# Plowing with a 5 Speed?



## ben95stroke (Oct 31, 2011)

Im not new to plowing with a standard but my last standard rig was a piece. That being said I never really wanted to go back to standard but I got a really good deal so I couldn't pass, its a 95' F-250 Powerstroke with a 5 speed. this truck is my first one with a 5 speed that ill be plowing with and I wanted to get some opinions oh how you folks went about executing a job with any tips or tricks, weather you used 4 hi or 4 lo and that kinda thing. your feed back is much appreciated. Thanks again and Semper Fi ussmileyflag


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## tank99_999 (Oct 23, 2005)

4 hi ............................ and 1 gear


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

If it has a granny gear go right to 2nd and plow.


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## kurtandshan (Sep 1, 2010)

My first truck was 91 F350 5 spd. Never used 4lo. I had a Western at the time mounted the controller on the the dash right near where my hand came when hitting first gear. It actually worked out great.


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## hiranger (Jan 5, 2002)

Plowed with a 5 speed for years... U will really only need 1st, 2nd, and reverse.. Wasn't a big deal to me.. but an auto is easier. I wouldn't hesitate to plow with a manual again if need be.


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## affekonig (Aug 5, 2008)

I agree with everyone here: 4low isn't usually necessary and it won't make much difference if you're confident driving stick. I would go from plowing in my automatic F250 for a few hours to my stick Jeep and not miss a beat. I mount my Western joystick on the shifter and use my thumb to control it. That was the weirdest part, but only took a few minutes to get used to. Good luck with truck I've always wanted...


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## THEGOLDPRO (Jun 18, 2006)

Its easier then people think to plow with a manual, Only thing you need to know is dont slip the clutch or ride the clutch, Just let it out and go. If you ride the clutch you will be replacing it after the first winter.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

THEGOLDPRO;1347629 said:


> Its easier then people think to plow with a manual, Only thing you need to know is dont slip the clutch or ride the clutch, Just let it out and go. If you ride the clutch you will be replacing it after the first winter.


And if you had a old Fisher belt drive plow even better.


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## Holland (Aug 18, 2010)

I'll never go back to an auto. Lots of hills here so its nice to have the ability to get a little rough on it back and forth to get you out of a bad spot. I can plow faster since i can go from forward to reverse quicker too. Just my 2 cents.

And even with my 1/2 ton 5.0 I plow in 4HI 95% of the time.

I too mounted my control to the shifter. Again, alot easier to work with, and i dont have to move my hand from the shifter. Just made a simple bracket from a piece of steel and a pipe i had cut in half. I use a hose clamp to secure it, that way i can take it off during the summer. I just zip tie it up out of the way under the dash.


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## ben95stroke (Oct 31, 2011)

Holland;1347652 said:


> I'll never go back to an auto. Lots of hills here so its nice to have the ability to get a little rough on it back and forth to get you out of a bad spot. I can plow faster since i can go from forward to reverse quicker too. Just my 2 cents.
> 
> And even with my 1/2 ton 5.0 I plow in 4HI 95% of the time.
> 
> I too mounted my control to the shifter. Again, alot easier to work with, and i dont have to move my hand from the shifter. Just made a simple bracket from a piece of steel and a pipe i had cut in half. I use a hose clamp to secure it, that way i can take it off during the summer. I just zip tie it up out of the way under the dash.


Thanks for the pic I like that idea just wasn't sure how to go about it. If possible do you think you could provide exact info on what you did there for your mounting to the shifter!


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## gtmustang00 (Feb 23, 2010)

I plowed with a 99 f350 5.4 5 speed and loved it. Mainly just 2nd gear and reverse. Truck has 4.10 gears in it. Would love to have a stick shift again.


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## Holland (Aug 18, 2010)

ben95stroke;1357943 said:


> Thanks for the pic I like that idea just wasn't sure how to go about it. If possible do you think you could provide exact info on what you did there for your mounting to the shifter!


Pretty simple. Cut a piece of pipe in half that would fit snugly around the shifter, bent a piece of steel at a 90. drilled a hole in it for the controller to mount to, welded the 90 to the half pipe with a bit of the pipe sticking below the 90 so i could put a hose clamp around it to secure it to the shifter. Had to splice an extension into the wire harness so it would be long enough to reach. Put some split loom on it to make it look nice.

For the western joystick ive seen the same thing but the 90 mounts to the base of the controller instead.

Works great! hand never has to leave the shifter! Thumbs Up


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## SiLlY (Nov 28, 2011)

Holland;1347652 said:


> I'll never go back to an auto. Lots of hills here so its nice to have the ability to get a little rough on it back and forth to get you out of a bad spot. I can plow faster since i can go from forward to reverse quicker too. Just my 2 cents.
> 
> And even with my 1/2 ton 5.0 I plow in 4HI 95% of the time.
> 
> I too mounted my control to the shifter. Again, alot easier to work with, and i dont have to move my hand from the shifter. Just made a simple bracket from a piece of steel and a pipe i had cut in half. I use a hose clamp to secure it, that way i can take it off during the summer. I just zip tie it up out of the way under the dash.


That is brilliant. I'm doing that to my truck tomorrow. lol.. That pic made me register to the site.  I just had to reply!

Thanks!


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

ben95stroke;1347188 said:


> Im not new to plowing with a standard but my last standard rig was a piece. That being said I never really wanted to go back to standard but I got a really good deal so I couldn't pass, its a 95' F-250 Powerstroke with a 5 speed. this truck is my first one with a 5 speed that ill be plowing with and I wanted to get some opinions oh how you folks went about executing a job with any tips or tricks, weather you used 4 hi or 4 lo and that kinda thing. your feed back is much appreciated. Thanks again and Semper Fi ussmileyflag


I love using a 5 speed first one was a 87 with 373 gears
Sold it and bought another one 99 F350 with 373 gears its a dually with a rear locker mounted a 9.5 MVP western most time I push in 2wd not offten in 4wd When pushing most time in first gear sometimes running 2nd depending how far I have take the snow


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## Holland (Aug 18, 2010)

SiLlY;1359788 said:


> That is brilliant. I'm doing that to my truck tomorrow. lol.. That pic made me register to the site.  I just had to reply!
> 
> Thanks!


o man... dont hold me responsible for that!! haha Thumbs Up

Glad i could help and welcome to the site!


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## thesnowman269 (Nov 7, 2009)

I love plowing with my 5spd. I can plow much faster with out the fear of blowing the tranny up from the constant d and r. Only problem is it gets rough on your knee after a few hours. I will be 20 this winter and I am having problems in my left knee already. Also as mentioned dont ride the clutch especialy under load


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## randomb0b123 (Jul 14, 2010)

the only thing i wouldnt like about plowing with a stick shift ford is that those geniuses mounted the clutch slave cylinder internally so you have to remove the trans just to change the clutch slave.


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## SiLlY (Nov 28, 2011)

Holland;1359832 said:


> o man... dont hold me responsible for that!! haha Thumbs Up
> 
> Glad i could help and welcome to the site!


Lol.. yeah, you did it!  Thanks!

As far as the thread goes... I've never plowed with an auto so I wouldn't know how it compares. I know I've had no complaints nor do I have any. And my experience is in cj5's, 7's, 80 model short bed chevy's and this year... Will be able to throw an f-250 on that list, hopefully!


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## theholycow (Nov 29, 2002)

randomb0b123;1359850 said:


> the only thing i wouldnt like about plowing with a stick shift ford is that those geniuses mounted the clutch slave cylinder internally so you have to remove the trans just to change the clutch slave.


Concentric slave cylinders are pretty common now on other brands too. It's supposed to be less likely to fail since it's more protected from the elements, and because the entire system is more simple without the fork and pivot and such. It is recommended to replace them when replacing the clutch, though..


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## SiLlY (Nov 28, 2011)

theholycow;1359971 said:


> Concentric slave cylinders are pretty common now on other brands too. It's supposed to be less likely to fail since it's more protected from the elements, and because the entire system is more simple without the fork and pivot and such. It is recommended to replace them when replacing the clutch, though..


Amen! When I do a clutch job.. everything in that area is getting replaced or at very least, inspected thoroughly. Rear main and etc..


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## randomb0b123 (Jul 14, 2010)

i didnt know that! thanks for the telling me im not up to date on these new fangled vehicles i just knew some friends fords were set up that way


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## wahlturfcare (Oct 24, 2005)

my main truck is a 93 f350 with the 5 speed and i love it.
It is also great when im using the sidewing as you can hold the gear alot better than a automatic can.


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## sailorman3 (Dec 1, 2011)

Here is a picture of my gear shifter controller mount.


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## pooleo8 (Nov 8, 2009)

I too have a manual. I like to believe its more durable than an auto. Also, as mentioned earlier, shifting from 1st to reverse is much faster. Push in the clutch right before you stop and you can hit reverse right when the truck stops.

For me its just 1st gear, trying to shift I loose to much power, so if I get into the 3k range I just keep her steady. After 263k miles I replaced the clutch in feb and installed an HD pressure plate


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