Snow Plow Truck Custom Decals

[mountainexplorer]

Ok well maybe "custom decals" isn't the right phrase, but it has some custom writing on it now.

 

[rob h]

they make colored markers too ......lol....lol even my gf laughed... u need also (honk if parts fall off.)..lol

 

[original balzer]

I just wish I had a decent snowplow truck.

 

[rob h]

i wish i had a plow period....even if it was for my quad

 

[dhcomp]

That is awesome
Good work

 

[mountainexplorer]

I just wish I had a decent snowplow truck.

Haha, well then be glad you don't own this one.

It's been a non-stop battle with this truck and plow vs. me. I'm not sure who is winning.

List of problems in order:

Dec. 23rd: Break plow spring; use engine pulling chain as temporary replacement.

Evening after work: Truck won't start, have to prime carburetor to get it running.


Dec. 24th:

Morning: Truck won't start; have to prime carburetor twice before it runs.

Afternoon: Put in $20 of fuel. Plow church parking lot. Get about 1/4 done and it quits angling, discover fitting on passenger side ram is busted off. Use excess chain to try and keep blade somewhat stationary and finish lot.

4:07 PM: Stop and plow friend's brothers driveway behind Whitey's Wrecking area; pull back onto Francis headed home, truck runs out of gas on Francis in lane. Fill float bowl of carb with gas from spare can and pull over to Espresson stand lot off Francis. Add 1.8 gallons from can into tank, prime carb, start truck, and drive to nearest gas station.

4:45 PM: Stop at gas station and go to pre-pay another $20 in fuel. Guys at gas station are out of regular, so I have to get plus grade. They see my plow and ask me if I can scrape their lot by the fuel tank fill lids so they can find the lid for regular. (Their regular plow guy covered them). Spend some time searching for all three lids, find two, but still can't located the regular one. They keep having me plow further to one side but still can't find one, so I go in the opposite direction and find it, and scrape it clear. Break chain twice in process. Receive $20 worth of fuel in trade.

5:23 PM: Pull Honda out stuck at gas station. Truck is running fine now all the way home.

Christmas Eve: Go to start truck to go to work, won't start. Prime carburetor, but will not stay running. Change fuel filter. Finally located mysterious kinked fuel line by fuel pump. Get it straightened out, and truck starts and runs.


Early morning Christmas morning: Go to leave insurance building, truck starts right up. Plow won't move up. Solenoid just clicks. Mess with it for a while, finally just drive around to a snow bank and push snow up it to raise the blade, hook the chain up a few more links enough to where the blade will be off the street to get home. Click joystick on the way home off and on and occasionally the motor engages and works and raises the blade up more. Get it to work enough to clear the alley for the neighbors.

Christmas Day afternoon: Truck won't start, prime it to start it. Plow works. Re-do my engine pulling chain in place of spring, use GM motor mount bolt as pin to center blade, and remove broken hydraulic fitting and install an engine oil pressure sending unit and adapter in its place (to plug the hole). Drive to my uncles house for Christmas dinner, plow is working fine as far as up/down goes. Plow his area in front of his house. Truck starts when I go to leave. Runs fine all the way home.


Day after Christmas:

Morning: Truck won't start, have to prime it to run. Go to 7-Mile ORV Park parking lot to plow lot. Was told to arrive around 8:00 when the county/park rangers unlock the gate, then just clear the entrances and main lot and leave gates open when I leave. Arrive at about 8:15 am. Gates are locked. I clear both entrances to gates. Wait until after 9am, no one shows up to unlock gates. Assume county is too busy with roads to think about it, so I take off.

Late morning: Plow alley better and areas around neighborhood, break two bolts, put a 3rd in that doesn't break.

Evening: Go to plow neighbors street in front of house to park cars. Truck refuses to start. Prime it about 5 times and finally get it to run. Fuel line is not pinched or clogged, and fuel pump is working fine, but even though gas is pumping through the fuel line into the carb, the truck will not start unless primed (no filters clogged either). Get truck started finally and truck runs fine after warmed up.

By December 27th I have the process down now for starting the truck:

1. Open hood
2. Prime carburetor
3. use screwdriver or piece of steel in cab to start it
4. Prime carburetor again
5. prime carb again
6. Once it's running, manually hook up wire to electric choke to power, then close hood and let warm up.
7. Check bolts and chains holding plow together, and see if the blade will raise
8. Load gas can in bed and tools in cab
9. slam door
10. put in gear and drive away


Saturday Dec. 27th:

9am, arrive to plow 7-Mile Parking lot with plow not able to angle but centered, park ranger comes a few minutes after and unlocks gates. Talk to the ranger for a while and go over a few things. I plow and get 1/4 way done, truck runs out of gas.

9:30 am Put my spare gallon in, and go drive to nearest gas station. Get to the last street before the gas station and run out of gas again. Pull over and get off main road.

Walk to gas station, get gas in can, Walk back to truck.

Put gas in truck, drive remaining distance to gas station and add $20 of fuel.

10:10am Drive back to 7-Mile ORV Park lot. Continue trying to stack snow high but realize it's turning to heavy stuff that packs easy (not powder anymore). Still try to push and stack more than I should.

10:30am. High center plow on snow bank, get stuck. Forgot shovel. Try re-chaining and lifting blade higher, but wont lift higher. Call 5 different people. No one answers phones. Get a hold of someone, and he can be out in 45 minutes.

11:20am. People start coming into lot to take kids sledding, ride 4-wheelers and snowmobiles. Guy in a Ford pulls me off the bank. I continue plowing lot, now with 6+ vehicles there, and also I lost my PS belt (still there but came off PS pulley and I forgot my tool box too).

Noon: Friend's brother arrives. He has a 3/4 wrench and I put the belt on. End up talking for 30 minutes or more after fixing belt.

1:00 pm. Just try finishing up the last bit of the lot. Electric motor stops working/ solenoid only clicks. I look briefly at parts, and figure the motor went out. Try plowing the rest without being able to lift the blade or angle it.

1:35 pm. Finally get irritated again at non-working plow, me and friend look it over more. Finally after tracing about everything else, I find the main power lead to the pump motor is unplugged.

Finish lot by 2pm. (Should have been done by 10am)

7-8pm. Go plow driveway/access road for friend. Truck seems to run fine, and plow doesn't break down.

Sunday Dec. 28th

6:30am. Truck decides to start now without being primed (and has started every time now without having to be primed cold or not- another mystery problem fixed itself). Go and plow two church parking lots. Return with no broken parts.

2pm. Friend Rochelle brings extra plow parts. I replace the bad hydraulic fitting and line end, put on actual springs and remove the chains, add fluid, and plow now works up, down and side to side again. Repair leaking fuel line I find by fuel pump.

6pm. Go help plow Rochelle's driveway with working plow and working truck, though motor rattle and knocking is getting worse.


Monday Dec. 29th.

Morning- plowed alley and neighborhood areas, glad to finally have it working as should.

Go to pick up a free 350 core engine and truck hood. I figure I will chain the engine to the plow, lift it up, and drive home. Drive down unplowed alley to get to engine (surprisingly walked right through). Got engine chained to plow, lifted up, worked fine. Just needed to re-chain engine higher so it wouldnt hang below the blade too far for the drive home.

Re-chain engine, and go to raise blade. Nothing. Plow motor does nothing again but solenoid clicks. Luckily with 3 of us we just picked up the engine and threw it in the bed of the truck. Hi-Lift blade up and chain it higher to drive home.

Mess with electric motor, all connections, nothing changes.

4:30pm. Finally remove electric motor and disassemble again and discover it is finally bad this time.

But at least the truck starts now without priming it.

Replaced the motor Monday... didn't change anything, replaced the solenoid... nothing. Then went back to the old solenoid... nothing. Finally gave up. Then at random it started working again.

Friday morning January 2nd:

Plowing the Thrift Store lot, and suddenly it dumped all my power steering fluid out and I lost power steering. Filled it again and still nothing. Both lines are intact and couldnt see where it was dumping it out, but it's losing it all. So no more power steering till I fix it.

Then was gone all day and the truck sat here untouched. Started it to move it when I got home, and raised the blade, went to drive forward and noticed it was angled all the way to the left. Strange. It was straight 10 seconds ago. So I angle it all the way to the right which is what I needed to do to back it into the slot I was parking it.

As soon as I let go of the joystick, it automatically angles left again. Ummm... ok. I angle right and let go. Back to the left. I fiddle with the joystick and no matter what it angles back to the left. I shut off the truck motor, and hear the plow pump motor running even with the key off and power off to the control.

So I go unhook the battery. Then unplug the pump motor alltogether, reconnect the battery and attempt to park the truck even with the blade angled the opposite way I need it. Oh yeah, no power steering either. Made it even more of a pain.

This time it finally was the main solenoid that was bad. The power steering lines are intact and have no leaks though, but theres no power steering. I think the pump went out.

January 4th, 2009:

Went to take off with the plow truck this morning to have at 7-Mile ORV park in case needed at the parking lot and other areas.

Was working fine, warmed the truck up, lifted the plow, moved the truck, let the blade down. Waited for a friend to show up to drive it.

Then when we were just ready to pull out, went to raise the blade. Nothing. Pump motor was working but it acted like it was out of fluid. Checked and topped it off. Still nothing.

Jacked up the blade and chained it higher, took it to the gas station. Power Steering pump was so bad off the think couldnt even be steered. Put gas in it anyways then made the decision to just leave it back at the house.

Based on the fact no others did the lot, we really could have used the plow.

I came home, and hit the joystick, and the plow works like normal again without having been touched. I wish there was an explanation for some of the things this thing has done and acted. But there seems to be none.

January 6th, 2009:

Plowed Thrift Store lot again, plow works fine, but no power steering.


PLAN: This weekend going to Seattle to buy this truck to put my other plow on.

And someone wish me luck that this truck will actually work better as a plow truck. She's definitely another beater, but as long as it starts and runs and steers.

 

[original balzer]

Sweet! is that a 74 GMC that your going to buy?

I love those grills.

 

[rob h]

another to add to the fleet....the 74 looks pretty tough..

 

[camok5]

Off Topic but you dont know anybody in the Spokane area selling a good working plow do you??? I'm taking my Blazer up to my Idaho property (Hauser Lake area just out side of Cour D' Alane) to use as a run around truck and my drive way is about a mile long dirt road. I need one for when I come visit in the winter so I can actually make it down to the main road.

 

[sweetk30]

try this plow truck setup here. info in my sig line.

man do i love this plow truck setup. she will work no problem. and so comfy with buckets raised 2" over stock and live hydro plow not electric. she is a tank.

 

[yellowK20]

meyers = junk sell it and get a Western or a Fisher pro plow and put it on a GOOD truck if your gonna plow for money maybe a 6.2 powered truck so it will be good on fuel

 

[yellowK20]

BTW , allan your my hero when ever some one says i have to much stuff I just show them your collection !!! ( how ever I'm starting to gain quickly )

 

[mountainexplorer]

That looks like a good plow truck and well setup and a nice heavy duty plow.

I need to get my main plow truck up and going again next year. It's an '87 1-ton 4x4... or at least it was. Right now its a frame axles, and all other parts strewn about I need to re-assemble.

This was when I finally put my Hiniker plow on it... and then 2 months later the motor went out and I decided to just tear it all apart and replace the cracked frame and rebuild it back with a 60 under it again (since I had robbed the 60 for another rig).

But it will be an '87 1-ton 4x4 with Goodwrench 454, TH400, NP205, Dana 60 front with power lock, 14-bolt rear with Gov Lock, 4.10 gears, 4" lift, Ramsey electric winch hidden behind the front bumper, and the same body as shown above and same plow.

Then I bought this '78 flatbed 3/4 ton 4x4 truck and put the plow on it for the rest of that season. Then parted that truck out afterwards.

The year after I put the plow on this '83 K30 6.2 Diesel truck.

I bought this truck for $1600 in the hopes of keeping the plow off it as a backup plow to have on one of my other trucks. But I ended up trading off the whole truck and plow.

At the end of last year I bought this '76 truck with an older Western V-plow that needed the pump rebuilt for $1200. Then gave up on it and sold the whole truck and plow for $1500.

And this year, I wasn't done rebuilding the '87, and was hoping I could put my Hiniker blade on something at least. But ended up just buying the POS '76 Chevy with the Meyers blade for $1000+4spd/205+pair of 3/4 ton axles.

I'm getting that '73 truck for now to put my Hiniker plow on for the remainder of this season since I don't trust the '76.

My goal is to put this Meyers plow on my tan '83 K30 for next winter, assemble my '87 K30 for next winter with the Hiniker plow on it, and I also want to see if I can find two more plows to get before next year to re-start our plowing business, since I have 3 other people ready and willing to drive.

 

[yellowK20]

That looks like a good plow truck and well setup and a nice heavy duty plow.

I need to get my main plow truck up and going again next year. It's an '87 1-ton 4x4... or at least it was. Right now its a frame axles, and all other parts strewn about I need to re-assemble.

This was when I finally put my Hiniker plow on it... and then 2 months later the motor went out and I decided to just tear it all apart and replace the cracked frame and rebuild it back with a 60 under it again (since I had robbed the 60 for another rig).

But it will be an '87 1-ton 4x4 with Goodwrench 454, TH400, NP205, Dana 60 front with power lock, 14-bolt rear with Gov Lock, 4.10 gears, 4" lift, Ramsey electric winch hidden behind the front bumper, and the same body as shown above and same plow.

Then I bought this '78 flatbed 3/4 ton 4x4 truck and put the plow on it for the rest of that season. Then parted that truck out afterwards.

The year after I put the plow on this '83 K30 6.2 Diesel truck.

I bought this truck for $1600 in the hopes of keeping the plow off it as a backup plow to have on one of my other trucks. But I ended up trading off the whole truck and plow.

At the end of last year I bought this '76 truck with an older Western V-plow that needed the pump rebuilt for $1200. Then gave up on it and sold the whole truck and plow for $1500.

And this year, I wasn't done rebuilding the '87, and was hoping I could put my Hiniker blade on something at least. But ended up just buying the POS '76 Chevy with the Meyers blade for $1000+4spd/205+pair of 3/4 ton axles.

I'm getting that '73 truck for now to put my Hiniker plow on for the remainder of this season since I don't trust the '76.

My goal is to put this Meyers plow on my tan '83 K30 for next winter, assemble my '87 K30 for next winter with the Hiniker plow on it, and I also want to see if I can find two more plows to get before next year to re-start our plowing business, since I have 3 other people ready and willing to drive.

whats your insurance like ??? when I was doing it was pretty high not to mention all the Business license and tax headache

 

[mountainexplorer]

The only year we "officially" plowed we just had the business license and went through a local company that sets up accounts and has the insurance covered. Since then though, I have only had the plow on trucks to keep our neighborhood alley clear, and to access the property up north, and do an occasional driveway or lot when asked to unofficially.

So this next year I'll have to figure out the insurance thing for plowing and see how expensive it is (I mean, 100+ an hour around here is what the normal companies and plow businesses charge)

 

[plumber mike]

I like your style Why buy just a part when you can get a whole truck that just happens to come with that part. It is such a luxury when both the truck and the plow are working like they are supposed to. Maybe this thread could be the official ck5 plow truck thread. I don't head out without the chains,hi-lift and shovel. It's amazing how one more foot up your pile can get you so stuck so fast

Hey sweet k30 lets get a look at the heart of that hydro setup of yours.
Is there hydro valves in the cab and a pump driven off the motor or what?

My local western dealer says westerns are the best.Go figure

 

[tRustyK5]

The only year we "officially" plowed we just had the business license and went through a local company that sets up accounts and has the insurance covered. Since then though, I have only had the plow on trucks to keep our neighborhood alley clear, and to access the property up north, and do an occasional driveway or lot when asked to unofficially.

So this next year I'll have to figure out the insurance thing for plowing and see how expensive it is (I mean, 100+ an hour around here is what the normal companies and plow businesses charge)

The guys that plow here charge out at $200 an hour...and about now I sure wish I had a plow of any sort.

I was just hearing on the radio this morning Spokane has had 78" of snow since mid December...they were talking about incidents of snow rage there. Apparently some idiot shot at a plow truck driver in a parking lot yesterday. Sure hoping that wasn't you getting shot at!!

Rene

 

[a77blazerchalet]

Naturally, I'd recommend a Blazer / camper plow setup (photo courtesy of a Vermont junkyard owner)

 

[Dalejrfan]

I think its cool that you keep the old iron together and have it make you some money! Great story on the whole Christmas week you had.

 

[sweetk30]

Hey sweet k30 lets get a look at the heart of that hydro setup of yours.
Is there hydro valves in the cab and a pump driven off the motor or what?

My local western dealer says westerns are the best.Go figure

hydro pump runs off motor. add on pulley on crank. then bolt on bracket to alt side and pump. i have the old pumpmate pulley on the pump to disconect the pump when not in use via a 1/4-20 bolt. feeds a control valve to go up/float down and left/right. custom mounted my joystick in dash. and this is a cable system from joystick to valve unit.

tad bit slower than electric but 10% more reliable in my opinion and lot less batt and alt problems.