Snowplow advice

[ArcticBear44]

Hey CK5 community,
I have a small place up in the Rockies with about a 60 yd driveway to maintain. Looking to throw a snowplow on the front of my 1989 Jimmy for light duty use around the house. The easier to attach/remove the better. I'd like to get away with something no larger than 82" that wouldn't require rebuilding the front end (ie - replacing front axle, beefing up the leaf springs,...) unless it's necessary.

Any advice around the community here around important considerations, recommendations, suggestions? I don't even know where to start. Which brand, installation advice, front hitch receiver installation type or full mount? Looking for any advice to get me started. Thanks in advance.

 

[53chevy]

What is your average snow fall? Do you need to push all 60 yds or can you swall it to the sides as you go down the driveway? How wide is your driveway? Smaller the plow would be less stress on everything in the system.

 

[diesel4me]

I've had 4 GM square body plow trucks,all had Fisher "old style" plows that were not "minute mount"...had 3 with 7.5 foot blades and one 8 footer--the 8 foot blade had the much heavier duty angle iron A frame and 4 coil springs on the trip edge,weighed a LOT too,probably 600 lbs..and I had it on a 1/2 ton with the factory 2 leaf front springs..
Not an ideal setup,but the springs never broke or gave any grief..

I much prefer a Fisher blade over a Western or Myers,those the whole blade flops over when you hit an obstruction and relies on two big springs to flip the blade back up,which can break at the peak of a storm..and the Fisher blade will move heavy slush or frozen snow instead of flopping over and riding up onto the snow..

The Fisher push plates are very thick and beefy too,and strengthen up the frame,none of my plow trucks ever had any cracks in the steering box area and I assume the push frame is why they didn't..

I have no experience with any front receiver mount plows or the lightweight lexan blades--I feel they wouldn't be up to the tasks around here,where we often get 2+ feet of snow along with freezing rain,slush and when that stuff freezes,even a metal blade is liable to damage,it is so heavy and resists being moved..

 

[ArcticBear44]

Thanks for the quick replies fellas. Great feedback.

53Chevy - average snowfall is around 350 inches. Driveway is probably about 20'. I probably will need to plow it all due to way it's laid out but I can swing it to the sides in areas.

Diesel4me - Appreciate your experience. The snow in the Rockies sounds like it may be a bit lighter than the heavy dumps you guys get up there in the NE. Some tough stuff up there man. You do raise a good point that I hadn't considered about the blade flopping over. I guess you would need a bit of release to absorb the impact when you strike a blind obstruction. The lexan would be nice for weight but you make a good point.

 

[53chevy]

the 7.5 ft blade will do you just fine, adding some weight to the rear end never hurts. is it a dirt or stone driveway ?

 

[GoGoGirl]

I am still a newbie to plowing, this being only my second winter, but my 85 K5 (M1009) with a 7.5' Fisher Speedcast (old school w/hydraulics under the hood) is awesome! I just honestly don't know where you will find the setup for your 89. I do know a few people in my area (VT) have offered entire setups and/or parts for sale, but it seems the older frames are getting harder to find.

My driveway is a little longer than what you mention, I plow with the storm every few inches, and have had zero problems with pushing or maneuverability. As was already said above, the blade runs very well over uneven terrain (entire area and driveway is dirt) and if it trips it bounces back and keeps on going.

My uneducated guess would be that it wouldn't be hard to fabricate a frame and run the hoses, the hard part being your hydraulic motor and where/how to sort of plumb that in so to speak.

 

[sweetk30]

73-87 truck 73-91 blazer burban crew cab

there all the same truck side mount for plows .

as said fisher is the tanks of the plow world for the most part . its what I run my self .

a 7 & 1/2 ft wide will do your blazer fine and then 300-500lbs of ballest in the rear bed area over the axle or just a hair behind will be best .

go easy till you get the hang of it . and don't go crazy with snow over the blade or you WILL dig your whole front end in and be stuck with only way out is a lot of shovel time .

if you get a older fisher with belt drive hydro pump under the hood make sure the bracket system is all there for YOUR style engine you have . v-belt stuff is different from serp belt style . and the crank shaft pulley is its own add on over the gm unit . don't forget it .

I don't get on there much these days to busy . . . but www.plowsite.com is a good site like ck5 here is . WOW that place sure has changed a lot .

 

[diesel4me]

I see quite a few square body Fisher plow setups (the push frames,and pumps,joysticks,etc) on craigslist here pretty often still...every year a few more old trucks bite the dust and get parted out..if your looking for just one part ,they charge quite a bit,but "everything" usually sells for between $300 and $600 around here..

I see some complete setups in salvage yards too,including blades--one year I bought a blade off some other truck that was in a pile of plows at a local salvage yard for $75,it was like new compared to my beat up rusted one,and it had the much stronger angle iron A-frame and 4 coil spring trip edge...I paid $225 for a complete plow setup & blade back in the 90's from an '87 K20 at a salvage yard,it was hit in the front,but the plow frame was only slightly tweaked..

My '82 GMC has a home brewed push frame--some previous owner just boxed in the front frame rails with 3/8" plates from the bumper back to the first cross-member roughly,and put the Fisher plow pin channel iron across those plates,and welded two mounting tabs for the upright braces to bolt too..
I've whaled on that plow so hard over the years,that the A-frame on it cracked off the main pin bushing and it stayed in the snowbank when I backed away from it,after several 2+ foot storms back to back in 2015..!....never hurt the push frame on the truck a bit though..
It was in March that happened,and I was lucky it didn't happen sooner..we got over 12 feet that year,from Jan,20th to April..
I bet I have plowed over 100 storms with this truck since I got it in 2003..

I noticed my v-belt driven plow pump has developed a leak recently--not sure where its leaking from,and its a crappy time of the year for it to start giving grief now...I have no "spares",I could rob the one off my Suburban,but would rather not start cannibalizing it..hoping its something simple like a hose leaking,not the seal or housing on the pump case..

 

[jimmy88]

You left out a BIG factor in your decision making process: How much are you willing to spend? Some of the newer plow setups are sweet but cost huge $$$. Are you looking to buy new or go with a used setup? In your case probably any real straight plow will work fine (ie no mickey mouse homeowner specials), do some research on the pros and cons of each brand you might consider buying. There are (or used to be a few years ago) a few good snowplow forums to look around on. Decide what attributes are important to you. What is your driveway surface? Is it flat or hilly? Is your Jimmy stock? Also factor in parts availability for when things crap out at the worst possible time. If you have a local dealer who stocks lots of parts for the brands he sells than that should figure into your decision. How you drive and plow along with proper maintenance all play a huge part in how the equipment holds up.

 

[runamok151]

60 yds is not that long. You might be better off going w/ a good 2-stage snow blower. That will let you get the snow up and away from the driveway when you have lots of snow. Plus, it will save wear and tear on a 1/2 ton front end.