NEK5
3/4 ton status
does it really hurt your truck??ive heard mixed reviews...thinkin about putting a plow on the blazer this winter
CK5
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plowing
- Thread starter NEK5
- Start date
TDTK5
Registered Member
plowing will speed up wear on suspention and driveline componets, but as long as you do it smartly (read dont hit frozen hard snowbanks and the like at 30mph) thats about all it does.
NEK5
3/4 ton status
should i plow for the city or plow on my own?
TDTK5
Registered Member
if the city is going to give you a city truck to run, or at least pay for your time, mileage, wear then i might do it if it were me, all i ever did were my familys drive ways and such
If the city would pay you for repairs, mileage etc. Id plow for them if its just a set wage Id plow for myself.
And yes plowing is hard on a pickup. Every plow pickup we have at work that isnt a solid axle needs an entirely new front suspension and steering...but they dont get it because that would cost more then the pickups are worth.
And yes plowing is hard on a pickup. Every plow pickup we have at work that isnt a solid axle needs an entirely new front suspension and steering...but they dont get it because that would cost more then the pickups are worth.
beater_k20
Banned
a Blazer is a great choice for a plow vehicle that is used primarily in tight places (ie driveways, small parking lots, etc) that require alot of maneuvering. the only downfalls with your truck are the 10 bolts (at least the rear) and the 700R4. you may also want a little more gear than your current 3.73s if you're going to run the 35s. personally, i use my K20 with a 10/14FF combo, 4.10 gears, a TH350/203 and 31" tires. having driven nothing but standard cab LWB trucks for the last 10 years, i can put it into places most people would gringe at trying to put a Geo. i do primarily driveways, and a few small parking lots. IIRC, your truck is pretty nice. i'd definitely think long and hard before putting a plow on it. my K20 has been a plow truck for almost 30 years, and you can definitely tell it.
jason m
1/2 ton status
BIGBLAZE433 said:
i dont know where you live in mass, but in worcestor you have to have a 3/4 ton HD or larger truck with a 9' plow or they wont even consider you. i plowed for years and its hard on your truck, i know most peaple say that if you go slow your truck will last and yes this works but there will several times when you need to get the job done and you find your self pushing your truck hard.
i had 4 commercial acounts one of them was a private raod thats was over two miles of road and sevral turn arounds, that along beet my truck ( 89 F-250 ), yes it was a ford but i was a good truck but after six years of plowing its was done. i sold my acounts and walked away from plowing for now, jason.
broc944
1/2 ton status
Up here you pay more for your insurance if you have a plow on your truck, even if it is for your own personnel use. Yes it does do a number on a truck after a few years.
It will make your truck rust out alot faster , no matter how much you wash it!!! and if you have a salt spreader on back you need to trade it in every 2-3 years . just go ask my f-350 with a bad frame!!!
I had a snowplow on my 83 k30 when I bought it. The front suspensions was dead on the thing, and the engine cross member was cracked as well. im sure the cross member damage was due to this as the mount for the plow was attached partly to it. Plowing is hard on our trucks. Maybe not so bad if you dont hit things with the blade, but the b*tch about snow is that it covers those frozen nasties right up! I plowed for a two years in high school (driveways, unmaintained roads) that people payed well for. They amount of money that I made mostly went towards fuel and wear and tear on truck and plow. Also the customers were frustrating as some would wait a week or more before they wanted their road plowed. By then the snow was crusty and hard and didnt like to move. Not a truck problem but waisted my day! If you absolutely need one just plow for yourself.
dont take offense but i dont hink your ready for plowing. Long nights, fixinf broken trucks in the miidle of the night in the freezing cold. You need to be a good mechanic, be able to stay up all night long for a couple days on end and be willing to face any type of breakdown. its alot of work and when you take into consideration how much it winds up costing its almost not worth it.
Steering box brace!!! Personal experience talking. My plow truck was an '83 short bed with 14BFF and D44, no lift. I loaded the bed with sand bags (I sold them to gas stations for traction sand) and had many residential accounts. I agree that you need to be very mechanically and financially able to perform repairs. I Ran a shop and had 24 hr access to a warm dry place to perform repairs and maintenance. If that was not the case, I would not have done it. Oh, and we don't use salt in Alaska
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NEK5
3/4 ton status
i think i`m leaning towards not putting a plow on my truck, but considering a small trailer instead to haul around my snowblower, would that be a good idea?
NEK5
3/4 ton status
79k20350 said:
none taken, and i think you`re right
They are all right!...
Plowing is fine if you use an old beater truck you dont give a crap about...if you use a decent truck,it will be a peice of S*** in about 3 years if you do much driving during, or just after storms, when the roads are their saltiest..
I've ruined 2 trucks in 15 years time by exposing them to the salt,and was not anal enough about pressure washing them off,and spraying drain oil on the frame and underbody like I should have,and they literally rotted away..you could poke holes in the frame with a screwdriver it got so flaky!...and yes,you can mangle a frame up pretty easily if the plow hits anything solid at any speed over 10 mph!..
(I saw an 86 k20 with a "V" plow and a 6.2 on "craigslist" boston site up your way a week or so ago--600 bucks!!..it was advertised there a long time ago too,it doesnt look too bad in the photo..thats what I'd be looking for if I wanted to plow..not use a nice truck thats a daily driver mostly...)
I never made much money plowing...the truck seems to know when it made you some cash,and it would often decide it needed a water pump,or some other unexpected repair,and during a blizzard is when that will happen!...or gas is always empty,and its 5 times more than it was then for fuel now..
I was very glad when my garage was finally built,and I could have a decent place to fix it when something broke plowing---oh yeah,its a MUST to have an arc welder if you plan on having a plow too,unless you like waiting a week and paying a local welder to fix busted up stuff you could fix yourself..
I think you have to wait for months to get paid by the state if MA,if you plow for them--you get a check in january,and another in june..what if your tranny craps out in december??...
I only plow my own big driveway now,and I used to plow my friends bussiness out before he moved to a new location,and maybe a neighbors driveway if its a real 2' dumping like we got last year so many times..
I once backed into a car while plowing out the parking lot at work (an invisible white olds cutlass sierra!
)..that was in 1986,and I had to pay surcharges on my insurance until 1992 because of that one car I dented!...ALL my plowing money I made didn't exceed the cost I had to pay in surcharges--some years it didn't snow much at all,didn't need to plow it....its not worth it to me to plow other people out anymore..
I dont miss people calling at 2 am asking to be "first" to be plowed out...and waiting for them to pay me,sometimes with rubber checks..and welding my plow up at 4 am in 20 degree weather..no thanks..
Plowing is fine if you use an old beater truck you dont give a crap about...if you use a decent truck,it will be a peice of S*** in about 3 years if you do much driving during, or just after storms, when the roads are their saltiest..
I've ruined 2 trucks in 15 years time by exposing them to the salt,and was not anal enough about pressure washing them off,and spraying drain oil on the frame and underbody like I should have,and they literally rotted away..you could poke holes in the frame with a screwdriver it got so flaky!...and yes,you can mangle a frame up pretty easily if the plow hits anything solid at any speed over 10 mph!..
(I saw an 86 k20 with a "V" plow and a 6.2 on "craigslist" boston site up your way a week or so ago--600 bucks!!..it was advertised there a long time ago too,it doesnt look too bad in the photo..thats what I'd be looking for if I wanted to plow..not use a nice truck thats a daily driver mostly...)
I never made much money plowing...the truck seems to know when it made you some cash,and it would often decide it needed a water pump,or some other unexpected repair,and during a blizzard is when that will happen!...or gas is always empty,and its 5 times more than it was then for fuel now..
I was very glad when my garage was finally built,and I could have a decent place to fix it when something broke plowing---oh yeah,its a MUST to have an arc welder if you plan on having a plow too,unless you like waiting a week and paying a local welder to fix busted up stuff you could fix yourself..
I think you have to wait for months to get paid by the state if MA,if you plow for them--you get a check in january,and another in june..what if your tranny craps out in december??...
I only plow my own big driveway now,and I used to plow my friends bussiness out before he moved to a new location,and maybe a neighbors driveway if its a real 2' dumping like we got last year so many times..
I once backed into a car while plowing out the parking lot at work (an invisible white olds cutlass sierra!
)..that was in 1986,and I had to pay surcharges on my insurance until 1992 because of that one car I dented!...ALL my plowing money I made didn't exceed the cost I had to pay in surcharges--some years it didn't snow much at all,didn't need to plow it....its not worth it to me to plow other people out anymore..I dont miss people calling at 2 am asking to be "first" to be plowed out...and waiting for them to pay me,sometimes with rubber checks..and welding my plow up at 4 am in 20 degree weather..no thanks..
Thanks for the memorys!!!
beater_k20
Banned
personally, i like catching someone else's frozen snow banks with the plow. the plow climbs them, and clears the hydraulic fittings right off the pump. its great fun making the 7 mi trip back home in a snowstorm with no directional control, and limited fluid keeping it off the road. and nobody is open selling plow parts at 3am.
and nobody is open selling plow parts at 3am.
NEK5
3/4 ton status
what would be a wise desicision to make, get a small trailer that could be used other than just carting around the snow blower, or find a $hit box plow truck?
beater_k20
Banned
why are you so dead set in getting into snow removal? its more of a PITA than its worth. EVERYBODY and their brother will want you to come clear them out, bitch when you dont do it in a timely manner, and not want to pay you to do it.
with a good snow around here i spend about 8 hours in the truck (per snow mind you), burn about $80 worth of fuel and typically bring in $80-100. if i break something, it comes out of my pocket. not to mention the things i cant get done when i'm out in the truck because by the time i get home, i need sleep so i can go to work the next day.
with a good snow around here i spend about 8 hours in the truck (per snow mind you), burn about $80 worth of fuel and typically bring in $80-100. if i break something, it comes out of my pocket. not to mention the things i cant get done when i'm out in the truck because by the time i get home, i need sleep so i can go to work the next day.
