# Plowing Tires?



## ridinginstyle (Oct 12, 2010)

What is a good set of tires to plow with? My buddy said to go studded.... since traction is everything.





06 F-250


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## AiRhed (Dec 27, 2007)

No studs! I know they are allowed out east, but they gain traction by damaging the road surface.

The right tire depends on a lot of things. You want something with a lot of "biting edges", something that is reasonably narrow, lots of siping, and probably an E load rating for plowing. I run E rated 35x10.50R16 mud terrains with "custom" siping done by a local 4x4 shop. The tires are called Pinnacle Grizzly Grips. You'll probably never find a set unless your tire guy is connected tho! Haha, not sure where my guy dug em up. Just awesome tires. I think Hankook makes a similar tire tho. A little easier to find too. The RT03 I think.

Here's a few pics.

















Check this thread out...Good reading.
http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=87777&highlight=tires


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## ridinginstyle (Oct 12, 2010)

Awsome input, What is siping btw? Also how is your dually in the snow always wondered that. Those tires look really good btw im gonna do some research on those..


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

Siping are the little thin lines in the tread which allows the tread to grip the road in wet and slippery conditions. It is the edge of the tread that grabs in those conditions so siping makes more edges- Here's a link to a Blizzak car tire to see what I mean. Here's a dry image.

I run Toyo Open Countries- plow great and are all season. Used to run dedicated snow tires- loved 'Goodyear workhorse extra grip'- most plow guys in the area ran them then but they are soft compound (better for wet/cold traction) so they are seasonal use only (burned up a set in one summer when I couldn't afford new regular tires).

Definitely skip studs- when you spin the wheels the studs damage pavement. Good tires and some weight in the bed work 90% of the time- and a set of chains will cover the remainder.

I think the perfect tire would be something with the siping of a Blizzack but in load range E... I know they are made in the suitable sizes for 1/2 tonners...


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## AiRhed (Dec 27, 2007)

Siping is small cuts about 2 to 3/32cnds deep made with a tire groving machine or handheld heated knife. It's a great trick for getting the most out of your tires. Some people think its crazy to cut brand new tires you just spent 150 bucks a piece on. But I've gotten more miles and use out of every tire I have siped.


















Dually is great in the snow with ballast in the back. This is first pass through half a season of snow accumulation in Northern MN. Hardley even slowed me down. I'm a picture [email protected]


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## ridinginstyle (Oct 12, 2010)

hey thanks for the information, great to know. Your dually looks great man. I was thinking of getting one, some people said they are bad in deep snow. although i dont see anyreason if you plowing through it haha.


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## Dewey (Feb 1, 2010)

I wouldn't plow with anything but studded !!!!


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## 2COR517 (Oct 23, 2008)

Wow, what a great idea for a thread!

I recommend round tubeless pneumatic tires.


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## AiRhed (Dec 27, 2007)

I don't know. The square/Cube...ular tubeless pneumatic tires work pretty well too?


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## 2COR517 (Oct 23, 2008)

AiRhed;1100589 said:


> I don't know. The square/Cube...ular tubeless pneumatic tires work pretty well too?


Only on stairs.


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## Pinky Demon (Jan 6, 2010)

2COR517;1100774 said:


> Only on stairs.


But plowing stairs is where the real money is it. Didn't you know?


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## 2COR517 (Oct 23, 2008)

Pinky Demon;1101122 said:


> But plowing stairs is where the real money is it. Didn't you know?


Shhh.......

Don't let the secret out.


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## AiRhed (Dec 27, 2007)

When plowing up stairs, do you leave it in float like when going down? I'm just wondering because I picked up a new stair rig for this season. Oh, and how much do you guys charge for stairs? By the square foot?


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## 2COR517 (Oct 23, 2008)

Chain lift is a must for plowing stairs.

Charge by the step. Duh...payup


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## MarksTLC (Oct 6, 2003)

My first year I had Toyo Open Country M/T's. They worked well. I've been running Hankooks ever since and have found them to be very sure footed. The oversize lugs clear quickly and don't get packed like the all season tires.

Please note: I've never plowed with all season, just going from the experience in my car. I've never run studs other than back in the 80's when I had a set of studded tires on my car. .


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## Dodgedzlr (Sep 9, 2010)

I love this site I always learn something new. Good question about tires, I use to be a tire builder for Goodyear (Good for a year) as we would call them. I lean strongly toward BFG All terrain. Since Michelin bought them they made a good tire Better. Similar to Siping they use the K/O design. Which means Knock Out. When the tire flexes it spreads apart and helps throw the mud and snow out. I have to admit its hard to pay so much for the that tire brand. I have looked at others but Michelin keeps the road noise down even though its an aggressive tire. Im running Yokohamas also and I like the cost. Good luck.


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## Pinky Demon (Jan 6, 2010)

2COR517;1101276 said:


> Chain lift is a must for plowing stairs.
> 
> Charge by the step. Duh...payup


Trip blade or trip edge?


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

personally never plowed with BFT AT's, but had horrible experiences with them in the past in daily driving and off roading.

FWIW Siping refers to the spaces/cuts but not specifically to hand cut grooves the molded in ones are still called siping.


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## winged1dur (Feb 12, 2006)

You guys talking about plowing stairs are clowns! The guy is asking about plow tires. 
Besides everyone knows the best way to plow stairs is to use a torch and cut a series of V notches into a straight blade plow. Then with one quick swipe.........you're done!
There is a little learning curve and your torch skills will come in handy replacing the iron rails in the spring, but hey time is money payup


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## Pinky Demon (Jan 6, 2010)

winged1dur;1103117 said:


> You guys talking about plowing stairs are clowns! The guy is asking about plow tires.
> Besides everyone knows the best way to plow stairs is to use a torch and cut a series of V notches into a straight blade plow. Then with one quick swipe.........you're done!
> There is a little learning curve and your torch skills will come in handy replacing the iron rails in the spring, but hey time is money payup


All yours 2COR.


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## 2COR517 (Oct 23, 2008)

He's just jealous he didn't think of it first.


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## 01lariat (Feb 29, 2008)

My buddy has had excellent results with Cooper ATRs, And I can't complain using Yokohama Geolander AT-S. Both equally priced, both wear really well, I think the Geolander is a little more pliable and rides better. Both have very little road noise. I run 285s on my F250 SD and he runs with 315s on his F250. 

The Bridgestone Dueller Revo II is an excellent tire. Some of my other friends have had them, but too much money. 

BFG ATs many swear by them. I've had a couple sets on different trucks. They are useless imo on any surface that is slippery.

So far that is about all I've tried or know about from close friends.


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## Pinky Demon (Jan 6, 2010)

01lariat;1103292 said:


> My buddy has had excellent results with Cooper ATRs, And I can't complain using Yokohama Geolander AT-S. Both equally priced, both wear really well, I think the Geolander is a little more pliable and rides better. Both have very little road noise. I run 285s on my F250 SD and he runs with 315s on his F250.
> 
> The Bridgestone Dueller Revo II is an excellent tire. Some of my other friends have had them, but too much money.
> 
> ...


I'll spring for the Geolandar as well. Excellent tire for snow. When they wear a bit though, not always so much. Never tried having them siped though.


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## ken643 (Mar 27, 2009)

I put on Blizzacks, they are awesome, Lots of siping and soft compound. But they have to come off for summer or you will where them away. I went through everything last season no issues.


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## ss502gmc (Sep 12, 2008)

I gotta say that last week i got my 2nd set of bfg AT's and I wouldnt trade them for any other that ive tried. I changed them after 45,000 miles on the dot which is pretty good seeing how i haul a 16,000 lb trailer full time. I have yet to get stuck in the mud and got stuck once in the snow 2 seasons ago but its not the tires fault when the tires arent touching the ground LOL. With a ton of sand in the back i rarely need 4wd. I have no complaints with them at all even though i got a friend who was dogging them right before i pulled him out of a snow bank HAHAHA


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## mrsnowman (Sep 18, 2010)

We have found that weight means more than tread. We ran a set of korean off brand on a dually for 5 years. Burned them till almost smooth and that truck never got stuck because it always had weight. In a truck without weight, stay away from wranglers. BFG's are good, but we useally run mtr's on our lighter trucks without much weight. That is just our experience


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## mricefish (Feb 6, 2010)

BFG mud terains on one truck and BFG all terains on the other. the muds dont get near as many miles on them that the all terains will, but they are great for plowing and going hunting with in the fall (mud) lol. They are pricy, but would not buy any other here, they have worked good for me.


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## boxerplowing (Jan 2, 2011)

i was wondering the same thing.. i had Cooper A/Ts and they were junk imo.. i found i would slip and slide everywhere.. im running roughrider m+s which canadian tire used to make (i actually think cooper made them) and they are awesome!! even now 10/32 i find its hard to get stuck.. im getting a new truck on tuesday and i am going to put the Goodyear Wrangler Territories.. check them out what do you think?

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4/Auto/1/Tires/LightTruckTires/PRD~0052335P/Goodyear%252BWrangler%252BTerritory.jsp?locale=en


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## rv4jesus (Jan 18, 2011)

AiRhed That siping tool looks great. Where did you get it?


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## AllOutLandscape (Oct 30, 2007)

I love my Nitto Terra grapplers... Great tire for the price. never really spun all season. 285/75/R16E on the 3/4 ton chev. and about 600lbs in the box


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

rv4jesus;1266876 said:


> AiRhed That siping tool looks great. Where did you get it?


Summit Racing has a tools section and they sell a siping tool.

I run Goodyear Wrangler Authority's- Walmart exclusive apparently - and I love these things. I was hesitant going back to a Goodyear tire, let alone one that is only available at walmart, but they have an aggressive mud style tread with plenty of siping. It was night and day from my Toyo Open Country's. On a steep driveway that I used to have to sand the crap out of each time to get out (For free since she didn't request sanding), these tires were able to get out each time. I got stuck once because of a sheet of ice from runnoff refreezing, but no truck would've gotten out (friend also got stuck with new BFG AT's on his GMC trying to pull me out).


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## KBTConst (Oct 25, 2009)

rv4jesus;1266876 said:


> AiRhed That siping tool looks great. Where did you get it?


Most tire shops will sipe tires for about 10/15 per tire last time I checked.


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## Night_Sailor (Jan 5, 2004)

I like General Altimax Arctic's. I've been planning on getting a studded set for my plow truck next season--mounted on a spare set of rims. I had a set on a Subaru Forester with these in studded and they were amazing beyond belief. The only way they would break loose was if with the steering wheel full lock to one side at full throttle. 

Last season was a particularly rough winter here in Connecticut. I like to plan for the worst case--at that was it. A typical season here has one big snowfall, several ice storms, often with snow on top, and a bunch of little ones. Most important to me, is I want to be able to plow more jobs faster, and I want at least one truck that is unstoppable. For me plowing is a sport more than a profit center. My brother does it for the money. I do it for the fun. Setting up a perfect rig is fun, and to be able to make money with it, is all that much better. And if it means I can do my work in half the time, or add on more contracts--that is the icing on the cake. 

Some plow jobs get passed around between various plow contractors. It is because they are too hard to plow, have nowhere to put the snow, or the people are slow-pays. I have no interests in slow pays. And I'd like the hard ones, not the one with no place to put the snow, because I like a challenge, and I can charge more. They make sense only if I can get in and out without difficulty.

Last season I was sliding everywhere on thick ice. We plow in a team to haul each other out. We have lots of difficult driveways. About half of these are gravel. Many are steep and there is one we call "no-man's land" which is a steep uphill, a long level section and then a steep downhill--it is a $120 job in a normal snowfall. He paid $500 for the bad storm which included going back with a tractor/loader to push everything back farther. There it is so bad that the homeowner keeps their vehicles at the top of the hill--even plowed there is no guarantee they can get up the first hill and out. While plowing, we can't risk getting caught down there--it is a deep hole--it means all work stops. It is usually done last for that reason in the bad storms --which means wasting fuel back-tracking. 

My plan for next year is a new "used" K2500, and it will get an E-Lockers in the front--it has a G80 in the back. I may put an E-locker in the back as well. My tire choice is a set of those loud as hell General Altimax Arctic studded snow tires. I haven't decided what to use for ballast yet, but I want at least 1000 lbs and more for bad storms--I'm thinking a marine bladder type fuel tank which can be secure to the bed tie downs. I can drain and fill it as needed to pick the amount of weight I want to carry. My wheels will not be spinning with this combination. 

I'd have other plans to improve the truck over time like a V-plow. I figure our best truck should be the one to break ground. I'd also like to shorten the truck because it seems I spend too much time backing up.

Most people will agree that snow tires really help. If you want to plow with all seasons, or mud tires--that's fine but not as good.

So the main point of argument in this discussion seems to be whether to use studded tires or not. I saw two people saying it damages the surface of the driveway. And one other person who would not use anything but studded.

Tire chains are the other option. I used them and hated them every second. I spent a lot of time installing and taking them off, and repairing them because they break and bend. In deep snow, it is hard to climb around the truck to put them on. You can't drive any distance with them on. They beat up your truck. They are way too much work. The are slow and take too long to put on and off. I could do four jobs in the time it takes to put on chains for one difficult driveway that I could plow with studded tires, lockers, and ballast. The other advantage to chains, is that they improve traction enough, you don't need locking differentials--so there is a big cost savings there. The trade off is difficulty to use and time, versus cost.

I am not worried about marring driveways. If I was seriously worried in a light snowfall, I'd use another truck without studded tires. But I doubt it will come to that. 

With a heavy truck and great traction I can push slow and steady--without wheel spinning, just like I do in the lighter storms with my current tires. I don't expect the paved driveways I plow will be marked up any worse then the damage caused by chains and my plow blade.

Studded tires make good sense.


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## goatboy1 (Nov 8, 2009)

justme-;1100290 said:


> Siping are the little thin lines in the tread which allows the tread to grip the road in wet and slippery conditions. It is the edge of the tread that grabs in those conditions so siping makes more edges- Here's a link to a Blizzak car tire to see what I mean. Here's a dry image.
> 
> I run Toyo Open Countries- plow great and are all season. Used to run dedicated snow tires- loved 'Goodyear workhorse extra grip'- most plow guys in the area ran them then but they are soft compound (better for wet/cold traction) so they are seasonal use only (burned up a set in one summer when I couldn't afford new regular tires).
> 
> ...


Agree with a lot you had to say but I must say that it usually boils down to what one can and wants to afford to run...my snows cost me about 1600 every 2 to 3 years but I still think they are worth it because after all the talk about agressive thread...in the middle...on the side..big tire ...small tire...brand name etc....the two things that are really important are that after 2 years you can still move the rubber with one finger and the sipings are still there. When people are trying to save a little money on tires by going to off road or all season tires with the "biggest possible thread" on them ,it is hardly surprising one can see them swearing at their trucks that by the time temps hit minus 10 or 20 celsius , the rubber is so hard one might as well install a set of flintstones...


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## justme- (Dec 28, 2004)

Night_Sailor;1270938 said:


> So the main point of argument in this discussion seems to be whether to use studded tires or not. I saw two people saying it damages the surface of the driveway. And one other person who would not use anything but studded.
> 
> Tire chains are the other option. I used them and hated them every second. I spent a lot of time installing and taking them off, and repairing them because they break and bend. In deep snow, it is hard to climb around the truck to put them on. You can't drive any distance with them on. They beat up your truck. They are way too much work. The are slow and take too long to put on and off. I could do four jobs in the time it takes to put on chains for one difficult driveway that I could plow with studded tires, lockers, and ballast. The other advantage to chains, is that they improve traction enough, you don't need locking differentials--so there is a big cost savings there. The trade off is difficulty to use and time, versus cost.


Studded tires only make sense if you have no need to remove them - as is always want to be driving with studs and have no concern about scarring pavement which most of us have an issue with- since I don't want to be spending my profits repairing or resurfacing scarred driveways at my customers. You either have studded tires or do not, chains give you the option- when when you know what you're doing with them- ie some experience, they are a breeze.
Takes me 10 minutes to put mine on- less if I got a different style but I like the ladder style- less if I got the plastic chocks for them, but I'm cheap.
If chains are installed properly and the truck driven properly (slow travel speed) they do not beat up the truck.
If they bend you're not driving properly with them on- light foot. A locker in the rear or a limited slip is a better investment than chains, and makes chains 1000% better. Yes they need repairs when they wear, but again, driving properly with them on and installing them properly - I have yet to need a repair on my chains after 10 years. They are not used every storm, nor all storm- only for certain locations if I need them. (actually 1 customer which I dropped for this season but picked up another with a bad, ie. expensive, drive that I do need them.)

Studs are much easier to damage drives since you forget they are there - can;t forget chains are there. To each his own- you like studs and they suit you and your operation. Chains suit me. I hated them when I first got them, but after some use, they are easy. I will be looking for a set of Alpine style chains for next year - easier to install (about 2 min instead of 10) but since they are $250 a set versus ladder chains that are $100, and I have enough cross bars to build a dozen more sets... it's been a hard expenditure.

We all agree, it's about traction from the tires and weight.


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## SD40T2 (Dec 13, 2007)

General Tracker AT2 are excellent for plowing best tire I have used IMO and reasonably priced [email protected]


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## snowbrothers101 (Jul 27, 2009)

Tires? Damm, I knew my truck was missing something.

Actually, I like the General Tracker AT2's as well. The price is righ for me.


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## mustangman02232 (Mar 21, 2011)

01lariat;1103292 said:


> My buddy has had excellent results with Cooper ATRs, And I can't complain using Yokohama Geolander AT-S. Both equally priced, both wear really well, I think the Geolander is a little more pliable and rides better. Both have very little road noise. I run 285s on my F250 SD and he runs with 315s on his F250.
> 
> The Bridgestone Dueller Revo II is an excellent tire. Some of my other friends have had them, but too much money.
> 
> ...


I all most baught a set of duller revos but the torque of my diesel and heavy right foot I wasnt about to spend that much money, the firestone destination A/Ts are pretty much the same thing but cheaper and are excellent in the snow/ice, they dont look as cool as the BFG A/T but i believe they are the better tire


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