Plow frame dilema....need opinions...

[diesel4me]

Have a problem....spent 2 days putting a Fisher plow frame on my 85 Suburban K-10...wasn't fun,and now I kida wish I hadn't put it on it..

The plow frame was "modified" by the previous owner--evidently the truck it came off was a lifted one,and someone decided to drop the push bar down 4" from the usual factory position to compensate for the lift kit..they did a decent job,too good in fact--to restore it back to "normal" would entail much torch cutting and then I'd have to re-fab the push bar to fit in its original spot..the genius who did this mod also decided welding the entire push frame AND the upright lift frame together was a good idea,made it a real beotch to install...

I was aware of this when I put the thing on,that it would hang lower than a typical plow frame would,but my '82 K2500 has a home brewed plow push frame someone made by boxing in the front of the frame rails,coupled with a typical Fisher lift frame--the push bar on this truck is only 8-1/2" off the ground with no plow on it,and I've never had it hit bottom the 6 years I've driven it,even with the blade on it..since the plow frame I'm putting on my Suburban had the same measurments from the truck frame to the bottom of the push bar I figured the 4" "drop" wouldn't be a big deal...

BUT..

I didn't take into consideration the 'Burb only has 225/75/15" tires and sits a lot lower than my 3/4 ton with 245/75/16 tires does !..the bottom of the push frame is a mere 6" off the ground,and I fear once I put the blade on it (a HEAVY mother,ruggedest one I have seen by Fisher in a 7'6" size!),I am betting the push frame will be only 3-4" off the ground!....

So,I have a few options now..

1. Cut off the previous owners hackery and re-do the push bar,so it fits where it was meant to be again..--a lot of work and I'm not so great at cutting things with torches that will be re-used--I'm more skilled at hacking vehicles apart with one than "fabbing"..
I'd rather not go this route unless I have too..

2. Get larger tires..I have 6 lug rally wheels 8" wide ,so I could use up to 31" tires with no problems with rubbing fenders,etc..they would jack it up at least 2-3",that alone might be enough to avoid having to do anything to the plow frame..

3. Get a pair of 4" lift kit springs ...but I am not a fan of lift kits and hate dealing with u-bolts and bull work...I thought maybe I could use some shackles on the rear of the front springs to gain an inch or two,but that will probably throw off the caster and make steering hard and I'd rather not make more problems solving another!...I'd also have to lift the REAR to compensate,and I would rather leave the truck stock..

4. Add helper springs to the stock leafs,or jerry-rig some coil overloads between the bump stop brackets and u-bolt plates to gain clearance...
I thought about air shocks and those shocks with helper coils,but these thucks crack the frames around the upper shock bolts too dam easy for my liking,and I've seen some disaters result from using air shocks up front,when one suddenly loses air pressure!..

I think the bigger tires might be the easiest way out,though it wont be easy finding 4 good 31" tires for cheap money..I suppose I could go junkyarding and PAY for another unmolseted plow frame,but few exist here and they want a good chunk of change for any plow stuff this time of the year..besides,I'd rather use what I HAVE...I traded a good garden tractor for this plow setup..good thing the blade is mint and one of the beefiest ones I've ever seen,otherwise I'd be wishing I had that tractor back!..

What would you do??..opinions??...keep in mind I'm living on ramen noodles and dont have a lot of cash to blow...

 

[magik235]

What are you plowing with your setup? This is an extremely useful and informational snow plowing site

http://www.plowsite.com/

 

[ryoken]

i vote # 1... it'll be by far the cheapest solution.... just take your time and think qualtiy when doing it...... if it takes ya all week, a little at a time, who cares... ya prolly got a month or so at least...

 

[magik235]

i vote # 1... it'll be by far the cheapest solution.... just take your time and think qualtiy when doing it...... if it takes ya all week, a little at a time, who cares... ya prolly got a month or so at least...

I agree this is the best option. You can cut up a plow mount using a small hand grinder with cut off wheels and a sawzall. I took a Bronco II mount cut it apart using this method and adapted it to a 1971 CJ5.

More pictures can be seen at http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2608975/4 Click on a picture to make it bigger.

Another option would be to add air bags.

 

[sweetk30]

www.plowsite.com

www.letsplow.com

both good. and plow site has lots of info and pics on dropin plow mounts the right way.

and search my screen name on here and those sites for pics of my fisher stuff.

i run a k30 with a fisher 8ft and 9ft plow. its the old frame style that stays on the truck.

and 2 days to fit the frame on wow. must be 1 screwed up frame or somthin. never had a fisher before and didnt remove the setup i got but had it on the truck in around 3hrs.

if you go on fishers site you can pull up old spec sheets and parts blow ups for the old to current stuff.

got anymore questions just ask me and post pics of said question stuff.

 

[dbabicky]

I agree this is the best option. You can cut up a plow mount using a small hand grinder with cut off wheels and a sawzall. I took a Bronco II mount cut it apart using this method and adapted it to a 1971 CJ5.

More pictures can be seen at http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2608975/4 Click on a picture to make it bigger.

Another option would be to add air bags.

Off Topic, but where in Central WI are you? I'm 60 miles North of Green Bay.

 

[magik235]

Off Topic, but where in Central WI are you? I'm 60 miles North of Green Bay.

...I live off of Highway 64 between Merrill and Medford. Do you belong to WI4X4.com? Its a good local site. http://www.wi4x4.com/forum/

 

[Fordum]

Not really knowledgeable about plow frames for trucks.
It takes a real diehard Yankee to mount one on their trucks down here in Fl........

But, if you need to cut something steel and weld it back together later, go with the Sawzall.
I've got a couple of Milwaukees, and I could cut through a car with one given a little time.

The cuts might not be straight, but you don't lose much metal. And the cut is cleaner than a torch cut for welding back.

 

[diesel4me]

The Suburban is a "spare" truck I bought fairly cheap last year,and I wasn't planning on using it to plow,until I ran across the guy willing to trade the plow for my garden tractor (which cost me only 40 bucks!)--so I figured why not have a second plow ,in case my pickup doesn't hold up ,for that money?..I also think it having a plow will increase resale value (for the right person anyway)..it never had a plow on it ever before,and I felt a bit bad about putting the frame on it,but hey--its 25 years old,and its been a virgin long enough!..

The main reason it took me two days to install the plow frame was mostly MY fault..I'm not as young as I used to be,heck,just getting the truck to START and moved closer to my garage took an hour!..then to jack it up high enough to get the plow frame under it,and hours of lifting it with and engine hoist and numerous jacks ,pry bars,etc,till it finally slid past the leaf springs, and I had to cut a slit in the bumper to let one bracket get by it..

I also had to remove the sway bar,those 3/4" bolts were not fun to remove,but thankfully they came right out,evidently someone had it off before and never-seized the bolts good..(truck was originally from Washington state,and the undercarriage is remarkably clean,they must not use salt there!)..

I wasted a few hours trying to cheat and put the plow frame on without removing the sway bar and ended up just getting the thing wedged under there so bad,I thought I'd never get it OFF..keep in mind I am 52 and have a bad back and the rest of me is in poor shape from not having done this type of hard labor for a long time!..
I get tired fast,and dont have much strength like I once did..

that's why I'm looking for the "easiest" way out,not due to laziness,but to avoid further agony !..it will be a week or two before I "heal" after this install....One thing for sure,it IS a lot easier and faster installing a plow frame peice by peice like it was intended!..in one peice ,its a mother to deal with..now that I have it on there, I dont want to take it off again..but I dont want to be tearing the thing off on every speed bump at the mall ,or digging up the asphalt when I go down a incline either!..(and FORGET about any "off roading" as I'd be sure to get hung up on something!)..


The "Burb still needs tranny work and some rust repair to the inner rear wheel wells,but is in decent shape otherwise..it has a 6.2 diesel like my pickup,I felt it was worth buying ,if for no other reason,to use for parts,but my pickup is now getting to the point IT might be the first one to get cannibalized,its getting quite crispy undereath,more so on the frame than the sheet metal..So,the 'Burb might end up replacing it someday..

I only plow my 200' driveway and rarely plow any other places any more,so this truck wont see heavy use as far as plowing..but I need a truck to plow with..

I suppose cutting the plow frame up and rebuilding the push bar would be the "right" way to do it,though taller tires probably would get it up high enough not to be a problem--but I'd always be fearing that I'd drop into a pothole or find a low curb with the push frame,and if I did, the results wouldn't be pretty..

I moved the truck to level ground and re-measured the clearance of the push frame's lowest point--its actually 7-1/2" off the ground with no blade,only one inch lower than my K2500's push frame..the springs are about 1" from the rubber snubbers,so putting the blade on will lower it that much,plus what amount the springs bend..still,I think if I got taller tires I might just be able to get by with it...if I do end up hitting bottom with my "cowcatcher" though,I'll probably end up carving it up and fixing it "right"..

I know I'm doing things assbackwards,I should have put this on the road and fixed the tranny first!..but lack of cash to do so has prevented me from doing it the way I'd have liked...the truck runs,moves,drives and stops right now--I figure if it came down to having to sell it,it would be easier to sell a "Burb with a plow that needs tranny work,than one with the tranny out,sitting on jack stands,with NO plow...and if I did end up needing to plow with it,I'm sure it would plow my driveway better than NO truck will!..and much faster than my old Sears "Suburban" tractors will...hell of a lot warmer too..

I could park the truck on my lawn with its nose overhanging a 2' high retaining wall,that would make it much easier to carve the push bar off it..but the moron who welded it must have used a whole spool of MIG wire,there will be a lot of weld cutting to do,and I have had poorluck cutting welds with sawsalls no matter who's brand of blades I used..I have a 9" grinder I can put a metal cutoff wheel on,that might be better ,IF I can fit in in where it needs to go..thankfully they didn't molest the plow frame where the original push bar went,so if I do re-vamp it at least it just bolts on with two 5/8" bolts..

This is my punishment for being too anxious to trade for the plow setup--the blade alone was well worth the trade,but I wish I had inspected the frame closer before I went for it..I'm old enough to know better....