Snow plow question/suggestions

Hello everyone
Last week we received over 19 inches of snow and it took me over 4 hours to clear everything with my blower. I want to get a snowplow for my truck but I am tight on my budget.

I called around and a simple Fisher or Western plow will run between $4400 and $5000. That is out of my reach for the foreseeable future. I would just be clearing my own driveway which is about 300 feet by 10 feet.

I have seen the Meyers and Snow bear plows that run around $1700 to $3000 depending on which version you want. Has anyone used a front receiver plow like those before? Are they any good? I would hate to spend two grand and have a piece of junk that will break.

Any thoughts and suggestions would be apricated.

Thanks and I hope everyone has a great Christmas/ Holiday.

 

uh, calling @Mountun Goat

 

Do you have to go new; not not go second hand? You could probably get a Fisher MM2 for a decent price. Little dated technology but for what you’re using it for very acceptable. Plus they’re good plows. Just a thought

 

Have you considered an older tractor and a back blade? Snow plowing is hard on a 1/2 ton pickup.

 

Hello. I just purchased and installed a dk2 plow from Costco. The greatest investment I’ve made for real. We moved to an acreage a few months and didn’t know for sure what direction to go for value, effectiveness. At this point, the plow has nailed all expectations. I paid $1600cad shipped to my door. Was on sale $400 off when I purchased, still I would pay $2k in a minute.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/mountun-goat’s-anatomy-thread.25483/

 

I love my Tundra too much to beat it up with a plow.

 

I own this, works great!

https://www.agricover.com/snowsport/hd

 

or a big yard tractor (used JD100/200 or similar) with a blade, but I imagine if you're looking at truck plows you'd prefer to have heat

 

A truck isn't going to push 19 inches of snow quicky either, both have their trade-offs.

The blower will clear pretty much whatever you can feed into it but it will be slower.

The plow will move (effectively depending on moldboard height and speed) 8-10 inches, so for heavy storms you'll be plowing 2-3 times.

 

First if you’re going to do it, I strongly recommend the Fisher HT. It’s worth the extra money. I know you said it’s too much for right now but trust me. It’s just so so so so worth it. I’ve tried the snowbear and it’s just not wide enough or tall enough. It’s a pain in the @&$ to get on and off the truck. You constantly get it stuck in the snowbank and have to take the plow off, shovel it out, and get it back on the truck. The winch and strap works great the first year, ok the second year, and needs to be replaced the third year. The control modules are junk and overheat to the point of melting the plastic casing.

My friend tried the Meyer plow on a Tacoma and hated that as well. He also complains the control modules are junk. Although he likes having a hitch on the front of his truck for other things like moving the boat around the yard. He also gets stuck because the plow just isn’t large enough to handle snow over 8 inches deep. I finally just bit the bullet, sold my snowbear for $200 and bought a fisher... it handled that 2 feet of snow like it was just a dusting.

The truck can handle a good size plow and if you do it right there’s no real increase in wear and tear on the truck. Just take it off when you’re done and don’t smash to snowbanks.

 

I am kind of now leaning towards investing in a good 3 stage snow blower and saving the wear and tare on the old girl. Thank you all for your comments.

 

https://youtu.be/9UGCb4eSUSU

 

...Snowdogg...3400 installed. Aluminum. Lighter(not the best for backplowing) otherwise 250 lbs plus lighter than a myers

 

No idea what your budget is but a cab tractor with a front mount blower is pretty hard to beat for long snowy driveways.

 

As cool as that looks, it’s a terrible idea. Just wait for the ice sheet to form as moisture will probably continue to evaporate from the driveway making it even more slippery/hazardous.

 

Fantastic comments, advice, pictures and videos. I haven't decided what type of plow to get yet as I have just started researching them but thanks to y'all I have a really good head start.
This site and the folks on it are great!
Thanks again.

 

I'm guessing that if $5k is a little out of his budget then spending $35k on a tractor is going to really break the bank, lol.

I have both an old international 2 1/2 ton dump truck with a 10' plow on it and a 45hp Kubota with a front blower. Plows have limitations. Once the banks build up the snow just goes up and over the top of the plow. That means you need to keep pushing the banks back further. The snow blower is a one and done event. Slow, for sure, but once it's blown away from your driveway it's not likely to cause you issues. It's been several years now since I've used the plow truck.

 

Wait, you guys like pictures.

 

I just installed this on my truck and got to use it for the first time last month and it worked great. Great install instructions and will not break you budget.

As Mountun Goat stated above I also got it from costco at a great price. They dont seem to carry it anymore though.

https://www.snowplowsdirect.com/dk2-elite-snow-plow

 

Nice setup!

 

Those are really underrated and very easy to install. Beats paying $4-$5k for the top brands since I am only using it for my own property.

 

Agreed

 

Bit the bullet and had this installed yesterday. $5600 installed. Temps have been above 50 all week... pretty sure that this won't get used until fall.



BUT I can now sell my 2000 with the RediPlow/SnowSport/whatever you want to call it. Nice for a cheap plow, and the front receiver is great for maneuvering trailers around in parking lots or at home when you're not plowing, but... no back-blading. No way to make it float and not send a ton of gravel onto the lawn. I'm looking forward to the new plow.



One nasty thing I discovered - the coupler tower blocks the radar in the front emblem, so you get a warning error on your dashboard and the radar cruise control is completely disabled. The error does go away after you dismount the plow, though. After a quarter mile or so.

 

I just picked up a used Fisher HT with MM2 mount for $2400. Seemed like a great price , it's in excellent condition. I'll only be plowing a 450' driveway with a 30x40 turning area. Not sure what installation will run. I'm guessing around $5-700

 

Had this installed on my son’s Tacoma mid winter. It almost paid for itself. Will be free after next winter.

 

I had a Fisher on my '10 tundra. Worked excellent on Maine snow's and have never had a problem with front suspension. Was debating not putting plow on my 2021 and just keep using the old one but prices for used trucks is going crazy so now might be the time to sell it with only 150K miles.
On the '10 I had to cut a "window" in the skid plate to do oil changes. Otherwise you had to take the plow mount off to take the skid plate off. I'm curious if you guys are still doing that or is there another way to do this?

 

They took the skid plate OFF my 2018 to mount the plow.

 

Except when they break. Plus OP said it took him 4 hrs for 19". not all uncommon in Upstate NY. ¾ ton or 1 ton with a v-plow for anything over 200' of driveway would be my rec. Or hire a guy. You should be able to get 4-5 seasons for $3k for a 300' driveway.

*edit*
Should clarify that I have about 1000' of driveway to plow. 550' straight, plus a turn around/loop, and a side spot down to the garage. Tried the tractor/blower route. Sold it and hired "a guy". nothing to worry about, and he handled the drifts when the snow stopped falling but the wind didnt. Save the wear and tear on your Tundra, imo.

 

So I found a nice lightly used SNO-way 1/2 ton plow that said would fit a Tundra. Found out later it only fits 1st gen trucks. Already out $2k I figured my welder buddy could help me out. I fabricated a mock-up template and told him to get it done. If anyone wants dimensions to mount an older plow to their 2015-16 truck I’d be happy to provide.
Works like a charm.
https://www.snoway.com/plows/22-series/