I intend this thread to be a discussion of plows: What options are out there, What folks have bought; and the impressions folks have after they have had a given plow for a winter or two.
Snow pushed up about 3-1/2-feet. Morning greeting. Luckily it was a Saturday. When buying a plow you need to think about whether it can exert a down force. I had run winch operated ATV plows and would have to get off and shovel any where someone had driven over the snow and packed down a wheel path. I bought my Hijet, specifically to plow snow with, because mini trucks have heated and sealed cabs, and windshields with wipers, particularly when compared to ATV/UTV solutions. Knowing the limitations of a winch operated plow, and the need to get off the ATV to adjust the plow, and to shovel the compacted snow in wheel paths, I wanted something I could operate from inside the cab, where I could stay warm and dry. The ideal plow would have electric or electro-hydraulic controls, for angle and height, and include the ability to float the blade just like a real plow for a larger truck has. Anything less negates one of the great advantages to plowing with a mini truck: you get to stay warm and dry. Most ATV/UTV plows are winch operated, and can’t exert any more down force than the weight of the blade. They also require you to make all adjustments other than blade height manually. I bought my plow 4-years ago, and ended up buying a Blackline 72-inch with electro-hydraulic operation. Overall it has been reliable and sturdy. I’ve had to do a bit of repair and modification on it. There are two tabs welded on the stock set up to keep the plow from coming back over onto itself, both of which broke off when we had a record 32-inch snowfall. I welded a piece of 1/2-inch tubing with 1/8th walls all the way across frame to replace them. I drilled a new mounting hole in the frame to drop it down a bit, because the receiver on my Hijet is apparently higher than the Location on the ATV/UTVs the plow is designed for. And, while servicing it in the fall before the second year, I replaced all the bolts with grade 8 bolts, with nylock nuts, because a couple of bolts where things rotate showed some wear. I’ll probably replace the relief springs this fall, (reminds me I need to order them soon). But going into the fifth winter I am still happy with the purchase and would buy another
I used a pickup truck with a plow for many years to clear our road that is about 3/4 of a kilometer with a pretty substantial hill. When the pickup died i bought a tractor with a snowblower but with no cab so I am freezing my ass each time. The main issue with plowing a road is to be able to angle the blade and get enough speed to swing the snow away from the road. You need a heavy enough unit with good grip or the plow will just push the front of the truck sideway. Can you do that with a mini truck? I looked briefly at BOSS v plow they seem awesome but cost almost as much as the truck. With a V plow you can plow a road and there is no side force acting on the truck.
SAITCHO, I did the same for yrs. 3/4 ton with w/plow. Angle is everything! The V plows do a great job balancing things out! I've used road graders, Unimogs w/cab snow blowers, backhoes, loaders, skid steers, dump trucks w/plows! Kinda reminds me of that Johnny Cash song "I've been everywhere man" LOL! When your using a snow blower of any kind, without a cab, it can get pretty dicey, with the wind blowing snow in your face! When I was a kid, the neighbor widow used to let me snow blow her yard, and use it on my parents, and all the neighbors, up and down the street, as long as I kept it maintained, and up to snuff! She later gave that blower to my Mom and Dad when they moved around the corner, and just recently, handed it down to my nephew. I used to plow out their drive all the time anyway, for them, if my friend didn't beat me to it as a nice gesture! Currently, the winters have been mild, and we haven't needed much plowing, but I do have a small plow on my 4 wheeler and my neighbor has a larger plow on his 4 wheeler if needed, or a friend or two will come by, until I get my plow on my mini! I agree, those split plows, ( V ) , are nice, but I won't pay that for one either! Before I did, I would cut one in half and make my own, it's not that hard!!! Some yrs. back, we used the hyd. quick disconnect on some older, 40 yr. old , Case front end loaders, and dropped the front 2 yard bucket, and built a frame, for some old 10 ft. street plows, and built what we called PLOWDERS, for the loaders! They still use them today! Sometimes, when I would use the road grader, with a 12 foot blade, I would throw a 10 ft blade on the front, and the 12 ft. blade, being underneath me, I would shift all the way to the right, cleaning the snow in two lanes in downtown Cleveland, in the middle of the night after the bars would close. You can clean a lot of roads, from 2:00 am.to 6:00 am. with no traffic! The old days! Limestone
Switching; When I mount the plow, it adds about 300-lbs on the front axle. To keep the weight balance, I add 300-lbs of sand to the bed, over the axle. (I’m thinking of casting some interlocking concrete blocks this fall. So, I don’t have to deal with the sand bags breaking every spring, and buying new ones every fall.) I have full set of studded, winter tires and wheels, that I rotate on every fall. My plow will angle about 40-degrees. I haven’t had any issues with keeping stable unless things are so icey under the snow, that I would be slipping, and sliding anyway. Or, I try to move a snow bank after it sets up. Basically the little truck is really solid on the snow. The was a guy in Minnesota, who was selling snow blowers for mini trucks, with their own 25-hp engines on them. He was also selling a live bottom sander assembly for the bed. If you still have the snow blower, you might look into mounting it on the mini truck, and adding sand ballast in the bed to keep the axle load equal.
