# homemade rear snow plow!



## Kale Lawn

Today I finished my "poor man's" snow plow. I know there are a lot of threads on here about plowing, and I know we all wish we could have a snow plow for 4-5 months out of the year. We all know they can be expensive some topping out at $6,500! After searching craigslist and finding nothing but old beat up plows with holes and bad pumps for $2,000 I decided to make one that was cheap, required no mounting hardware, and no extensive electrical wiring! HOW? You ask? Hitch N' Plow!

This adapter ($174 shipped) allows you to attach any Cat 1. Three point hitch to any vehicle with a 2" reciever. As long as the implement (scraper) weighs less than 500lbs.

I got the winch from Harbor Freight and was on sale for $49.99. The blade I got from the local junk yard for $110.. So.. for a whooping $335 I have a 8' plow!

If you get past the fact of how hillbilly or ******* it looks, it's actually a pretty cool deal for your own drive and maybe the neighbors. I think my winch is a little on the weak side for the blade I found.. but I wanted an 8' clearing path. Installation is a breeze with just one 12volt source and a ground wire to the winch. The winch is wireless! So no running wires to the cab for a hand controller. If the winch I have now craps out.. I'll get a bigger winch and swap over the wireless control box to the new winch (2 wires) and my new winch will then be wireless!

anyways.. no snow here yet.. but I got it all hooked up (5 min.) and the thing works pretty well. here are some pictures! Let me know what you think! I know I'm not going to be doing any major plowing with it.. but it beats the hell out of the shovel and the crappy lawn mower plows that cost like $350!

I also am working on a back up light that plugs into the RV slot and illuminates the blade when backingup..


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## 68scout

I think that absolutely ROCKS!! What an ingenious Idea!! 

you could also get a cat 1 York Rake and make a hell of a driveway scraper too! 

i think that it is great!! ussmileyflagussmileyflag

Dave


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## Kale Lawn

68scout;901319 said:


> I think that absolutely ROCKS!! What an ingenious Idea!!
> 
> you could also get a cat 1 York Rake and make a hell of a driveway scraper too!
> 
> i think that it is great!! ussmileyflagussmileyflag
> 
> Dave


Thanks! A york rake would be B.A... thinking about starting my own lawn care biz soon... don't think i'll be using this for that.. but it works great for my drive.. I figured I'd inspire some others to get one of these!


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## IHI

Hillbilly or not, i love reading threads like this to see real ingenuity shine through. NOW ya just need to anty up for a electric actuator so you could even angle that chunk if you want

Looks like that hitch adapter is ahhh, kinda pushing it's limits LOL!!


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## Kale Lawn

IHI;901328 said:


> Hillbilly or not, i love reading threads like this to see real ingenuity shine through. NOW ya just need to anty up for a electric actuator so you could even angle that chunk if you want
> 
> Looks like that hitch adapter is ahhh, kinda pushing it's limits LOL!!


I think I AM!! haha.. it think the blade is right around 500lbs or so.. which is the limit of this thing... I'm not sure how this thing weighs.. but it's diff HD


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## LEVE

Dang cool. I wish my driveway would not drift over... so I could use a back blade. I just can't get the truck through the 3' drifts with out a front plow. It's nice seeing someone else using a HF winch!


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## Kale Lawn

LEVE;901333 said:


> Dang cool. I wish my driveway would not drift over... so I could use a back blade. I just can't get the truck through the 3' drifts with out a front plow. It's nice seeing someone else using a HF winch!


you could get a front mount hitch  HF is awesome


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## 68scout

Thats what I was going to suggest

Get a front mount receiver hitch put on the truck.

500 lbs is quite a bit...but you can always get a bit smaller blade too.

It wouldn't be very difficult to put an actuator arm on it and you would be able to angle it. Should be able to "steal/scrounge" one off of an old BUD (Big Ugly Dish). You know, the old black C-band big dishes. Then with some wire and a relay you could angle from the cab.

Now we need photos of it in action, or a Youtube video

I love some ******* Engineering....here's mine. An old Western Plow from an S-10 truck I cobbed and made work on my 68 scout. 
http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=92190

I can now raise and lower from in the cab, but I too have to get out to angle it by hnad (rams were shot, too much $$ to replace right now)

Dave


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## Kale Lawn

I'm glad I'm not the only one to cobble things together. I really want a Blizzard Speedwing.. but we don't get enough snow here to justify spending that kind of money... I really don't need to angle it that much because of the way my drive is shaped.. but maybe in the future I might ad a LA


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## wagonman76

Nice work. I like seeing other homemade setups too made out of whatever works for personal use.

500 lb in itself not so much, but at that distance out looks like it might be pushing it. But hey, if it does give way, it'll only be in your own driveway anyway. And it might end up working just fine.

I used a very similar winch for my setup, it was $36 free ship off ebay back then. Looks just like the snowbear winches too. Worked great for 1 season, 2nd season it started drifting down and I would have to smack it with a hammer to get it going each time. So I took it apart and where the wires went in were not sealed well at all, it was full of rust and the brush springs were basically gone. I cleaned it out, put in new springs, put on sealing washers at the wire inlets, and filled it with wheel bearing grease. 6th season now and it's still working great.

I still use a 10 ft c-band dish to get my TV. Typical actuator is 24v. But if you used 2 at once and wired them in series then it might work.


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## GSORK

where did you get the 3 pt adapter


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## Kale Lawn

GSORK;915787 said:


> where did you get the 3 pt adapter


i think its called outdoorshopper.com


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## cpsnowremoval

i hear ya 
for this season i bought a 7.5 plow meyers plow and a frame put it on a western conventional frame an pump. had alot of things that need to be customized i got about 400 into the whole bought it for 300. now i need the airbags for the truck


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## 02crew

How much do you figure you setup weighs?


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## ranger88den

I like it Kale, maybe I can find a lightweight unit for my Geo Tracker. Recently built a class III hitch for it, as hitch manufacturer's don't make them for this lightweight vehicle. Before anyone starts grinding on me, it's not for towing just for accessories (bike rack,etc) Attachment is a HF bender adapted to the hitch via a bed extender. Where you at in Ohio, I'm in Toledo. Anyway, good job.


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## GSORK

> [you could get a front mount hitch HF is awesome /QUOTE]
> 
> I would not put it on front NO TRIP SPRINGS if it would get cought up iitmight do serious damage


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## Kale Lawn

Well the old blade I had I got at a junk yard for $100 it was an 8' blade and weighed about 700-800lbs...which was nice.. only problem is the adapter said not go over 500lbs.. so last week I sold that blade on CL for $400 and made $300 profit! I took that money and bough a new 7' blade from TSC and it prolly weight about 300lbs or so.. and it's new! It's still on the trailer though.. i was going to unload it but I've been in bed with back spasms for the last 2 days...

I would never put this on the front of my truck with out trip springs.. but then again I don't see myself plowing faster than about 3 mph..

the adapter weighs about 45lbs and the winch is another 20-30lbs so right now I have a total weight of about 400lbs with the old blade set-up I would have had about 900lbs!!!

We only had a dusting..maybe an inch over the weekend and as much as I wanted to get the blade out and try it I didn't I want at least a solid 2" before I use it.. I'm really hoping we get like a 6" snow soon

I will try and get some new pictures of my new plow posted as soon as I'm able to get up and around


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## 02crew

I tried the link you posted for where to get the adapter at, but it doesn't work. Can you look and see if it is the right one. I think I may have to make one of these for myself, as I can't see spending 4000 to 5000 for all the more I need it.


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## wagonman76

I don't have trip springs on my little setup. Since I only use it for my own driveway, I know there is nothing I can catch it on. I don't have any curbs or ledges or anything, it's all dirt and grass under the snow.


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## cpsnowremoval

ranger88 first time i saw that pic it thought it was somthing used to angle the plow


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## ranger88den

cpsnowremoval;919867 said:


> ranger88 first time i saw that pic it thought it was somthing used to angle the plow


Yeah, that would give ya some leverage. LOL


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## Kale Lawn

02crew here is thie link with all the info

http://www.schmidtproducts.com/7501/7801.html


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## 02crew

Thank You !!!


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## HGT INC.

Congrats. I don't care what they would call me on this site. What ever you post here some a- hole is going to spout off with his 2 cents worth. Keep up the good work. You will be laughing all the way to the bank.


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## JCStrasser

Looks familiar- I did this 2 years ago. Built it as a bolt-together, no welding....remote lift control (winch, just like OP) but free pivoting- that is what the chains are for- it pushes snow to the side with the greatest drag- it really works and no getting out of the truck to change the angle. I have gone through 18" of snow with this (3/4 ton Cummins diesel really helped!)


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## ranger88den

JCStrasser;950678 said:


> Looks familiar- I did this 2 years ago. Built it as a bolt-together, no welding....remote lift control (winch, just like OP) but free pivoting- that is what the chains are for- it pushes snow to the side with the greatest drag- it really works and no getting out of the truck to change the angle. I have gone through 18" of snow with this (3/4 ton Cummins diesel really helped!)


Can you post more detailed pics? Thanks


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## Kale Lawn

looks great!!

I just took some picture this morning because we finally got snow!!

I ended up getting a new blade because the first one was way to heavy!


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## theonlybull

looks like it's workin' good....... hella warmer then a shovel


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## ranger88den

Ordered my adapter Friday. It's going on a Geo Tracker so I'll have to shop for a light drag blade. Thanks for everyone's information.


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## Kale Lawn

ranger88den;954755 said:


> Ordered my adapter Friday. It's going on a Geo Tracker so I'll have to shop for a light drag blade. Thanks for everyone's information.


Good luck!


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## DavCut

I would think if you could track down an 8 ft rake you could attach some thick poly - maybe with a cutting edge of some sort bolted between the tines - and have a wider, light weight blade. Definately like the concept!


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## ranger88den

DavCut;956181 said:


> I would think if you could track down an 8 ft rake you could attach some thick poly - maybe with a cutting edge of some sort bolted between the tines - and have a wider, light weight blade. Definately like the concept!


I'll keep your idea in mind. I doubt if anything will get done this winter as I move pretty slow on projects, but every thought is worth consideration. Thanks for the input.


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## Kale Lawn

I wouldn't put anything over 5' on a tracker.. I mean come on.. it weights like 1800#


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## Kale Lawn

hey guys just thought i'd give an update on the plow

so far I've been through 2 winchs on my 3rd...glad I got the 2 yr warrenty..

1-winch... backed into a pile of snow and jerk on the winch so hard it snapped in half...

2-winch... remote stopped working and snapped the cable backing again...

harbor freight replaced them for free because they were still under manufactures warrenty.. and my 2 year warrenty from HF starts over... can't beat that for a total investment of $45!!!

the reason the cable snaps is because when backing the plow wants to bend downward and the back of the truck want to lift upwards.. this puts a lot more stress on the cable and causes it to snap.. the solution is to install a limiting strap/chain the will limit the amount of blade travle and take the stress off the winch cable... the limiting strap is attached between the top link on the plow and is connected to the adapter near the winch.. by installing the limiting strap there is no need for a larger winch... unless you want to run a larger blade or want a faster lift/lower speed

now for the adapter...

overall it works well... with only a few problems

1. How the adapter connects into the trucks 2" hitch is poorly designed... the company uses hollow 2"x2" square tubing for construction... this is strong but they drilled two hole to mount the winch and therefore creates a weak point right at the reciever... solution... construct the adapter from 2" solid steel bar, and attach the winch with U-bolts instead of drilling into the adapter... The steel bar would make it heavier but it will not bend as easily.

2. The second problem is articulation..or lack there of.. the blade follows the movement of the truck.. i.e. if you run over a packed mound of snow with the right side of your truck.. the right side of the blade will lift off the ground and the left side will dig in...still working on a solution for this.. probobly need to add a link to allow some movement.. but not too much...

this being said.. it does a great job for the most part.. you just have to be careful and not get too carried away with the skinny pedal! 

the only other complaint I have is my blade.. it's a little too light and I will be adding some bolt on weights to it so it digs in just a little more... it works great on gravle because it doesn't dig in but does a poor job on heavily packed snow...

I know this sounds like it's a total pos.. but it really does a great job for the money I have in it. It's fast, there's no truck mods needed, and you can take it off in a matter of minutes and you stay warm!!! and now shoveling!!!!!. 

We are going to be getting another snow storm tomorrow so I will post pictures of before the storm and after.. We just had 24" over the weekend and I just went out and plowed and will post pictures of that too.. fyi.. they sell these on ebay now and I informed the company of these problems and they are "looking into the matter"


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## brian r webber

Kale Lawn,Thanks for the update.Look forward to more pictures.I want to build my own adapter.got a harbor frieght close by .I am looking for a used blade.New for a 7 footer starts at 280.00 around these parts. I wish JCStrasser would post his bolt together adapter plans in better detail.I used to plow residential and commercial properties.I got to many customers to do as a side job,so I sold my truck and plow.Then moved south.Moved back north and no plow now.Hate shoveling(bad back).So this" Poor mans plow" sounds like it will be the cats @$$ when all the bugs get worked out.I read up on it and they don't recomend plowing in reverse like you found out.Thanks again for the info!


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## Kale Lawn

brian r webber;994283 said:


> Kale Lawn,Thanks for the update.Look forward to more pictures.I want to build my own adapter.got a harbor frieght close by .I am looking for a used blade.New for a 7 footer starts at 280.00 around these parts. I wish JCStrasser would post his bolt together adapter plans in better detail.I used to plow residential and commercial properties.I got to many customers to do as a side job,so I sold my truck and plow.Then moved south.Moved back north and no plow now.Hate shoveling(bad back).So this" Poor mans plow" sounds like it will be the cats @$$ when all the bugs get worked out.I read up on it and they don't recomend plowing in reverse like you found out.Thanks again for the info!


I have since added a 3 ton come-along that I use as an adjustable limiting strap... that way when I push backwards the tension is not on the winch cable


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## ranger88den

Thanks for the update/improvement.


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## brian r webber

thanks for the update and the pictures


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## brian r webber

Update on my progress.I bought a used 3 point hitch off of ebay for $75,plus18 gallons of gas at $2.799,and six hours of my time to pick it up.I picked it up yesterday. I have no idea what it came off of and neither did the guy I bought it from. I am still hunting for the right used blade.The remote controlled winch at harbor freight is still at harbor frieght.I am hoping to find it on sale.I guess I should wait until I have the blade ,before doing in any fab work.I have a couple of ideas rattling around.I welcome your thoughts too.No pictures yet.I don't know if a picture ofa pile of parts is worth anyones effort.Actually got a dusting of snow here yesterday.Then again we got five inches last march 28th.There are lots of threads about trackers on here,I don't know how to link them.


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## brian r webber

found this website.http://t-pointlift.com/index.html


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## Kale Lawn

brian r webber;1030828 said:


> found this website.http://t-pointlift.com/index.html


pretty cool.. but for $2,000 you could buy one hellava front meyers or buyers front mount plow!


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## plowatnight

*Pull plow*

I built one of these last year. You should think about removing the 3rd member and make it hinge. also order a 12volt hyd. pump to raise and lower. I put quick couplers on the hoses and use my boat battery so the pump and battery can sit in the back of the truck. It's faster and more durable than the winch set-up. Good Luck


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## brian r webber

plowatnight;1031560 said:


> I built one of these last year. You should think about removing the 3rd member and make it hinge. also order a 12volt hyd. pump to raise and lower. I put quick couplers on the hoses and use my boat battery so the pump and battery can sit in the back of the truck. It's faster and more durable than the winch set-up. Good Luck


 pictures would be great and some how to info. I will t ake some when I have more than a pile of parts.I looked at it today and think I have my plan.I will have to widen the pins on the bracket where the l swing arms mount.I think originally the used hitch was cat 0,and I want cat 1.The pins are welded solid to the bracket with pin holes to secure the swing arms to the pins.I wonder if there are pin extensions that would slide over the existing pins and bolt or pin to them?Any one know?Heres my thoughts.I want to take a flat piece of steel and drill three matching holes like the three in my bumper above my 2 inch receiver.Then drill four matching holes to my used mounting bracket.I will bolt the bracket to the flat steel. I may bolt it to my bumper or use hitch pins for quick mounting/dismounting.The used bracket has a spot for a draw bar or my 2inch receiver would still be open for trailer hitches.I will use two pieces of angle iron mounted vertically to the used bracket for the top link of the three point and I will Probably mount the winch there too.I will have to connect the two lift arms with a horizontal piece to attach the winch cable .I will use pins to attach the swing arms , lift arms,and vertical members.That should make for easy assembly,disassembly. I have a four point or a seven point electrical hook up.I like the idea of using the seven point for back uplights and winch power.I have some shopping to do.I will read up on how to post pictures on here.I will keep everyone posted.Brian


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## brian r webber

Kale Lawn;1031471 said:


> pretty cool.. but for $2,000 you could buy one hellava front meyers or buyers front mount plow![/QUOTES]
> I know Kale,but you are limited with what you can do with the front mounts until we all do some more inventing/cobbing.I got pretty good reshaping gravel drives and lots with my western.I am going to pick on the back end of my truck for a while. It is rated 500/5000 lbs.As much as I want one ,a front mount plow, and compact tractor to drag three point implements isn't in the budget until I win the lottery.I wonder where my old plow truck is?


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## plowatnight

*Pull plow*

The mount in the picture (yellow plow) is close to mine except for the winch. It goes in the receiver hitch ONLY which is nice because you don't have to make holes or fastening points in your bumper. If you knock off the 3rd member you gain a bunch more clearance. you could mount the winch in the 3rd member location on a tree on the part that slides in the receiver and put the cable hook to the backof the blade near the angle pin. Again this will require a moderate dute winch (which is why I prefer a hydro setup.) The tree should be 3"x1/4" flat strap in the least. Plow forward as much as posible NOT in reverse as much. A new Tranny will much more $$ than just hiring a service.


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## brian r webber

plowatnight;1031835 said:


> The mount in the picture (yellow plow) is close to mine except for the winch. It goes in the receiver hitch ONLY which is nice because you don't have to make holes or fastening points in your bumper. If you knock off the 3rd member you gain a bunch more clearance. you could mount the winch in the 3rd member location on a tree on the part that slides in the receiver and put the cable hook to the backof the blade near the angle pin. Again this will require a moderate dute winch (which is why I prefer a hydro setup.) The tree should be 3"x1/4" flat strap in the least. Plow forward as much as posible NOT in reverse as much. A new Tranny will much more $$ than just hiring a service.


 I would not have to drill any holes in the bumper.they are already there.It looked to me far easier my way then trying to adapt it to a two inch reciever.I should have plenty of lift and clearence. I only plan on my drive, neighbors,and occasionally the lot at work. Hydraulics would be great, but I'm sticking with the cheaper version for now .Homemade bracket,used blade, winch that costs less than $100.Sorry no pictures yet,but nothing to see yet.Thanks for the input and I will let everybody know how it turns out.


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## Jfive

Well I know this is old, but I went out and bought the metal and made this from scratch. So far minus the winch(hyd ram) I am into it 250.00 including welding rod, metal, paint, primer, wax and tar remover, pins, all thread, ect. Did take me 8 hours of solid work to get this far, but I didn't have to work anywhere else so I don't consider that money lost. Still need some 2" by 1/4 flat bar to finish, and need to cut the all thread down, and drill a few holes for the hinge pins, but not bad for a honest days work. Also all done with chop saw(borrowed) and 78.00 used harbor freight welder 105amp 220v dc arc.


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## Jfive

One last picture of a drawing I made with my idea of using a hydraulic ram hooked up to my 5th wheel plate, taking the plate out and using a piece of all round to mount the ram on one end, and hooking it up to the blade on the other with an extension, and then running it off an extra power steering pump, and a control valve, and some extra long hoses, that will be able to run what ever else I want too. That should run an extra 250.00 or so, but I will be into this for about as much as most of you spent on the blade attachment itself. I do have a tempered blade I might use if not just adding shoes, or tempering the bottom of the blade with running a bead along the edge.


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