# Any Deuce Plow Drivers?



## HVYMTL (Nov 15, 2002)

Hi,
I could use some advise. I have a 2.5ton 6x6 with RootSpring 11' blade.
I am concerned about frame damage if I get carried away with this truck pushing snow.
Blade assembly weighs 1,300lbs and extends 5' from bumper to front of blade.
This all hangs off frame horns which set about 1.5' ahead of spring perches for front axle. This set up was heavy enough to bottom out the front suspension, i had to install Firestone airbags to bring it back up.
Over all their is 1300lbs hanging 6.5-7' out in front of spring perches- this has to be a very large leverage effect trying to bend frame horns down to ground?
Is any one familar with hanging large blades on trucks and how tough are the frames on Military 6x6 and trucks with similar frame rail sizes?
Truck weighs in at 18,000lbs, full chain sets, sure works better than my hand shovel!, just dont want to break it. I already folded up a 7.5' pickup type blade trying to push piles of snow- now I have enginnered a heavier blade I am looking for the next weakest link to break.
thanks for any help,
Tom


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

HVYMTL, Welcome to PlowSite. I don't remember anyone asking about plowing with a 2.5 before, I think it'd be good for roads and big lots - not so good for small drives . I don't think I'd worry about hanging a 1300# plow off of it. I used to be a wheel vehicle mechanic in another life (Army 1967-80) and worked on these and the 5 ton M54A2. Also spent a year as a driver and routinely loaded seven tons of mortar shells in the bed. I don't remember any frame damage. These things are tough and go anywhere. You almost have to work at getting stuck.


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## bhadden (Nov 4, 2002)

Hey HVYMTL,
I (and my neighbor) both have M35A2s w/ Western 9' Heavyweights and UniMount systems. Sounds like you've got quite a bit more metal hanging off the front end of yours, but like Mick, I wouldn't worry about bending the frame on a deuce. We've only run ours a few years (and most of that's been droughty) but it's rough duty and off the pavement here in the mountains of northern New Mexico. I can say we've gotten carried away a few times and haven't hurt the truck (read plow hurts first). This year I'm going to try w/o the duals (I don't carry sand or salt) to see the difference in traction I can get. Of course, there's always chains, and without the inside dual the chains should go on easier! Have a good year.


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## bhadden (Nov 4, 2002)

Okay,
We finally got our first "plowable" snow, and I found out there is no subsitute for chains for what we're trying to do (up and over hill and dale, off the pavement)! But with the inside duals off the chains sure go on easier! Happy Snowadays.


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## digger242j (Nov 22, 2001)

> and routinely loaded seven tons of mortar shells in the bed.


I wonder why this never came up in the thread about "ballast" in the bed for plowing? 

Seriously though, I've never driven one but having seen some around it looks like they're sorta clumsey. Not a very tight turning radius for one thing. Or am I mistaken?


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

I'm glad you brought this thread back up. I was thinking about it the other day. As I said, the first truck I drove was a 5 ton - M54A2 with the turbo charger - in Viet Nam in 1968. After about 10 months we got some 2.5 ton M35A2s in the unit. We called them "little sisters"  .


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

digger242j, not only seven tons in the bed but pulled 21 tons on a 40 foot trailer. I'll check with the Army and see if they'll let us have some 155s for ballast. Might start a sideline business 
 . 

Turning radius? What turning radius? Gimme 40 acres ...


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## digger242j (Nov 22, 2001)

Yeah, that was the impression I'd gotten about turning radius. I watched one trying to make a turn back around a sort of Y shaped intersection once. It was a pretty wide road but he still had to make two cuts.

Don't know if this is a true story or not, but it's a good story.

A guy I know says he was driving a deuce on the Turnpike one day. Truck was loaded with M-16s and pulling a trailer loaded with the ammunition for them. The truck broke down so they sent a tow truck out and began towing the combination. Smokey pulls them over and says "you can't tow a truck with the trailer attached like that". My friend shows him the contents of both the truck and trailer and says, "no problem, you decided which one you want me to leave by the side of the road here." Needless to say it was ok to tow them together....


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## bhadden (Nov 4, 2002)

40 acres is about right for turning radius. I have 60 acres and still have trouble sometimes getting turned around (operator skill level?). I read that official turn radius is 36 feet. Also getting one unstuck is a chore. Again, probably operator skill(less) involved. Check the pic from a couple of years ago. Oh well, all in good fun...


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## digger242j (Nov 22, 2001)

Ya know, a load of 155s like Mick mentioned might give the operator a little incentive to be more skillfull....


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## chtucker (Sep 6, 2002)

I've been there many times in something smaller, How did you get it out of there?


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

chtucker, that's what I was wondering earlier until I realized it looked like a wrecker on the back of that thing. So, he could just run the cable out to a tree across the road, put it in low/reverse and start reeling - out it comes onto the road . 

Or call an M88. (if I remember right that was the tracked recovery vehicle)


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## bhadden (Nov 4, 2002)

Well, having a winch or wrecker on the truck would of been too easy for someone like me (it's a dump bed). With the help of some really fine neighbors, a half a dozen railroad ties, and a good buddy w/ a backhoe, we were able to pull it out in just a few hours. We dug the road out from underneath the rears, made a ramp w/ the ties, tied off the uphill side w/ the pickup winch, and pulled (oh so gently) the truck back on the road w/ the hoe. Haven't had that much fun in a while....


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## digger242j (Nov 22, 2001)

There was a "worst stuck" thread around here a few months ago. It'll come up if you search for it. You'd have at least earned an honorable mention....


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## SnoJob67 (Sep 3, 2001)

No deuce and a halfs in our fleet, yet.  I think I may know you, Tom. Do you have a friend on Patton Avenue? I might have the wrong, guy, but your story sounds awfully familiar.  If so, please don't reveal our exact location. 

If I have mistaken your identity, sorry. Otherwise, welcome to plowsite. If you have other questions that I am qualified to answer, I'll be glad to help anyway I can. Also, I realize it is a completely different animal, but I have a large (ex-city) truck you could look at to get a general idea of what type of plow capacity your vehicle might have in relation to what is strapped to the front of my truck.

John


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## HVYMTL (Nov 15, 2002)

bhadden,
enjoyed pictures- reminded me of my quest to see if 6x6 was really "unstoppable".
high centered mine on 5' high pile of packed and frozen snow in my driveway- waited for a spring thaw.
will post pictures when I find them.
any chance you have pics of mounting of blade/subframe to frame on that truck?

hvymtl


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## HVYMTL (Nov 15, 2002)

Snowjob67,

I have noticed a clean looking unit (restored ?) and some others were used for house moving in near by area-they used to have a Vblade on back of lot. Mine has van body which serves well for weight on duals.
tested my setup last summer on gravel drive- works ok as a road grader if carefull 
Would welcome a chance to look over other trucks. I usually over-engineer my own projects- but plowing forces are new to me, don't want to spend all winter laying in the snow again welding, cutting, and patching bent metal.

hvymtl


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## bhadden (Nov 4, 2002)

Hvymtl,
I don't have pictures of the mount but I can get a few. I'll borrow my buddy's camera. Maybe I'll get one for Christmas?

I've got a few snow poles now to mark the edge of the road. I had pushed back the snow bank with the dozer and created a false shoulder in the snow and ice, so when I came around the corner I was just a little wide. One of those slow motion moments...


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## HVYMTL (Nov 15, 2002)

Found my worst stuck(read stupid stuck) pictures. This pile of snow was as high as top of hood on front end before starting over, took many test climbs half way up to test how packed/frozen it was. I used to hill climb on bikes but this didn't compare. Was a real thrill hill climbing in truck, see nothing but sky
but as you can see it didn't last long 

ok- attempting picture attachment


oops...


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## HVYMTL (Nov 15, 2002)

try again


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## HVYMTL (Nov 15, 2002)

wow- my low res pics sure look ugly, but is easy on 56k users


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## IC-Smoke (Feb 15, 2008)

bump! considering getting a deuce for fun and getting a blade for a little side work


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## Pinky Demon (Jan 6, 2010)

bhadden;58679 said:


> Okay,
> We finally got our first "plowable" snow, and I found out there is no subsitute for chains for what we're trying to do (up and over hill and dale, off the pavement)! But with the inside duals off the chains sure go on easier! Happy Snowadays.


I think a fair bit of your problem is the fact that your Western 9 ft. is not wide enough to push the snow past your wheel wells, thus, you are running over snow. I think you might want to consider a larger blade, 10 ft. minimum.


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## milkie62 (Sep 1, 2003)

I've always loved them there trucks.Have seen them bobbed and they look pretty mean.If you can live with the spartan interior , noise and probable lack of heat they should make a decent medium size lot rig with a small pusher blade even possible.


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## crazywelder72 (Feb 15, 2009)

I have a Huge deuce. I keep joking about designing a minute mount style setup. I want to be able to keep the winch and keep the aggressive look without having a ugly frame attached all year. This pic was last night.


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