# What Gear to Plow in



## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

I have 2015 F350 DRW Chassis.
Only been out in it once plowing. under 2''

I tried it in drive then I tried it in drive with tow/haul on

In tow mode I like it better felt like my old 99 Dually manual.

I only plowed one lot with the new truck. Then went jump in my 99
Did notice in just drive it would spin out in 2wd easier then in Tow mode
I haven't tried it in manual mode

So what gear do you plow in ???????


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## snowplower1 (Jan 15, 2014)

well with our chevy's i always plowed in 3rd when i thought of it but i just picked up a 2015 f350 and it has the manual so i dont really know what to plow in because there is only 1 2 M and Drive. so I wonder if i should plow in 2nd gear, use manual (probably not gonna happen) or like you did in drive with the haul switch on.


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

snowplower1;1880444 said:


> well with our chevy's i always plowed in 3rd when i thought of it but i just picked up a 2015 f350 and it has the manual so i dont really know what to plow in because there is only 1 2 M and Drive. so I wonder if i should plow in 2nd gear, use manual (probably not gonna happen) or like you did in drive with the haul switch on.


I think M mode will be to much of a pain

Like in my older SD 02 and 99 Autos I plow in 1st then bump it up to 2nd

But this truck is a different animal

I got where I like driving it in Tow mode all time even with out towing anything It feels like I'm driving my 99 DRW manaul


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## F250/XLS (Nov 23, 2014)

Antlerart06;1880488 said:


> I think M mode will be to much of a pain
> 
> Like in my older SD 02 and 99 Autos I plow in 1st then bump it up to 2nd
> 
> ...


I plow mine in D and keep m'y hub´s locked all thé Time was told by m'y buddy who's Mechanic at Ford mot to plow on tow


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## tjctransport (Nov 22, 2008)

i push in drive. 
using a lower gear only uses more fuel.


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## Pit Crew (Mar 19, 2014)

For the last 13 yrs I plowed with 2000 and 2003 reg cab f350 v 10. Never gave it a thought about what gear I was in. Never lacked power. Definitely would loose traction before power. 
D to R ,D to R over and over and over etc. Thats what plowing is. Now I see all these posts askin what gear,T H or not. Low range ,high range. Couldn`t imagine going from R to L couple hundred times a day.
Now I have a new 2014 6.2 with TH option. Only been out once this yer for a 2inch plow. Still never thought about what gear I was in. The only thing I did differen`t was turn off the TC, which is an option I never had before. So we`ll see how it handles a bigger snow. IF I drove a chevy, I might have reason for concern. Lol


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## snowplower1 (Jan 15, 2014)

Pit Crew;1880671 said:


> For the last 13 yrs I plowed with 2000 and 2003 reg cab f350 v 10. Never gave it a thought about what gear I was in. Never lacked power. Definitely would loose traction before power.
> D to R ,D to R over and over and over etc. Thats what plowing is. Now I see all these posts askin what gear,T H or not. Low range ,high range. Couldn`t imagine going from R to L couple hundred times a day.
> Now I have a new 2014 6.2 with TH option. Only been out once this yer for a 2inch plow. Still never thought about what gear I was in. The only thing I did differen`t was turn off the TC, which is an option I never had before. So we`ll see how it handles a bigger snow. IF I drove a chevy, I might have reason for concern. Lol


I know you're not supposed to plow in drive because it puts more on the transmission but my problem is, driving in second i don't think I would be able to get enough speed.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=158434


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

tjctransport;1880670 said:


> i push in drive.
> using a lower gear only uses more fuel.


Not necessarily.

Not even close to an absolute.

FWIW, T\H is not a gear.


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

I put the b!tch in dozer mode and hammer down..... Been beating them into the ground forever and never had a problem.


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## kimber750 (Sep 19, 2011)

1olddogtwo;1880782 said:


> I put the b!tch in dozer mode and hammer down..... Been beating them into the ground forever and never had a problem.


Thumbs Up Hell yes, this is how I do it. Especially on my longer pushes. 200k on a stock 4r100 and still going.

Never understood all this crap about what gear or turn OD off. It is not gonna use OD unless you are plowing at 45-50mph. Plowing in 2 makes no sense since it is harder on the tranny to get moving.


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## xjoedirt55x (Dec 11, 2009)

kimber750;1880783 said:


> Thumbs Up Hell yes, this is how I do it. Especially on my longer pushes. 200k on a stock 4r100 and still going.
> 
> Never understood all this crap about what gear or turn OD off. It is not gonna use OD unless you are plowing at 45-50mph. *Plowing in 2 makes no sense since it is harder on the tranny to get moving*.


I agree with you that the only difference in gears and such is shift points, and if you are not really using shift points, this point is moot. But more of a question/confusion on my end..... Even if you have 2nd gear selected in an auto transmission, I was under the impression you still start in first, but it is limited and will not pass 2nd gear. I think you are saying that it actually starts in 2nd gear.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

xjoedirt55x;1880810 said:


> I agree with you that the only difference in gears and such is shift points, and if you are not really using shift points, this point is moot. But more of a question/confusion on my end..... Even if you have 2nd gear selected in an auto transmission, I was under the impression you still start in first, but it is limited and will not pass 2nd gear. I think you are saying that it actually starts in 2nd gear.


Ford, in their infinite stupidity, engineered their trannys to start in whatever gear one selects.

Idiots


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

Originally Posted by B&B View Post
80% of the heat generated in an auto trans stems from the torque converter and the shearing action the fluid goes through as the fluid coupling is being performed in the converter as the converter is nothing more than a hydrostatic drive thus it uses fluid to produce a means of coupling the engine to the trans. And in doing so creates a great amount of heat which is absorbed and passed out of the trans to be cooled, anything you can do to lessen that heat produced will prolong the life of the trans and converter as a whole. And one way to do that is to keep the RPM's of the torque converter ABOVE it's stall speed as much as possible which reduces it's inefficiency and thus it's heat production. And to do that under low ground speed/ high load demands you need RPM's, which requires either a lower gear or more ground speed while in a higher gear. More ground speed isn't usually possible during plowing conditions so a lower gear is chosen instead. Transmission are smart these days but they're still not smart enough for a plow truck, thus they still require manual input from the operator in order to be in the correct gear for max efficiency and life. Which applies to the engine as well. Lugging along in to high a gear with a good sized load out front does nothing but add heat to the engine and trans for which it then has to remove. Reduce the heat production in the first place and you increase it's service life.


As to how much RPM's should be run; has many variables. The stall speed of the converter itself, the individual gear ratios of the specific trans and the engine thats ahead of that trans (gas or Diesel, big or small), the axle ratio, the ground speed you're attempting to run at, the distance you're traveling in a single pass, the load on the truck etc. And this why you hear so many different "methods" of what guys use that they claim "work fine" so to speak as some need more or less gear multiplication under different conditions do to these variables but it would take a book to explain them all for each application. That's the operators job to know what is the correct gear for the task at hand, no different than a manual trans.

Additional benefits to the extra RPM's is more cooling flow for the heat that is still generated regardless of what you're doing...and as a plus those extra RPM's assists in keeping the charging system ahead of the electrical demands of the plow and other electrical accessories running. Guys who lumbar around at too low of an RPM are also usually the ones who have charging system "issues" so to speak. And excellent operator can plow all night with a 100A alternator and a stock trans cooler and never have a problem.

Regardless, the bottom line trick is to keep RPM's above the torque converters stall speed for maximum heat reduction and overall efficiency, regardless of what gear it is that's needed to do so.
--------------------------------
Hint, Come to a complete stop before shifting from forward to reverse
this alone is probably one of the biggest killers other than heat and slipping(shifting)


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## linckeil (Sep 18, 2007)

isn't technology grand? several years ago it was all so simple, but the f'in thing in "D" and press the skinny pedal. if you are pushing 2 feet of the heavy wet stuff, then throw it in low range. 

now it's OD on, OD off, tow mode, "M" - whatever the F that is?? Is it the moron's version of a manual transmission? that triptronic crap? what a gimic. but people eat it up. and then when it goes bad, more dollars for the dealership.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

what is it like plowing in D.

Because you can go just as fast in 2nd and save a shift = less heat.
then you also minimize any chance of it down shifting , again causing slippage and heat.

99% of the time it's 4h & 1st. even in a open 2ac lot

I think it would be a good idea for some with a OBD port to plug in a scan tool and watch their tranny temps.
They might be surprised how hot it really is getting.


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## linckeil (Sep 18, 2007)

plowing in D, or 2, or 1 makes no difference in trans temp for me when in high range. the trans will start off in 1 (sometimes 2 and then downshift to 1 if needed). for long pushes i may select 1 from the get go just because i don't want it to upshift.

but when trans temp start getting high (i have a gauge) i use low range. this only happens when pushing over a foot of heavy stuff. it's amazing how fast the temps drop after a few minutes in low range. 

a trans temp gauge is a must on any automatic plow truck in my opinion.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

^ you have a one of a kind truck never sell it.

and all of the autos I have used start in 1st when you select D.
and most start in 1st when 2nd is selected.

what temps are you running. over 260*F

Ive never had to use 4LO because of heat....


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## linckeil (Sep 18, 2007)

well i have the ford e4od which is very sensitive to heat - much moreso than a lot of other transmissions out there. when i start getting to 190 or so when plowing (happens very rarely) i will then put it in low. 

typical plowing temp is about 170ish. when not plowing i run 140-150. 

other transmission out there may be perfectly happy at 230, but i know mine wouldn't.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

Heat is what sends a transmission to the shop 90% of the time according to the Automatic Transmission Association, 

Only about ten percent of the failures of automatic transmissions with less that 100,000 miles on them are from something other than heat failure. 

Engineers design a transmission to have a normal operating temperature of 175 degrees F. At 250 degrees, the rubber parts are going to loose flexibility resulting in control servos that leak resulting in slippage when the car starts up cold in the morning. 
At temperatures higher than 250 degrees, the clutches and bands start to slip causing imminent failure.


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## allagashpm (Sep 29, 2012)

I plow in drive, usually have tow haul on from driving. I am not doing long pushes like you probably are in parkgin lots. I think manual would be a pain personally. The truck will learn your style especially if you use it mainly for plowing


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## Mark13 (Dec 3, 2006)

I plow in Drive, sometimes T/H on, sometimes not. Usually loaded with salt and pushing a 9.2' v plow. Always plowing on either 80hp over stock or 185hp over stock and generally in 2wd if I'm loaded with salt. Trans doesn't care, never gets hot, hardly ever gets anywhere out of the normal driving range. It runs much warmer in the summer towing my trailer then it does pushing snow like a mad man. I'll see 210-225* hauling hay in the summer, plowing snow it's usually around 160-185* 

I think if you mess up a properly maintained Allison trans, 5R110 or 6R140 plowing snow you've really managed something then, you possibly should get an award. The only way I could see it is if you're changing direction while still moving quickly (ex. still reversing and slamming the truck in drive and mashing the skinny pedal)


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## Mark13 (Dec 3, 2006)

SnoFarmer;1880890 said:


> Engineers design a transmission to have a normal operating temperature of 175 degrees F.


Welp.... my 6R140 is definitely junk then and my Allison isn't looking to good either.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

typical.



 Mark13;1880981 said:


> Welp.... my 6R140 is definitely junk then and my Allison isn't looking to good either.


Gee i saw those temps and my tranny still works.
so you guys are full of crap.....

do you think it's a instant failure or cumulative wear from over heating.

No matter what they tell ya or what ya think a allison tranny really is no better that another.

they all fail.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

Mark13;1880981 said:


> Welp.... my 6R140 is definitely junk then and my Allison isn't looking to good either.


I know, you better get in to your "guy".
posted 03-21-2014


Mark13;1789948 said:


> We're a little further away then what you are looking for but we do a lot of work with Advantage Transmission out of Woodstock. They just redid a 5R110 out of an F550 yesterday for a friend of mine and have done dozens of others for us as well.


and he has done a dozen of others for you?


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## Buswell Forest (Jan 11, 2013)

2 seasons on the F250 plowing in plain old D, high range, traction control OFF. Transmission temp guage never moves from its normal position. I use the manual option only for speed control going down hills or towing. Tow haul is a pain in the arse.


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## Pit Crew (Mar 19, 2014)

Agreed, if D high range isn`t working for you, you need a differen`t truck or plow,or both.


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

Buswell Forest;1881684 said:


> 2 seasons on the F250 plowing in plain old D, high range, traction control OFF. Transmission temp guage never moves from its normal position. I use the manual option only for speed control going down hills or towing. Tow haul is a pain in the arse.


I cant turn off traction control off unless I lock it in then its off 
I know with truck it will be like my 99 will be able plow in 2wd more traction is really good so far 
I like the way if feels in T/H doesn't free wheel its always holding its self .

More I plow with it more I will learn or atleast the guy that plows with it will learn I will stay running my 99 DRW its a manual its hard to get away from a stick I been plowing with one since 1988 with very little running time in a auto


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Pit Crew;1881765 said:


> Agreed, if D high range isn`t working for you, you need a differen`t truck or plow,or both.


How long have you been plowing?


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

this is for pickups so if your trying to slide in your "tractor".

1. most all stock temp gauge are not giving you the real temp, nor does it mean that when your temp gauge is in the "normal range" that your transmission temps are not raising.
You will need to read the temp of the fluid as it is leaving the tranney.

2 If your plowing in "D" and you don't see raising temps as the night goes on, you don't plow much.

3 or your just flat out"fibbing" for a response on a forum.
(don't they have a word for that)


4 know your truck and you are the best, 
your truck will never wear out of have a failure of any kind.


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## tjctransport (Nov 22, 2008)

snowplower1;1880744 said:


> I know you're not supposed to plow in drive because it puts more on the transmission but my problem is, driving in second i don't think I would be able to get enough speed.


huh?????

the trans will be in the gear it wants to be in, just like driving on a sunny dry road.


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## rob_cook2001 (Nov 15, 2008)

I always plow in drive, no tow/haul. If the snow is heavy I run low range.. As mark said my transmission gets much warmer in the summer hauling trailers than it does pushing snow.. even wet snow with the wings on my 9.2dxt. Older automatics may have had issues with heat while plowing but with newer transmissions it's not the case. What kills transmissions while plowing is the idiots that shift D-R without even snowing down.. also not giving the transmission enough time to make the D-R shift before smashing the skinny pedal..


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

OK, after a lengthy discussion on how to plow snow going forward the next logical question is what gear do you use when backdragging?.....


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## maxwell (Nov 5, 2005)

Pit Crew;1881765 said:


> Agreed, if D high range isn`t working for you, you need a differen`t truck or plow,or both.


Agreed!!! I always plow in D and never have had a problem!


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

Anyone who have never had a transmission issue hasn't been plowing long. Auto or manual.


so, your going along about 5-10-15mph in first, when you get to the end of the pile and let off the gas the first thing the truck does is shift into second, if it hasn't already or to drive... 
Then as your coming to a stop its back into first, then you drop it into reverse... By plowing in first you eliminate 2-3 unnecessary shifts.... times that by 300-500+ direction changes per event and that adds up..

I have not seen a good argument as to why the least amount of shifts possible would be the best case scenario?
Why?
there is no argument about the least amount of shifts as practical as being beneficial, it's a no brainer, if you understand the workings of a transmission.


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## Mark13 (Dec 3, 2006)

SnoFarmer;1880997 said:


> Gee i saw those temps and my tranny still works.
> so you guys are full of crap.....
> 
> do you think it's a instant failure or cumulative wear from over heating.
> ...


I watched my DashDaq last night on the way to dinner and home. 16* out, no trailer, no plow, nothing in the bed, just driving 50-60mph. The 6R140 in my pickup was running 183.4* I haven't plowed with the truck yet but towing it'll run right around 200-205*

The allison trans in my Chevy will run 150-165* under normal driving conditions depending on the outside air temp. Plowing it'll get to maybe 185* if I'm beating on it. Towing 180-225* is pretty common but it never gets any warmer.



SnoFarmer;1881018 said:


> I know, you better get in to your "guy".
> posted 03-21-2014
> 
> and he has done a dozen of others for you?


I've never had trans work done on any of the pickups I own. The trucks I was speaking of are friends trucks that are modified for drag racing/sled pulling or trucks that belong to customers of my friends diesel shop. He sends all his trans/tcase work out to allow himself more time to do motor work.



1olddogtwo;1881963 said:


> OK, after a lengthy discussion on how to plow snow going forward the next logical question is what gear do you use when backdragging?.....


I prefer the older twin stick trucks, then you can be grabbing gears in reverse.



SnoFarmer;1882139 said:


> Anyone who have never had a transmission issue hasn't been plowing long. Auto or manual.


I know I haven't been plowing as long as some guys, but this will be my 9th year. 2 different trucks (98 Chevy K1500 with a 4L60E pushing a 7.6 Western with wings making it 9.8' wide the first 4 years I plowed and now an 06 Chevy 2500HD with an Allison pushing a 9.2 boss v) So far not a single bit of trouble out of either of them. The 4L60E has 200k on it when I sold it and as far as I know was original. I had a trans temp gauge in the pan and an aftermarket cooler. The 2500HD is all factory.


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## tjctransport (Nov 22, 2008)

SnoFarmer;1882139 said:


> Anyone who have never had a transmission issue hasn't been plowing long. Auto or manual.
> 
> oh really? i have been plowing for over 40 years, and not once have i ever had a trans problem.
> the auto trans in my 88 has 314,000 miles on it. i replaced the 5 speed with an auto after the t-case died at 180,000 miles
> ...


shifting from second to first as you stop is not putting any stress on the trans. 
torque converter does not lock up until you are doing around 35 mph, so upshifting will not hurt anything in a no load at idle situation either.

now of course if you are driving around with 150,000 + miles on the trans oil and filter, sure you are looking for a new trans soon. but that is not the fault of the trans, that is a lack of maintenance issue.


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

SnoFarmer;1882139 said:


> Anyone who have never had a transmission issue hasn't been plowing long. Auto or manual.
> 
> so, your going along about 5-10-15mph in first, when you get to the end of the pile and let off the gas the first thing the truck does is shift into second, if it hasn't already or to drive...
> Then as your coming to a stop its back into first, then you drop it into reverse... By plowing in first you eliminate 2-3 unnecessary shifts.... times that by 300-500+ direction changes per event and that adds up..
> ...


All my other autos I have always ran in L make more clear Lock in First Only tranny problem I had was the main shaft broke in my 02 F350 5.4 3.73 gears wasn't from plowing. My son was dragging with it and had to much wheel hop A guy rebuilt it like a Powerstoke tranny and you can tell it. It has a cooler about same size as the radiator

Today we had snow/sleet I ran new truck again today 
I really watch it I ran in drive with T/H and it never shafted in to 3rd once I got to the pile area it down shaft to first 
Then on same Lot I tried it in Drive only with T/H not on and it would shaft up to 3rd bad thing it would bounce between 2nd and 3rd all the way across the lot and when I came to pile area I had to press the brakes harder to get it to stop 
So think I will stick to D with T/H on


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## F250/XLS (Nov 23, 2014)

In response to not having plowing long if you havent broken anything??????
On the other hand if you always break trnasmission plowing is not because you know plowing and you have mastered plowing,,,,,,,,ITS MORE LIKELLY THAT
U DON T KNOW HOW TO PLOW ,,,, OR DRIVE WHEN PLOWING ,breaking does happen ,,,,, my buddy
Plowed with a 1500 dodge for 12 years he plows big lots ,,, he baught another 1500 dodge this year he
Was lucky nerver broke major parts.My brother in law has been doing wall marts
Rona 's mega malls ,,all on 5 year contracts for the past 15 years ,heck on his last year he pulled 1.2 M,,,,,, he plows in drive,,,,, for most he STOPS TO COMPLETLY BEFORE CHANGING MODE ALL THE TIMES,,,,, i think someone had mentioned it here ..yes he had some little breaks he has had drivers breaking equipments but most of them they drove like idiots.no matter what they drove they broke it .
The bigest probleme for breaking is not the brand or the gears, it in most instant its
who/ how you drive the equipment.i do understant using the equipment on regular basis premature wear will occure but proper maintenance done and not by the dealer's scedule but rather more often and sooner then recommended will save your balls .


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## Pit Crew (Mar 19, 2014)

Mark Oomkes;1881825 said:


> How long have you been plowing?


20 years,you must drive a chevy....


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## FordFisherman (Dec 5, 2007)

here we go


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

FordFisherman;1883453 said:


> here we go


Not even going to dignify it with a reply.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

FordFisherman;1883453 said:


> here we go





Mark Oomkes;1883482 said:


> Not even going to dignify it with a reply.


Me ether .....


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## maxwell (Nov 5, 2005)

*What gear do you plow in*

I don't think it really makes any difference what gear you plow in...a lot of other things come into the equation...such as....how well is your transmission maintained...does it have a cooler and how big is it....is your truck over loaded and by how much....how big is your plow and how much snow are you pushing....what size are your tires are... do you come to a complete stop before shifting from D to R...do you mash the petal or ease into it. Just had to throw my 2cents worth in.


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## Too Stroked (Jan 1, 2010)

What gear to I plow in? Well, I usually have my flannel lined Carhartt jeans, A Carhartt long sleeve t-shirt and vest, then a pair of insulated boots. When it gets warmer I go for slightly lighter gear.


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