# Plow blade angle of attack



## shadow

Hello all. This is my first post. I looked around a little bit and didn't see this issue addressed so I though I would ask. If it has been, I apologize.

Is there a proper angle for the blade to be at for plowing? I will need to do back dragging for driveways but my set up is not what it should be.

I have a 1978 chevy 1/2 ton with a western pro plow cable control. The truck has 33 X 12.50 X 15 tires and 4" lift. The plow unit came off my 1982 chevy 3/4 ton with factory lift/tires. The mount is high enough that the blade tips forward when it sits on the ground. I have noticed it trips real easy when trying to push 3 or 4 inch tall snow. I saw a device called a "trip lock" that looks like it is just a adjustable cylinder. Could I take the small shock off the frame and put a heavy wall tube in place to get the same effect?

I see western makes a back drag blade but it might not work because of my angle forward. I was thinking of maybe getting some solid steel plate and welding them to the tips of the mount where the pins go through to drop the frame about 4 or 5 inches. Would this work out or would that put too much stress on the plow frame?


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## KGRlandscapeing

ur A frame for the blade should be level with the ground that would give u the factory attack angle for pushing forward. now in reverse its a totally diffrent story. if u have seen backdrag blades there angled the opposite direction. which would make sense if u have a 70degree angle going forward and it cleans the best then going backwards ud need the same angle. Now for ur question if it trips alot going forward its wrong but if it back drags nice and u do more of that just leave. because if u bring it back down ur backdrag angle will change. i probably confused the heck out of u


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## scottL

You've got to get the mount right first. It sounds like your pitching the blade where it should not be.


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## basher

First get your mount height correct. The hinge pins should be 9-10 inches from ground to center of pin holes. the plow will not work correctly in any mode unless the pins are at that height. I Think the easiest method of dealing with that would be modify the Aframe. You could mod. the truck but then you'd lose all your clearance. So why have the lift kit?

The easy trip action could be old springs. If this is a cable control conventional mount it is at best 15 years old. If they are the original springs they are mighty tired.


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## AbsoluteH&L

Do a search for lifted trucks. Someone had some great pict's of an older Chevy they rebuilt that had a lift. He had to do some moding to the A frame. As to the back blade, it's up to you. Some use weld on swinging back edges, and some use the Western bolt on fixed angle edge. I have used both, but presently have bolt on ones. As others have said the A frame should be parallel to the ground with the blade down.


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## Avitare

Change the A frame or lower the truck.

If you lower the mounts on the truck -- you will forget you dont have the 
clearance (without the plow). And that will be some rock or stump.

The old style Western should not be too hard to mod.
But it will have to be beefy.
I would rather fix a bent/broken A frame then the truck mount.

tc


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## shadow

Thanks for the info guys. I think I will have to measure how far up I am to see where I need to drop the frame. We got some nice fluffy snow but as soon as I tried pushing it, it would pack and trip the blade. I could only go about 1 foot without the blade flipping forward. I tried testing the springs by standing on top of the blade and pushing against the truck but it wouldn't trip. I am a little over 300 pounds so it should have made it move. Maybe the springs are still usable and it is just the angle the blade sits at that is causing all the problems.

I just noticed tonight that the tab that was welded in the center of the A frame that should keep the swivel mount from lifting is bent bad. There is less then 1/4 touching and the blade can be tipped forward a few inches before it touches the tab. I will need to hit it back down and do something before the whole blade and swing mount fall off. I think I just bent it trying to get some packed hard snow moved so the neighbors can park.


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## streetfrog

I make backdrags. They are easy to make. Email me and I can send you some pics of mine and other peoples. You can make one as long as you can weld for about $120. My email is in my signature.


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## shadow

The tab broke where the frame swivels and I think it was pot metal. It got bent up and the curved frame finally popped past the tab. I tried heating the tab with a map torch and hit it with a hammer and the metal split. I heated it again and hit it and it broke off. I found some pics in the pdf manual and I should have a different mount there that is stronger. I am missing some tabs also that I didn't realize that were not there that must stop the angling. My lift chain is right behind that L shaped tab.

I am thinking of getting some angle iron and flat iron to make the parts that are in green. I hope it will bring the whole mount down. I measured to the pin holes and got a fraction over 18 inches from the ground.

Here is a ruff outline of what I am thinking.


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## Ogrebonz

*Lifted Truck*

My truck is a '73 F100 Ford with a three inch lift and 33" tires. I bought the truck set up that way, but I have no intention of changing it. My Western Cable control plow has three pin holes for height adjustment and I use the top hole (which drops the frame nearly level) and I still had some "grader issues' and digging up the yard. What I finally figured out was to lower the shoes ( I actually had to buy some, never used them before) and let the cutting edge leave some snow behind until the was enough of a base to become solid. Then I remove four more washers to lower the edge. Seems to work for me.
Before I lowered the frame on my truck I'd raise the pin holes on the plow, and probably gusset them just to be safe. I had planned to do this very thing to mine, but what I wrote above works well enough for me.
More snow! Ogre.


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## RipT

Shadow, looks like you have a good handle on what needs to be done to get your geometry back where it should be. Hard to imaging how you could plow at all with the pivot holes 18" above the ground! That severe angle is probably what put too much strain on the sector bracket and weakened it in the first place.

Welcome to the forum and Good Luck


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