# New western hts blade lower on driver side



## Joejohn (Nov 27, 2013)

I have a brand new western hts plow, and it was installed by the dealer back in September. I put it on today and noticed the driver side of the blade sits lower than the passenger side when it is in the air and when you drop the blade the driver side touches the ground first. I thought it would sit even to allow for even back blading and scraping.

Is the blade supposed to float up and down from side to side to follow the contour of the ground at all? Mine is fairly rigid on the angle even when straight.


My only thoughts is that it is on a dodge ram 1500 and the plow mounts are too low to the ground not allowing it to have proper alignment for some reason?

Are there any adjustments I can make? I tried setting skid shoes but that didn't help either. Any suggestions of where to look next?


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## dieselss (Jan 3, 2008)

Maybe some pics?


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## jasonv (Nov 2, 2012)

I've never seen a plow that hung perfectly straight when up on the chain. If it doesn't have ANY play, then its just because its brand new and hasn't loosened up yet.

Also, when its in the air with the a-frame being out of level, even a minor sideways angle (i.e., the angle cylinders being extended slightly different amounts) will cause a shift in the plow angle.

Finally, the truck itself might be sitting slightly out of level. The gas tank sits on one side of the truck and will have a small effect on its stance depending on whether the tank is full or empty. The manufacturer usually compensates for this by making the tank-side springs very slightly stiffer than the other side... when you load the vehicle, this compensation can actually create a visible out-of-level condition.


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## Joejohn (Nov 27, 2013)

Thanks for the input! I will try and get some pictures tonight and post them. Just concerning that everything is tight, and when the blade is straight and gets dropped the cutting edge touches the ground first, and the shoes can't fix this issue.

Anyone think it has anything to do with the height of the front end?


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## dieselss (Jan 3, 2008)

The shoes should be level with the egde when its on the gnd the shoes should be able to be spinned or moved


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## jasonv (Nov 2, 2012)

Joejohn;1671387 said:


> Thanks for the input! I will try and get some pictures tonight and post them. Just concerning that everything is tight, and when the blade is straight and gets dropped the cutting edge touches the ground first, and the shoes can't fix this issue.
> 
> Anyone think it has anything to do with the height of the front end?


Hmm, wait a minute... I thought we were talking side-to-side, now you seem to be talking about up and down?

Do you have a BUBBLE LEVEL? When the plow is LOWERED, the A-frame should be in the range of LEVEL to not more than approximately 1" higher on the truck side. The closer to level, the better. -- and I'm talking front to back, not side to side. If the truck side of the A-frame is way higher than the plow side, then something is way out of whack.

Also, shoes are adjustable. There should be two stacks of washers, move washers from the top stack to the bottom stack to extend the shoes lower and hold the plow up, but realistically, you need the blade on the ground so that you actually scrap.


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## Joejohn (Nov 27, 2013)

Thanks JasonV, i ran a bubble level on the frame from side to side it looks good, front to back (plow to truck) and the truck side is lower. I'm wondering if a levelling kit to bring the front end of the truck up is a good idea to level out the a frame. Since the truck side is lower would this affect the level of the blade? The reason i'm wondering this, is western suggests 8.5 to 10.5" to the bottom of the receiver to the ground, my truck is sitting at 7", so a 2" levelling kit would put it right in the middle at 9". Thoughts?


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## jasonv (Nov 2, 2012)

Ok, you definitely don't want the a-frame angled down to the truck like that. Something needs to be done to get it up higher. I tend not to like modifying the truck's suspension to achieve this, because there are a whole slew of other problems that this will cause, like putting the truck's ride height up too high in the suspension travel (which prevents it from dropping out correctly when you encounter a "dip" in the road), affecting ALIGNMENT, and increasing fuel consumption due to increased wind resistance.

Sounds to me like the plow hitch is either installed incorrectly (too low for truck), or actually has one or more parts meant for a different truck (something that sits higher). Some *similar* truck models can have different factory ride heights. You may have one that sits lower than another similar vehicle.


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## GONZO911 (Nov 29, 2013)

*western HTS plow not level*

We have had two HTS plows that were assembled here (dealer) and sat the way you have described. Western tech advised us to take quadrant off the plow, install broom handle or pipe in the pivot hole and check to make sure the frame pivot is welded perpendicular to the frame. Is it square?

We found both weren't welded correctly. We returned the part and installed new frame, then the plow sat level on the ground


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## Joejohn (Nov 27, 2013)

Thanks GONZO911…i will check that out, we have the levelling kit in the truck now, and also my techs are just replacing the upper ball joints and control arms since they were completely shot (thinking this may also be part of my issue). I'm hoping to get the plow back on the truck in the next day or so and see how it sits…next step is doing what you suggested… what you mean is to just back out the big bolt that the plow pivots side to side in, and make sure that is straight up and down when the broom handle or pipe is in it right?? Thanks for all the help and advice so far! This site is great!


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## Joejohn (Nov 27, 2013)

Just wanted to give an update, put the plow on the truck this morning, everything sits straight and level, after the levelling kit, and replacing the ball joints and control arms. Just have to reset the skid shoes and i'm ready to go. This problem was two fold, the truck required the levelling kit, to make the quadrant sit level, and then the ball joints straightened everything out. Thanks to everyone for all of their input. GONZO911, i also checked the pin and everything was straight, thanks for that bit of advice! Just waiting patiently for the snowstorm to hit so I can get out and play! After this snowfall, i'll post some pics of my setup once its all waxed and cleaned up again!


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