# Advice needed "getting stuck"



## mnz28 (Jan 29, 2008)

I keep getting stuck. A little about what I'm using. I have a 1987 full size Blazer. A 7'6" western cable operated straight blade. I did take the shoes off but did that last year also. In the off season I take the a- frame off the plow to free up storage space. 
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|>>>>>>>>>>>:stuck
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This year I seem to be getting stuck easy where as pushing into a bank the plow floats up and gets hung up. If you can understand my creative picture I am pushing the snow off the road and out into the field. The Paved road ends and then drops off about 6-8 inch's. Any advice to keep the plow from rising? Should I keep the blade straight to help stop this. Do I need to adjust the chain?


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## kashman (Jan 13, 2004)

mnz28;688842 said:


> I keep getting stuck. A little about what I'm using. I have a 1987 full size Blazer. A 7'6" western cable operated straight blade. I did take the shoes off but did that last year also. In the off season I take the a- frame off the plow to free up storage space.
> ----------------|
> |>>>>>>>>>>>:stuck
> ----------------|
> ...


you need 2 adjust your stops


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## theplowmeister (Nov 14, 2006)

You get stuck.

You told us you take the plow frame off in summer?
that you have a western plow
you have a blazer.

You get stuck because you dont have *enough traction *to pull back!!! 
Now since *tires *are the *ONLY *thing that you get *traction through*..... What condition are your tires in and what kind of tires are you using?

ALSO
do your front tires go over the drop off?

Try NOT pushing after the plow lifts.

maybe the push beam is to low, causing the plow to raise.

Do you have weight (ballast) in the back?


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## mnz28 (Jan 29, 2008)

theplowmeister;689138 said:


> You get stuck.
> 
> You told us you take the plow frame off in summer?
> that you have a western plow
> ...


Up the weight in back? I dont have issues getting over the drop off, Mainly when I hit the previous bank that the plow lifts .


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## theplowmeister (Nov 14, 2006)

So your trying to back up through snow that was left under the truck when your plow lifted up and you pushed the pile back 30 feet. or you are trying to back up 30 feet while in 2 ft of snow?

How much snow is under the truck where you get stuck?

Adding ballast WILL increase your traction.

A true winter tire will make a huge difference in traction


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## mnz28 (Jan 29, 2008)

The plow lifts up and snow gets caught up to just past the front tires. What gets it stuck is the snow under the a frame. I think I will go fill up the gas tank should be good for 120 pounds. I'll see what I have around to add some weight. The back tires are snow free so I will work on ballast to help.


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## theplowmeister (Nov 14, 2006)

You are pushing the front tires into the snow bank. you need to stop before the frame is buried in the snow. 

Your out in the field when you get stuck. Dirt is not a good traction provider.
I was thinking #300 ballast. The plow weighs... #700 ?


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## JeepTJ (Nov 4, 2006)

You're getting stuck for many possible reasons (the same ones I had before I modified my Jeep Cherokee to compensate).

1. You may need better traction; real snow tires: Blizzaks, Cooper M&S, Dean Wintercat SST, etc.

2. You may need to lock either the front and/or rear diffs. If they aren't locked then you only have "two" wheel drive: one on the front and one in the rear when in 4WD. I have a front locker (open rear) and it made a world of difference (all my pushes are down an incline).

3. You need more rear traction to offset the plow weight. I had an '84 FS Blazer and it sucked for overall rear traction, because of the short wheelbase and diesel engine. Get yourself two, 18 gallon Rubber-Maid containers with lids and fill them with sand. Put them in the rear cargo area. It will add about 400 Lbs behind the rear axle. A single 30 gal container will also work, but is more difficult to move around. A short handle shovel is good at spreading the sand under the rear tires to aid in traction.

Fran


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## MrBigStuff (Oct 4, 2005)

I'm wondering if you're having the same trouble I had when I first started plowing. I had to stack snow off the driveway and down a slight embankment. As the pile got higher, I had to keep raising the plow to push new snow up the stack. What would happen is, I'd have the plow fully up and then ride off the pavement pushing into the stack. Then my front wheels would sink in the snow and the blade would hang on the stack. Now you're stuck because the blade is sunk into the stack with snow behind it, the front wheels are sunk into 12" of snow and the rear is light since the truck is tilted downhill.

If this is the same situation, you can do a couple things to help. One, do not fully raise the plow until you're done clearing and doing the final stacking. Work with the plow at or below 3/4 of it's possible raised height. If you always leave room to raise the plow, it can't get hung up on the stack. Two, clear that ground snow in front of the stack to keep your front wheels from sinking in. Three, make sure you always push the stack back to the worst case position so you always have room to work. Been burned enough times with only pushing back so far and then a bunch of unexpected snow comes and you have to exceed your stacking capacity=hangups.

Good tires and ballast can correct a host of sins. If you keep the stack back and low, and keep the snow cleared to ground level, you'll be ahead of the problem.


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## mnz28 (Jan 29, 2008)

Thanks for the replies. I added some weight to the back roughly 200 pounds plus a full tank of gas. I also noticed that on the a-frame the for lack of a better word Pivot ear was bent and it had alot of slop. Im thinking this cause the plow to dig in easier depending on the angle. I straighten it up and tighten the bolt till the plow wouldnt move freely then back it off a bit. I read this on the western plow site. Now everything seems good.


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## larold83 (Jan 1, 2009)

i have the same problem as you i use to get stuck all the time lets just say i got sick of shouveling around the plow well i found out that i am just giving it to much hell slow down take your time as soon as i hit the snow bank i'm already in reverse givingit gas as i raise the plow it helps a little but be smart no need for over push oh i have a 85 chevy with cable 6' 6" plow


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## M Runner (Nov 22, 2008)

I have a 7.5 Western cable op on a 1990 Chevy 2500 series p/u/
This is my third year plowing my property with it. I used to get stuck just like you. The snow would pack up under the frame of the plow back to the front tires.
100% of my problem was not finishing my push correctly. I also push snow off the road into a ditch/field. I learned to not push it so far off the road. Just barely pushing it off the level surface helps. As does all the other advise we've read here.


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## adksnowo (Dec 14, 2005)

****** question but... 

In '87 Chevys had Autolocking hubs or someone might have replaced them w/ manual hubs, I did. In other words "Are your hubs locked?".

I mean we get quite a bit of snow here but between me & my staff we 'probly only get stuck a couple times a winter each. Even then a little shovel work or a quick tug gets us right out. We plow pretty hard & stack some snow here.


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## mnz28 (Jan 29, 2008)

adksnowo;703532 said:


> ****** question but...
> 
> In '87 Chevys had Autolocking hubs or someone might have replaced them w/ manual hubs, I did. In other words "Are your hubs locked?".
> 
> I mean we get quite a bit of snow here but between me & my staff we 'probly only get stuck a couple times a winter each. Even then a little shovel work or a quick tug gets us right out. We plow pretty hard & stack some snow here.


Yes it does have the autolocking hubs and the front tires will spin. I added the weight and that helps alot. I also learned not to be so aggressive and keep the blade straight when stacking it.


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## artic429 (Feb 20, 2008)

Good rule of thumb.... always have blade straight when stacking! You will save yourself some grief later on down the line if you do.


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## Kuzanut (Jan 18, 2009)

larold83;697127 said:


> i have the same problem as you i use to get stuck all the time lets just say i got sick of shouveling around the plow well i found out that i am just giving it to much hell slow down take your time as soon as i hit the snow bank i'm already in reverse givingit gas as i raise the plow it helps a little but be smart no need for over push oh i have a 85 chevy with cable 6' 6" plow


How many Tranny's you blown up? Switching to reverse before you have come to a complete stop is a *HORRIBLE* thing to do... Got to remember that no matter what your driving (30 yrs old clunker or a 09 pickup) you have to treat it nicely so that it will work the next time it snows...


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## Bigcat99 (Jan 7, 2009)

Kuzanut;746678 said:


> How many Tranny's you blown up? Switching to reverse before you have come to a complete stop is a *HORRIBLE* thing to do... Got to remember that no matter what your driving (30 yrs old clunker or a 09 pickup) you have to treat it nicely so that it will work the next time it snows...


That's exactly what I was thinking when I read that post!?!?!?!


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## Kuzanut (Jan 18, 2009)

I watched my neighbor with an 04 PSD 350 go through 3 tranny's in one winter. He kept telling me they were bad rebuilds. I believed him until the day i saw him plowing and realized he was as he put it "making purrty piles" by floating the plow up, slaming it into reverse then flooring it..


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## snowblowertruck (Dec 11, 2008)

JeepTJ;689190 said:


> You're getting stuck for many possible reasons (the same ones I had before I modified my Jeep Cherokee to compensate).
> 
> 1. You may need better traction; real snow tires: Blizzaks, Cooper M&S, Dean Wintercat SST, etc.
> 
> ...


I like to use the gravel that the county plow flings into my yard every winter. Come spring you'll have to rake the yard to ensure the mover doesn't kill anyone or anything by throwing the gravel that it is sucking out of the yard. So if you have to rake it out, YOU might as well get some use out of it.


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## snowblowertruck (Dec 11, 2008)

Oh and one more thing that I think would help. When the blade starts to raise.....stop, back up to where the blade was still in contact with the ground and push again untill it starts to raise and then go through the steps again. Normally once the snow has been cleared away, the plow won't raise up in that spot again, and if there is no snow then it's alot harder to get stuck (unless you're on ice, then refer back to the gravel) and if you're not getting stuck, you can be nicer to your plow rig, which will make your day go better.
I do however agree with making sure you have enough ballast, and the fact that your tires are the only thing that is touching the ground (other than the plow, but that's not designed to move the truck). So if the tires have no tread or are so old that they won't get a reasonable amount of traction, then you need to take appropriate measures to correct the problem, IE tire chains, studs ( which are not leagal to use on most roads) or just breaking down to buy better tires.


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## mnz28 (Jan 29, 2008)

Update: I came across a good deal on a 1986 Chevy 3/4 ton. I pulled the plow off the blazer and sold it . Now im out to install the plow set-up on the pick-up. I will enjoy having the hauling capacity in the off-season.


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## augerandblade (Jan 17, 2009)

Get rid of the autolocking hubs. Plus the rest of advice given , change your technique, add ballast. One of the autolock hubs might have be worn out , replace with manual lock type


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## gmc93 (Jan 14, 2005)

If your blade is starting to rise, then you're not going any further anyway, so stop trying to push. The blade should always be on the ground when you're pushing. If you keep trying to push, your wheels will start spinning and that creates a slippery spot under the tire. This is especially true if you're on ice or there's no frost in the ground and your wheels are on grass. The weight on the back of your truck should be about the same as the weight of your plow. Make sure you have the best winter tires you can afford. This is no time to be getting cheap


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