# Howdy! New To industry



## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

hailing from east coast Canada.

I'm a seasonal roofer in the summer months.

I invested in a 2016 ram quad can 5.7l in November 2017.

I have been researching for last two years about hanging a plow on the truck
I want to be starting up a new business in residential snow clearing, for the first season -2020 - I will be just contacting my roofing customers for clients and residential property's next the immediate area to reduce travelling.

I settled on a Western Midweight , with a 2"levelling kit.

I don't plan on doing 18 hour + marathons and destroying my truck , 
As I'll need it for the summer roofing season . . . .

I am hoping to learn lots of tips and advice Fromm this forum to take care of my truck.

I plan on plowing slow, taking my time , I'm not looking to get rich over night. But simply learn the tricks of the trade and how to plow properly ....

And the following 2121 season, I will purchase a older style plow trucker 3/4 ton or something that is more so designed for full time plowing.....and further advance my snow clearing business..

Hope to see you all around the forum and talk lots.

I know a lot of you don't advise the 1/2 as a plow truck. Especially the newer models.....I have made my decision. . . . .

I loooked around for smaller plows , but I couldn't find much . . .but the western Midweight was sold to me with no issues and said to be perfect for a half ton.

Plow is going on in next 3-4 days.....levelling kit being installed first.....is there any other things a can do to lessen the impacts off plowing? Thansk

I will repost in appropriate threads as well.









Alex
Newfoundland Canada


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## leigh (Jan 2, 2009)

Welcome ! No advice ,yet !


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

Welcome. 
Good luck.


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## FredG (Oct 15, 2012)

Welcome, You made your decision on the 1/2 ton. You will be fine, keep the plow off when you got a break from snow. Don't take it on any road trips, meaning like a hour trip save you some wear and tear. Make sure you got ballast in your truck bed.


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## seville009 (Sep 9, 2002)

Best investment is a good set of winter tires on your truck; save you lots of headaches down the road.


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Thanks everyone!!
Seville
I have some good tires on there now! Just picked them up for the winter..GENERAL GRABBER tm stx .. ...They may be all season actually....but I won't be using them other than winter as I have summer tiresactually asked a plow salesman a few months before I'f that's something important And he just said he assumed you would want an good set of tires . Lol.happy to have it confirmed.

Also, thanks Fred g - I will be sure to avoid long unnecessary trip with blade.

Ballast in the bed
Well my new friend friend. You just saved me a lot of heart ache and probably embaressment!

do I want to match the same weight in ballast as the plow and mount ?


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

Same counterweight as the plow is a good start. Probably all you may need. Put it in your box like figure D.


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

you want counterweight not ballast.

Picture D is showing counter weight.


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Hey guys.
I know this is just the introduction section of forum so I will wrap it up with one last round of discussion 

Thanks Phil, much appreciated . .. I’ve read a few discussions on ballast and counter weight, I will have to roam a bit more to educate myself .
———————
Okay, so I think I am going to either use equal amount of bundles of shingles for counter weight, about 70lb a bundle.....they are easy to move in and out of rear of tail gate when using vehicle for travel. . . . OR / And maybe a few 20kg bags of salt . . . . The bundles of shingles are compact and heavy . . . .thr salt or sand I can use if needed ....

I will have them behind the axel . This is the correct way to counter balance the plow on the front end ? About 472lbs I believe the current western midweight is.
I would like to frame a box as I saw on a YouTube video Just stop the bundles From ever floating around, or worse blowing out the tailgate ....

QUESTIONS AMIGOS
How far back from the rear axle do I want the counter weight ?

They told me a levelling kit is all I will need at the spring shop . I asked if there was any other upgrades I could do to alleviate suspension issues. They said the 2”kit would suffice the load on the front.

I read stuff about upgrading / modding transmission stuff and a few other things to avoid issues..
EDIT - upgrading alternator and upgrading to a after market tranny cooler ????

Is this something to consider?

Is my electrical system going to suffer from the output To plow? Lol


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

Cali.5Ton said:


> Hey guys.
> I know this is just the introduction section of forum so I will wrap it up with one last round of discussion
> 
> Thanks Phil, much appreciated . .. I've read a few discussions on ballast and counter weight, I will have to roam a bit more to educate myself .
> ...


Don't worry about going off topic, as most threads do. 
Put the weight behind the wheel wells, as close to the tailgate as possible. 
I've humped shingles up a ladder, so I know how heavy they can get and they should work. I'd say 500# should be enough weight in most cases, but up to1000# can be better. 
Having some sand isn't a bad idea as it can be used if you lose traction. 
The extra tranny cooler is a good idea. If you have a tow package, you might already have one. Hopefully you have a tranny temp gauge you can keep an eye on. 
A higher amp alternator is a good idea, as well as a battery with reserve amperage.


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Reply^

Okay . Thanks for the detailed reply. 

I have a buddy who is a car guy so I will speak to him about who to go to or where to go to check out getting those mentioned upgrades. 

The 2016 ram has a dash display that you can cycle through and get to a display for transmission temperature. So that would probably work for keeping an eye on the temp.

No I don’t have a tow package that I know about. Pretty sure just stock everything, I tow a 5x8 enclosed trailer in summer.

I’ll have to investigate what the tranny cooler is exactly 

The higher amp alternator is something I can probably figure out easily.

And the battery with reserve amperage is another thing I’ll have to source from a local distributor most likely.

Thanks.

Can’t wait to start checking out the rest of the forum!
Cheers everyone.


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

2” lift kit done!
Waiting on the final parts for the western midweight for the ram that had to be sent in via boat. . .few days delayed.....already had 5 large snow events since before Christmas!
I hope they keep coming!!


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

EWSplow said:


> Don't worry about going off topic, as most threads do.
> Put the weight behind the wheel wells, as close to the tailgate as possible.
> I've humped shingles up a ladder, so I know how heavy they can get and they should work. I'd say 500# should be enough weight in most cases, but up to1000# can be better.
> Having some sand isn't a bad idea as it can be used if you lose traction.
> ...


Hey my friend

So what is an ideal temperature for a transmission to be at ?
And what temperature should I be hanging back and just idle until she cools down ? Or is thhere a quicker way to cool down?

I think it's give to me more Celsius in my truck. Seems to Be at around 45-60 just regular driving , no plow heavy working , just looked while out today.

Also,
I heard something along the lines of two types of transfer cases...chain maybe? And something else? One of which is notorious for ****ing up when combines with plowing,...this may be too little info for your to offer insight on.

So I read about western,......apparently I get a controller with buttons or a joystick, ......it says I have a choice in the panthlet distributor mentioned nothing's.....I guess they, stick me with either or......should I request a certain one? The controller with buttoms seems better to me,....

Talk soon,


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

Cali.5Ton said:


> Hey my friend
> 
> So what is an ideal temperature for a transmission to be at ?
> And what temperature should I be hanging back and just idle until she cools down ? Or is thhere a quicker way to cool down?
> ...


I think you're okay if you can keep the tranny temp below 65*C. I never see much difference between normal driving and plowing, maybe 25*F higher tops. 
I don't know much about dodge transmissions, or western plows. The last dodge I owned had a western plow, but I sold it in the early 90s.


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Well guys....one last thing,...
Lol our winters are probably a bit more intense then what you see..
And there's probably no such thing is taking it easy when it comes to our frequent events of 30-50cm with high winds 70-100+ km/ph making drifts.....

Our populated areas houses are cookie cutters that are lucky if not a shared driveway on the side.

So after snow fall, and city plows go by over night, there is a 4ftx5ft berm at foot of everyone driveways.

That's what I'll be dealing with . To remove those Berms and find somewhere to put the snow and stack it.......a lot of guys stack it on sidewalks in front of house they are doing and leave it there. OR. The following houses city walkway in front of there property. ( THEN the city sidewalk plows [email protected] to come by with huge sidewalk auger machines to clean the sidewalks and they spit all this berm snow and salt and dirt and gravel onto home owners lawnsj

There is really nothing you can do about it when you get 30 cm + x 5 events in 10 days.. . . . SNowblowers for home, owners work well for throwing snow far and managing piles. But then there are neighbours with plows pushing snow wherever they want across the street onto city pathways and all the snowbanks at foot of everyone's driveway is 6-7 ft high and it's only jan 11.

So I'm going to be getting calls for removing this snow with no where to put it.......I'm going to have to take my time and probably take the snowbanks down a bit and ramp it up......

I've got a lot of learning to do! Luckily I've got my own 60ft driveway x9ft , it starts as a joined driveway with neighbour then 10-12 ft in a fence divides us and my driveway keeps going back to my garage anencephaly cuts to the right , right I hope I can make a pile to the far left and hopefully make thr turn to the right and push it onto the lawn out back. I might have To cut the steps off my deck for the winter hahahaha if would make it dump zone I will
.

So check out my street...This is a quiet area.....rest of city is pretty busy probably a little tighter.

Luckily I AM in a school zone, so those city's side walk plow [email protected] are mandatory after snow events anyway, nut instead of the regular ones for just snowfall accumulation, they need the badass ultra auger machine lol because the regular one I've seen get stuck and almost tip over when hittin rocked up perma ice blocks from plow.
MY driveway , the front end., I might make that low pile at the front push in and pile that's properly further back when I get the plow 
You can also see the neighbours across steeet sns height of piles next to cars. No we're to stack snow








And here's is neighbours to left and all that extra high pile is Fromm the single driveway on left neighbour who plows his snow onto my lawn or sidewalk infront of my house then sidewalk auger spits it on top of my lawn. lol
I like to say I'll be a better plower . But there is just no where to put the snow,


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

Cali.5Ton said:


> Well guys....one last thing,...
> Lol our winters are probably a bit more intense then what you see..
> And there's probably no such thing is taking it easy when it comes to our frequent events of 30-50cm with high winds 70-100+ km/ph making drifts.....
> 
> ...


It looks like you need to get creative with stacking. 
A V plow might have been a better option. 
Looks like a jeep with a V plow would be better. 
More of a blower job?


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Yea....bit late for that, plow financed lol....slowly going to build up customer base and learn some creative tricks.

Most people just want the berm gone......so if I can take it out with small cuts at a time with plow , I’ll have to put it on sidewalks too..

I guess I’ll have to find some sub commercial jobs ...... but I’m not interested in that for this year.....

I will probably have to take two laborers with me and a snow blower and drop them while I do plowable ones...

A Jeep for the height ?
And can vs stack higher?

Lol I’m going to have To get creative......


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

It also looks like that ballast might be a snow blower.


plus
I have another question.


Where it was me mentioned the counterweight goes behind the axle
Will this stil provide traction? Or will I need extra weight over axle for that?


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

Cali.5Ton said:


> Yea....bit late for that, plow financed lol....slowly going to build up customer base and learn some creative tricks.
> 
> Most people just want the berm gone......so if I can take it out with small cuts at a time with plow , I'll have to put it on sidewalks too..
> 
> ...


Jeep fits in tighter spaces.


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Ahhhhh to bad.

Just has truck in friend garage. Had a blown rear shock, got a new Monroe’s in, and apparent the trailing arm bushings were gone, got both them replaced shock.
Day before a caliber seized and pads done in back and all breaks greased. Rust checked the truck to death, brake line, Tranmission lines, and greased n lubed every moving part.

So , dropping truck off tomorrow evening at plow distributor and auto shop to install my plow first thing Thursday morning.

Right in time, a 15-30 -45-60cm snow storm coming with 100kmph winds and then weather warming with possible chance in precipitation to rain.

So heart attack snow gonna be out,...

I’m Going to get thrown to the wolves!!!! No back up light......might have to grab something temporarily....zero visibility with high winds.

Luckily I have no contracts , just going to do clean up after the storm or half way, , storm starts Thursday night and will continue to Saturday


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## redneckhershey (Sep 5, 2010)

I run those Grabber tires now on my plow truck and they are good in snow I would stud them if your doing any long country drives as they need the extra traction for packed snow and ice. However studs are hard on paved drives when spinning tires. 
If doing city drives you will want one of these. https://haantechsnowblowers.ca/products/ they are made in PEI and made light enough for half ton trucks. 
One of those truck blowers and a couple honda blowers 3 guys can clear 60 driveways/ storm no problem.


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

redneckhershey said:


> I run those Grabber tires now on my plow truck and they are good in snow I would stud them if your doing any long country drives as they need the extra traction for packed snow and ice. However studs are hard on paved drives when spinning tires.
> If doing city drives you will want one of these. https://haantechsnowblowers.ca/products/ they are made in PEI and made light enough for half ton trucks.
> One of those truck blowers and a couple honda blowers 3 guys can clear 60 driveways/ storm no problem.


Thanks man. Really appreciate the words.

Damn that blower plow is insanely...I just financed a 9g midweight lol. Maybe sell it for cash and buy that next year!!!!

Made in PEI wow can't belive we haven't seen them , an island over. So gangster.

I'm going to get a blower but it's not gonna be heavy duty....I want something light and quick.....I have an 30" but needs work , throttle cable snapped...pull start gone, only one or two gears I gotta fight with. Shear pins snapping all the time, home owner jobby...

I'd drop $500 on something to strap to back rack or my low rear rack as shown In pick on top of my counter weight.

It's pretty much free for all here...clear the berm, back drag front of car, move car, and clear driveway and push up to any mountain you can find ....I think I could take a lot more calls with my two laborers and give them a blower ......

We got a lot of wet snow coming so blower won't throw too far......I may as well finance a Good blower if I'm getting into the business ......

We have onstreet parking here and in row house areas they are plowed in ny city's plows and they need to be hand shoveled , and need spades and ice choppers . So I'm gonna give it my all. I don't want my laborers running a machine especially if it's not brand new and they have no experienced.

I wants it light so I can lift it in and out quickly and easily. Not intersted in rammps.

Shingles plus snowblower as ballast....

I wish I could do it all with a truck....but there's money to be made by taking the jobs with blowers and shovelers plows can't take..

Questions
Is there any issue with getting snow behind plow when back dragging? Only if it's on top hey ? Under neath shouldn't be bad?


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## redneckhershey (Sep 5, 2010)

Ive never got stuck back dragging. only sometimes when pushing straight ahead with lots of snow and blade comes up on its own and snow comes around behind and your shoveling. 
Keep a couple good shovels for digging out the truck just in case. A good long tow strap from princess auto is helpful toofor you or others to pull with. A 20 foot set of heavy booster cables for stopping to help others or yourself.


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## redneckhershey (Sep 5, 2010)

doing a few free driveways and help those with a shovel in there hands will go a long ways in spreading the word of your service. have some of your roofing cards on hand to pass out with phone numbers. I love being able to help people in need and has always paid off for me. 
If some of your driveways have culvert watch for head wall and retaining walls do not push against them at anytime!
do not get too close to garage doors with deep snow or you will push door in even with blade up all the way


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Great.
Thanks again Hershey!
Just got
1x 14ft 9000lb(9) tow rope for now
2 10l gas cans I will keep filled in a job box up against the cab/rack
1 spade shovel this will fit in job box too ( I have two other great regular shovels)
2 x good rubber straps for strapping any objects in bed 

I bought 2 compact heavy duty tote boxes which we’re only 12.99each
Considering Canadian tire wanted $24-34 for cheap 189l ones, these ones aren’t that big, but they are very square and strong.
I put 5 x 10kg of bags of traction sand in each one for now - 220lbs. I didn’t have time To grab 4 bundles of shingles to lay down as a base underneath the tote set + Adding 280lbs.

Im all about being a good person and doing the free pushes when possible. And keeping the cards handy is perfect, I don’t need to get new ones, the backs are blank so I can jot some info on it for them if necessary for them to remember I’m the plow guy too!

Also, what you said about the road side service element, I was already thinking of this so I’m all over it, especially with you,suggesting it! 
I had a personal experience my Dakota went off a back road in middle of BF no where on feb 14 ,hit Ice under snow with my woman and went in a ditch. Luckily a guy property management guy was coming up the Road. Seen us, and hopped out and threw a tow rope from his bed and I hooked it Under the rear of the truck and he pulled us Out, all the while being on his phone the entire time , the only interaction was handing me his business card!
No charge.
We would have been there a long time and we didn’t have proper clothing or know exact location !!! 

SO with that, I’ll be offering services....

I’m not too big on offering Boost from my personal vehicles. Never really was confident enough to do it,....I might consider just getting a extra battery or some emerging boost system.......

If you think the long cables are a Good idea , I will do it, it’s a necessary evil in this cold weather, battery’s get drained. . . .i remember looking under my Hood on the 2016 and the battery is boxed in pretty well. I don’t see any terminals.

And thanks, I’ll watch out for retaining walls and any landscaping.

I really want to do this properly. I hope I’ll be able to google map the property before plowing , on the way and determine any issues. But still being careful as people may have Donne construction after most recent google maps. Lol!

I Am going to make a page for every customer and list all the identified trouble spots, determine where to put snow and where not too.
Write down anything to help for the next plow.

I would like to even draw an aerial view image of the property. 

Pretty much keep a full ledger for everything.

*I’ve still got to get either a back up camera, or back up light.....and most likely a emergency light for the top....*

It’s a lot to do out of pocket especially since my flow has completely stopped for close to a month. So all this stuff I just bought today is sunk costs.

I’m not high on confidence right Now BUT I know I have a reliable vehicle which is 200% serviced top knotch, just put in some work replacing a rearm shock and trailing arms ,bushings were shot.
And i know the plow is going to be fireworks lol 

So, just got to hit the button on social media and make it public.

I know what the value of my service is, i know people do it for cheap with no insurance and they may have experience, so I can’tt charge what i necessarily want, but I’ll do it the same way I do my roofing bids. I learned the hard Way and know I can do a third of the workload, charge a bit more and earn the same a set someone doing 2x As much work for a third of the price lol.


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

redneckhershey said:


> doing a few free driveways and help those with a shovel in there hands will go a long ways in spreading the word of your service. have some of your roofing cards on hand to pass out with phone numbers. I love being able to help people in need and has always paid off for me.
> If some of your driveways have culvert watch for head wall and retaining walls do not push against them at anytime!
> do not get too close to garage doors with deep snow or you will push door in even with blade up all the way


WELL, it's a go!
We have a dangerous blizzard coming, upwards 90cm , 135kmph Winds. Lasting 2days , all Friday early Morning through till Saturday day still high winds gusts of 90km Saturday.

Got My plow on.

I ended up going with 220lbs of Sand in 10kg bags in totes, and 4 bags of 30kg 3/4 crushed stone! 1 in each tote and one each infront of totes to keep in place.

I did my first bit of plowing tonight, plow wasn't ready from distributor til after dark. Got a 2 minute tutorial, up down left right, how to unhook blade and connectors.........

I did my property and swept up and widened driveway. .. . . . I actually read the manual and learned few things afterwards. It Actually explains how to plow driveways and scenarios. . . .i imagine a lot is experience and feel.

So, here's shE be...y'all obviously seen a western plow before. Here's another.
















I've taken only 3 [email protected] so far out of a good possible 10-15 . Only because of the weather forecast , and my inexperience . One of my quotes told me theyd pay me double If I could guarantee them lol . . . They must know the way the snow drifts....

The other two didn't even ask cost, I just said it will Be determined after snow fall...I will have to make a few passes throughout storm if visibility allows. They all (3) said they will continue to use me in future.
A lot of the potential jobs were requiring snowblowers ...I did suggest in my ad that if necessary a snowblower is @AVAILABLE but I have two shovelers

I've got light for the top in the works , hopefully tomorrow.

Going to have to learn fast...

**** questions***
Will I be plowing in 2wd till i get stuck then 4x4 and turn off overdrive ? I really hate using 4lo....especially on tight streets having To Reverse and turn around a whole lot. Please advise me if I should be in 4lo. . .

The western has a security lock function for the control l should I enable this?

Also,
The smooth stop is Enabled automatically. Should I consider learning the reasons and times to disable this ? I think i have Ann understanding and I won't be that precise too soon .

And also the one button float . It is automatically disabled... imguessing this drops the blade to ground with one tap.
For faster transitions when coming out of reverse......

I'm not trying to win any races but this sounds good other than slammimg plow on floor.

. . .. another real question......when I'm dropping the plow should i do it in increments or just drop the blade?

And , is it okay to turn the blade while in float and doing a push ? Say, snaking it around , is that tough on the hydraulics or is that what it's made for?

Any more tips and tricks feel free to drop em 
Clearing driveways. Chip,away at it , deep snow l raise the blade 3-4" and skim the top with half blade to 1/3 ? Each direction until a full blade can be done.
Here is our weather statement , updated to 90cm lol


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

Cali.5Ton said:


> Will I be plowing in 2wd till i get stuck then 4x4 and turn off overdrive ? I really hate using 4lo....especially on tight streets having To Reverse and turn around a whole lot. Please advise me if I should be in 4lo. . .


Don't use 4lo. Plow in 2wd if you can, if not use 4hi



Cali.5Ton said:


> The western has a security lock function for the control l should I enable this?


Only if you are worried about someone stealing your plow if you unhook it somewhere.



Cali.5Ton said:


> The smooth stop is Enabled automatically. Should I consider learning the reasons and times to disable this ? I think i have Ann understanding and I won't be that precise too soon .


I shut smooth stop off as I don't want my plow still drifting after I let go. Personal preference of course.



Cali.5Ton said:


> And also the one button float . It is automatically disabled... imguessing this drops the blade to ground with one tap.
> For faster transitions when coming out of reverse......


I use one touch float. Just want to tap down and go as 95% of the time, you want the balde down and in float. If you have it off, you have to hold the down button for a couple seconds to get float. In one touch, If you need to stop it part way down, click down, then bump up on the way down and it will stop.



Cali.5Ton said:


> I'm not trying to win any races but this sounds good other than slammimg plow on floor.
> 
> . . .. another real question......when I'm dropping the plow should i do it in increments or just drop the blade?


Slamming the blade will knock the stuck snow off your molboard. If it is slamming to hard, adjust your quill and you can slow it down. But yes, just drop it.



Cali.5Ton said:


> And , is it okay to turn the blade while in float and doing a push ? Say, snaking it around , is that tough on the hydraulics or is that what it's made for?


Once blade is in float, it is fine to angle the blade left and right.


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Philbilly2 said:


> Don't use 4lo. Plow in
> de left and right.


Thanks for taking the time.

SO BIG QUESTION AND WORRy.

Dropped the blade last night in driveway after some light use.

Came out today and noticed a few drops of Blue hydraulic fluid on the blade and in snow.

SO . I used It a bit on the street plowing. After a half hour or so I noticed some blue in the snow after a puush to a Bank.

When finished, a half hour on my street. I [email protected] into driveways, dropped blade. Came out and inspected the unit,

There was snow on hoses that had blue Fluid stains, some stains on the blade. AND the bottom of box/motor felt like fluid.

It wasn't ALOt. . . .but I don't imagine it should be leaking any on brand new set up.

Is it possible it is over filled fluid being pushed out?
I understand it's a closed system so no fluids should come out,
I traced one hose up to box and the clamp felt slippery.

Should i check the levels of fluid ?

Should I not use it and bring it to the dealership ASAP????


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## ggb6259 (Jan 14, 2010)

Put you hands on every hydraulic line fitting. The fluid could be over fill but you want to be sure. If the plow transitioning from left to right /right left is bouncing around or if you can lift the blade and push it to where the cylinders collapse, you have air in the line or you have a hydraulic fluid leak. If you lift the blade and move to either side and push hard toward truck on the ends and cant budge the blade then you re likely ok. You can always take anew to plow to the dealer as well.. Also I would turn off the soft stop. That works by opening the angle valves a hair allowing fluid to flow. You dont need it and you really don't want it.


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Thanks man

I will trouble shoot these now.

I do this lift and push trouble shoot when the truck is off and plow dropped completly right?

I will try and lift the blade and push it in to the left or the right and hope its very stiff and I can't get any play right?

I never lost any mobility from the system . But there is definitely leakage.

It's currently a state of emergency outside and dark out so I may not be able to go check until tomorrow. I hope it isn't any sort of slow leak and it drained and I am stuck. . . .

The distributors are a mechanic shop and they installed it. They would clearly be responsible for trouble shooting and repairing any issues hey? I cant imagine it being serious. I hardly used it what so ever last night aside from a few pushes of remnant snow from a snow fall a week before in my driveway .

I am beginning to think this is going to be a common maintenance issue . 2 year warranty So hopefully they have Time to remedy this 100%> ..I would like to learn the hydraulic troubleshooting my self .. . If it wasn't in the middle of a storm .

Is it possible it's anything from the cold temperatures and brand new hoses fittings not tightened after factory install like should everything be tightened up once a new install is on? ? It's been below zero . Feels like -22 not sure exact temp. Definitely -7 or -10c


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## Avalanche 2500 (Dec 31, 2015)

Welcome Cali, nice plow truck wish ya luck !.. Ck. your fluid level/ fittings, just a thought over fill on fluid and coming out the vent/breather ?? Ck. your manual to see if u have one ? Cheers


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Avalanche 2500 said:


> Welcome Cali, nice plow truck wish ya luck !.. Ck. your fluid level/ fittings, just a thought over fill on fluid and coming out the vent/breather ?? Ck. your manual to see if u have one ? Cheers


THanks!!

Damn I forgot to mention,

I also got a low battery indicator while I was out plowing for the firs time today. I checked the battery level It didn't show low.

Is this something to look into?


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Ive found some suggestions to help against the draw. . . 

I don’t think I can get a aftermarket alternator right away.

But possibly a higher end battery or even a second one on hand might Be necessary.


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## ggb6259 (Jan 14, 2010)

My Snowex I believes uses a vented cap and you don't want to overfill. My issue with fluid was a leaking valve connection on a the right side ram. Was loose from the dealer. It was overfilled as well. If you do have any movement by hand where it is loosy goosy then you find the leak and / or have to bleed the system. Best way to bleed it is too get the truck up high enough to where the blade will drop below normal grade. Some folks put the truck nose down on a hill. Then all you do is left, right, up, down a few times... and with the soft stop off it should tighten up and you wont be able to collapse the plow get just a tad of wiggle on end stops.

I had a Snowdogg on an 04Ram 1500 standard cab. It was a snow moving beast for driveways. I had one year where the battery light came on and ended up having to put a new one in. There are ways to add a second but I never had to do that.


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## ggb6259 (Jan 14, 2010)

Chain lift , forget the question


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

We are Day two of city of emergency.
Illegal for private plows to be on the road.
Gonna Clear out around my truck and trouble shoot.
Thanks guys


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Hey guys!!
Got dug out .
Toook some photos of fluid on the pump and system. That was frozen into the snow around one of the main hoses.

I was able to fire up the truck and lift the plow up down and left right a couple times.

Checked it after and no new leakage. . .. it's probably frozen around the fittings .

Check It out. Hopefully tighten a few hoses .....too covered to do any trouble shooting . Getting dark again now.

If any of you can identify what these spots terminology are that'd be helpful. I do have the manual lol
That is main spot there that seems to be leaking








This photo shows thr left side with more fluid









Anyone feel like breaking down a few pieces of this to me would be great.


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

Cali.5Ton said:


> We are Day two of city of emergency.
> Illegal for private plows to be on the road.
> Gonna Clear out around my truck and trouble shoot.
> Thanks guys


That's crazy talk. No private plows


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

EWSplow said:


> That's crazy talk. No private plows


lol I wish it was crazy talk. Read second line 








Fines of $1000 just for bein on the road inn any vehicle.

The army has been called in. Asking for federal help.

Until,the streets are cleared By municipal plows . It's not fit. Hahahaha. Any suggestions on fluid leak.?


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## Avalanche 2500 (Dec 31, 2015)

hopefully u have bread, milk ... an


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

Cali.5Ton said:


> lol I wish it was crazy talk. Read second line
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hope you stalked up on pizzas and Chinese food...


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Cookies and milk for us.

You’d think id have a couple quartz of hydraulic fluid . That’d be too prepared lol.


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## leigh (Jan 2, 2009)

I hope you have tire chains ! Is it even possible to plow that amount of snow in a half ton pickup ? You go 10 ' and you have snow over your hood ! Hope you survive Thumbs Up


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## Hydromaster (Jun 11, 2018)

Your Pic have Blurry spots and that don’t show us much of anything,

You can check for loose hoses yourself. 
Take the cover off and have a helper watch for leaks as you or them run the plow threw it’s paces.
Or take it to your dealer for warranty work.


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

leigh said:


> I hope you have tire chains ! Is it even possible to plow that amount of snow in a half ton pickup ? You go 10 ' and you have snow over your hood ! Hope you survive Thumbs Up


NO tire chains.
Lol
I am going to shovel my way to the road..........and clean off truck my 
Thanks guys. I'll check the hoses also bring to dealer


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

SHoveled out after. Had an extra body, toook a hour or two. . Then dropped buddy off and came back and this tractor was working on a few neighbours . He offered to move some snow. Lol wasn't really any where to put it . . . .

Everything seems fine on system draws a lot of power from system.










































Anndddd after I shoveled access to truck this tractor brought it down to to the pavement nearly lol. Incredible.......

So can I just buy a higher amp battery ? Will that help a little ? Even keeping a second one on hand...


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Hydromaster said:


> Your Pic have Blurry spots and that don't show us much of anything,
> 
> You can check for loose hoses yourself.
> Take the cover off and have a helper watch for leaks as you or them run the plow threw it's paces.
> Or take it to your dealer for warranty work.


Hey, 
It aPpears to be top of reservoir , a filter maybe is gone? It's leaking out the top.

Maybe too much air . Can I bleed a bit without refilling ?

First day out 
Learning quite a bit.

I need to learn to build ramps to load a shovel much As possible. Making ramps....I need a quick couple tips to make mountains. I come in with a cut and slowly raise plow right before hitting mound.....I think I can figure it out theoretically, I keep it low As as possible about bonnet height and keep pushing past that area making a flat mound and compact snow to drive ontop of for more height and repeat.

I accidentally kept my eye off trans temp..over heated to about. 130and **** it off then let iet cool and back to normal got lucky.


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Well, it was a seal on the motor it was leaking out of. It drained completely pretty much today. Both rams could be pushed in with minimal force, at start of day i Could push it in 1.5” each side with my Body weight.

Distributor / local dealer had me in immediately and went to work as soon as I pulled up..
They run a very serious business, I can’t imagined the dedication they must have to theyre customers. .. large western dealer in area that gets winter for almost 6months of the year lol

I’m assumimg it was a factory issue on asembly or something...time will tell.


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## ggb6259 (Jan 14, 2010)

Awesome...


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Just want to say thanks all for positive comments leading up to my first season...

Second snow event, first one was catastrophic. This one was good for me. It was about 20cm of snow followed by 10-20mm of rain, Making the snow heavier than concrete so no one wanted to be shoveling. 
It was mostly build up from municipal plows....

I snapped a few crappy pics of a few resi's I did. Lol hard to really tell , but I did pretty well.. widened up a few driveways. . . .
The plow is holding up great....I think I spilt all the over fill. Not leaking. Much fluid anymore......and also since I turned the smooth stop OFF I haven't had much leakage,









This was a easy one...I finding I spend a lot of time on the driveways , but I a learning and doing a really good job to ensure customer satisfaction....this is only a couple I snapped mid way lol.

This one was on a narrow busy street during the time rush hour before super bowl and when snow was turning to rain, I could barely fit up driveways once I managed to turn around on busy street to get angle to pull into the driveway....and high snow Banks at bottom so couldn't see let to right backing out...took me almost 45 min, and it's a incline.....really **** spot...
I did another sweep after , it was bad though I widened It.









This one I did for a friend, was right before. Stop sign on a busy intersection , I widened it as well as they just have a single car driveway with a small car. Once again the street are narrow so getting the right angle to attack the driveway is a lot of backing up and reversing I wish I had my 4.7l Dakota 5.5ft box on the go , next year.
Looks a bit messy lol but that what happens when it goes from 20cm to 20mm of rain and +4 celcious throughout 12hours. Yes I did a final sweep lol









.....not the cleanest looking pictures but everyone was happy just to have them done. They aren't easy driveways, except the first pic...

I did a handful of others too.

I WENT back to one today to finish and Salt. And I had to move a seniors car and I slipped on ice like a banana peel and went right back and gave my self a huge knock to the skull.... I blacked out memory wise 30min before and after . I just sat in driveway for 30 min to grasp....but went straight home after finishing...

Most of the driveways are pack ice from previous snow storm...

Oh well. I'm learning and liking it! It's not easy work what so ever.


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## Fourteen Contracting Inc. (Jul 5, 2019)

Cali.5Ton said:


> Just want to say thanks all for positive comments leading up to my first season...
> 
> Second snow event, first one was catastrophic. This one was good for me. It was about 20cm of snow followed by 10-20mm of rain, Making the snow heavier than concrete so no one wanted to be shoveling.
> It was mostly build up from municipal plows....
> ...


I started out on a two man walkway crew with a guy who used to work in snow in nfld. 
We had a record snow total for the season that year. I would comment on how much snow we were getting. He would just laugh at me and tell me stories... seems he wasn't really embellishing them haha. I'm glad you're liking it.


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## Cali.5Ton (Jan 8, 2020)

Hey all...
Sooo..

Bought a western midweight from only western distributors in province.

They installed.
It was leaking fluid 12 hours after I got it. Did zero plowing first 12 hours.
Dripping right down the reservoir tank from the top.

I brought it back immediately. Dropped it off, they caLled one our later. Said I could come get it.

Said it was a pump seal.....

Took off....straight home ,no plowing . Next day , still leaking...I told them, and i said I dont know if it still over fill or something, and I haven’t no plowed with it, so they Said well let US know if it keeps leaking.....I used it throughout week moderately, leaking everywhere I dropped it and in My driveway. I used it until it was pretty well leaked empty’s, It could barely move the angle Rams left or right .

So I dropped it there, and I left it with them all weekend, Friday through Mondays called around 4pm they said I could come get it’...

Stupidly I never asked any questions as to why this is happening and is it normal, which il Be asking tomorrow’s.

So anyway, the same thing, after them having it for 3days workings on it. They gave it’ back i. Evening, sitting dropped on ground . Didn’t see any leakage...I got home . Dropped the blade. Came out in morning, blue streaks down over the pump model number and ground and now all over above top of reservoir....

Again I emailed asking saying I don’t want to bother But I’m abit concerned...said I would use it and let them know if it stopped...

It didn’t , i changed it to disable smoothe stop, which I noticed reduced the leakage. But still leaked...

I used it maybe 1snow event and cleaning up my property. It drained completly again now, barely any fluid to angle it......
As the system was getting low on fluid. I would angle it left to right to get the rams stiff, and I was hearing squeaking, I imagine it was remaining fluid filling up angle rams, as after back and forthee 6-7 times I could go push either side and the rams were stiff.

So now,
I need to go to the shop and ask what’s is going on.

Did I get a lemon? Can I get a replacement ? Is this normal?? I can’t imagine it to be Normal having to go to shop 3timez in 3 weeks.....on a $10,000CAD plow..
Either they are playing game s and jus to filling up the tank when I come in, or they don’t know to propelty replace a pump seal kit 
And ,which SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN SOLD TO ME WITHOUT BEING FACTORY TESTED OR TESTED BEFORE SALE....

I havve off the road 25 days of the last 29 since I bought it.

DO I contact western or ask them to. This is not how a hydraulic plow is supposed to operate. ..the reservoir says change fluids yearly. Those would imply NO leakage.....not 3 fills.

It’s two year warranty’s.... I can’t afford to be had....
Any suggestions? I work in a business with leaks ans dealing with customeds. It’s frustrating. I am being very patient but this is becoming unacceptable.
.

Any helP or advice?


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

Cali.5Ton said:


> Hey all...
> Sooo..
> 
> Bought a western midweight from only western distributors in province.
> ...


Sounds like you got a lemon and your plow dealer is a moron.


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