Pickup mounted snow-plows - any advice?

[Rob]

Looking at possibly putting a snow ploy blade on my truck to plow my driveway.  I have a small ATV mounted blade, but it takes quite a bit of time to clear everything.

What things should I be looking at?  Brands?  length?  type (straigh vs. V shaped)?

Do they mount to a front receiver and do they need a winch to operate?  or are they operated by an onboard lifting mechanism?

The truck is an F350 super duty and my driveway is 200 to 300 yards long with a 30x30ish pad infront of the garage.

[Caseknife]

Meyers is a popular brand.  They are all inclusive, power head, lifting mechanism, blade, etc.  The only drawback is that you will have a plow mount permanently attached to the frame of your truck which will hang down a bit in front of your front tires.  You lose a bit of your approach angle, but once you figure that out, you're good.  8' blade should get you where you need to be, will cover your tracks when it is angled, but won't be too bulky and big to get around close to stuff.

[CastleRocker]

My experiences with a pickup mounted blade are very limited,  but they don't work in the wet snow we tend to get here.   I've tried a blade on a quad, and it didn't work either.   I used it as more justification for a little 30 hp 4x4 John Deere tractor. However, if you are in Sandpoint, then you probably get that beautiful light, fluffy snow that a pickup/plow would push.

[Jingles]

Having had and used  both fixed blade (western) and V blade (boss), on 2 trucks and plowed commercially, My recommendation would be go with the V blade, can make it to a scoop and stack snow higher as long as you learn how to make a ramp with the snow. With the 350 you could go with the 9'6" blade and the boss blade system is operated on a hydraulic system that is drive up to connect and you are gtg and start plowing, comes with the in cab ability Controls and is a breeze to angle left or right wing, not knowing how much snow you get at a time with the blade v'd can open up the drive even if 2 feet deep,, and spill snow both sides the wing it one way or the other to widen the plowed area.
Have another couple recommendations for you regardless which way you go so feel free to PM me. Personly should I ever get back to plowing would not consider anything but a V blade.

[Woodchuck]

Unless you "need" to plow and plow a lot, it isn't worth the wear and tear. If you have a warranty on your truck, a plow mounted on it will void that instantly.

[KFhunter]

Might be a better idea to buy an old truck with a plow already on it.   I used to see them on CL

[KFhunter]

Used to see trucks like this for half this price

https://spokane.craigslist.org/grd/d/davenport-1985-ford-250-boss-plow/7419705063.html


Might dicker it down a bit 

Time you get a plow installed on your F350 you gonna be 8 grand I dunno? Maybe more now?  A plow will crush the resale value of your truck, so you could be money ahead and never have to screw around mounting amd dismounting a plow

[Jingles]

Unless you "need" to plow and plow a lot, it isn't worth the wear and tear. If you have a warranty on your truck, a plow mounted on it will void that instantly.

Unless there has been recent changes a professionally mounted plow does not void your warranty

[KFhunter]

Maybe it depends on the truck, plow ready work trucks vs cowboy cadillacs..

[boneaddict]

Lots of variety from simple to commercial grade.   It depends on how much money you want to spend.  I got one from snow bear.   It’s on the low end for cost, but effective for what I need here in the Wenas. I only have to plow once or twice a year, but have a huge driveway.  It has remote up and down, but manually have to adjust angles.  It’s lightweight.  It mounts on a receiver that you permanently have mounted on the front of truck.  This works well if you have a winch as the receiver can match where your stinger is on the back. 
I of course used it much more than what it was designed for, busting out drifts a couple years back, and plowing out the whole road for all of my neighbors.  It survived. 
There are most definitely plows that are fancier, tougher and more convenient.   This one isn’t designed to run up and down the hiway.  You can get lights for it if you want, but like I said I wanted simple.   Now if I lived in Twisp, where I grew up, I’d go for the high end.

[dyhardhuntr]

In my opinion (and it’s just an opinion) I would buy a tractor and or an old truck as mentioned before. I’m not sure putting a plow on your current vehicle would be cost effective. I worked for the local county public works as a technician for several years. In that time I became very knowledgeable on snow plows( not sure if that’s good or bad). We had several set ups. The newest setup was the easiest to do by yourself. It had a thick steel plate as part of the frame/bumper. The plow itself was all inclusive with hydraulic cylinders for tilting left to right and up and down. They are very handy but can also be a real pain. Ground clearance as mentioned is something you have to think about. Also trucks that come equipped as a snow plow package have heavier suspension in the front, dual alternators, high flow radiators etc. Where I currently work we installed a plow for clearing the yard and the main office parking lot. It works well with minimal interference on the truck. It was around $5k I think. It’s made by snowdogg. I would get a 8’ straight blade with tilt. You’re not plowing miles of road so you won’t need a V plow or batwing as we called it. Good luck with your search


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[Angry Perch]

Unless you "need" to plow and plow a lot, it isn't worth the wear and tear. If you have a warranty on your truck, a plow mounted on it will void that instantly.

Interesting. I worked at a Ford dealership in Minnesota in the mid 80's doing detailing and dealer prep stuff. In the fall there were F-250's rolling out the door left and right with plows on them.

[Woodchuck]

Unless you "need" to plow and plow a lot, it isn't worth the wear and tear. If you have a warranty on your truck, a plow mounted on it will void that instantly.

Interesting. I worked at a Ford dealership in Minnesota in the mid 80's doing detailing and dealer prep stuff. In the fall there were F-250's rolling out the door left and right with plows on them.

I guess I should clarify. In MN, I have no doubts, I grew up in Warroad. I am sure dealer prep has some effect. I guess was more speaking more to extended contracts. If it isn't listed at time of purchase, they will void it for a plow. Heck, I had a claim denied because the tires on a pickup were 1.5in bigger than stock.

[Rob]

Apologies for posting and then going dark.  Been slammed with my move. 

Some really good info above.  After spending an hour plowing with the ATV today i am thinking hard of alternatives.

 I did not figure a plow would reduce the value of the truck.  I like the idea of a dedicated plow vehicle but I really like the idea of a tractor.  How big of a tractor would you need to do a few hundred yards of driveway and a 60x30 parking area efficiently?   I looked briefly at tractors a few years back and they were rather spendy.

[wadu1]

A big one, like this one in McCall