because of the change
in parts between the years.

Ask the real snow-pros over at http://www.letstalksnow.com/forums

[Mark13]

Originally Posted by sonjaab

Use caution when buying used ! Look for a set-up that came off the SAME truck as yours. Like trying to find a push bar (mounting carton)for a older truck or older plow is getting darn near impossible as well
as very expensive. Used Western Uni-mount pushbars for a gmt-400 1/2 ton are scarce and $pendy at $700 bucks plus used ! Same for Western conventional mount push bars. I know Fisher MM1s are the same deal.

Same thing with wiring harnesses cuz new Western/Fisher truck side harnesses are $300 each X2. Now most newer setups are the 3 plug deal and have the iso module ($250) set up instead of the 2 plug relay system.

Don't count the Meyers/Diamond plows out either. They
are plentiful and cheap used. Although some guys may
not like them and say they are troublesome they are a good unit!
They say a Meyers owner either swears BY them or AT them!

BUT now is the time to buy a used plow cuz prices are reasonable!

Just as a thought..........It cost me $1600 in parts to swap my Western
straight blade from my 04 gmt-800 to my gmt-900 because of the change
in parts between the years.

Ask the real snow-pros over at http://www.letstalksnow.com/forums

I bought a western truck side harness for my truck for $180, not sure where your getting them that they are near $300. And I have no isolation module on my older unimount so that cuts out a large expense.

$1600 to swap trucks, yikes. That's more then I have into my plow and salter.

[GreaseDog]

Originally Posted by Mark13

I bought a western truck side harness for my truck for $180, not sure where your getting them that they are near $300. And I have no isolation module on my older unimount so that cuts out a large expense.

$1600 to swap trucks, yikes. That's more then I have into my plow and salter.

depends on what you buy too. if he buys a Western Standard, there is no "wiring harness". 2 cables, 3 battery cables, a ground wire for the controller, and a power wire to the relay. lights are easily spliced into the headlight harness. i think in all of the wiring on my truck, including the dual battery cables, a new solenoid, and all of the wiring, i think i have $60 in it all. $100 if you count the new battery tray.

[GreaseDog]

and $700 for a conventional frame is NUTS. bought 2 in '07. one was a Ford mount complete with pump, solenoid, light rig, and a joystick for $350, the other was the mount that's on my truck now for $150. the $150 frame was a little rought with some cracked welds, but i took care of that. with the reinforcements under that thing now, i'll fold an A frame in half before i ever think about hurting the truck.

[bighead38]

Originally Posted by GreaseDog

no way i'm going to attempt to plow commercial with a carburetor and a 4 speed though.

lol. my dad plowed for over 30 years with a 4 speed carburetored ford. it will work fine as long as you take care of it.

[GreaseDog]

that's the problem, its been abused for the 28 years that i didnt own it. i'm putting a stock L05 in it, backed by a TH400/205. the current 350 just plain out sucks, worn out, leaks everywhere... mechanical clutch linkage is shot... and its a huge PITA with the manual and plowing driveways. if i were plowing parking lots, i wouldnt trade my 465 for the world. that 6.55:1 is really nice for pushing down the road after a good heavy snow.

[sonjaab]

Well guys......I guess if your a lowballer running used JUNK that you
cobbled on a old truck yourself I guess its all well and good.

But when you run newer equipment you just can't do that.
NEW trucks and plows have complex wiring to work with todays
PCM and BCM equipped trucks.
In case you haven't priced NEW parts for a current model truck or
plow give your Western/Fisher dealer a call and ask. Quite shocking!
GMT-900 truck side wiring harnesses (2) around $275 each
Mounting carton $500 (sorry mounting cartons for MM1 or Uni mounts
are not being made anymore so any dealer who may have NOS or used
wants BIG money for them and 1/2 ton stuff is even more rare and $pendy).

Just a note to the OP to use caution on what unit he buys and if its off
a different brand/year truck its gonna get $pendy to mount it on his
existing truck !

[Mark13]

Originally Posted by sonjaab

Just a note to the OP to use caution on what unit he buys and if its off
a different brand/year truck its gonna get $pendy to mount it on his
existing truck !

He should be able to use a mount of any 88-98 (some 99-00) obs chevy/gmc trucks or suvs (tahoe, suburban, the truck based ones). The unimount on my truck is off a 95 k2500 and bolted right on. However the wiring harness was slightly different since I have DRL's and that truck didn't. That's the only reason I had to buy a new harness, everything else swapped right over.

[vegaman04]

These people are nutz........ $650 for this mount.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-8...Q5fAccessories